Professional Documents
Culture Documents
42
YF-16
VS. YF-17
Even the loser won
big p. 59
REBUILDING THE
MISSILE FORCE p . 20
JACK NORTHROPS
FLYING WING p . 68
MORE AIRPOWER
FOR THE PACIFIC p . 36
February 2017 $8
Published by the
Air Force Association
FOR SPECIAL OPS.
A SPECIAL EDGE.
Around the globe, V-22 Ospreys are making a critical difference for Special Operations Forcesexecuting long-range
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F EA T U R ES
4 Editorial: T w elv e D ay s in D ec em b er 42 T h e R u s s ians in S y ria
By Adam J . Hebert P hotos by Ministry of Defense of
Take nothing for granted in the Trump the Russian Federation
administration. Text by Amy McCullough
They arent going anywhere.
20 R eb u ilding th e M is s ile F orc e
By Wilson Brissett 50 S ep aration A nxiety
U S AFs Force Improv ement P rogram By J ennifer Hlad
is now repairing problems in the USAF may find that personnel
ICBM force that dev eloped ov er shortages lead to ev en more
many years. airmen leav ing the force.
L3T.COM
ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS
AEROSPACE SYSTEMS
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
Editorial
By Adam J. Hebert, Editor in Chief
9/11 Vs. Pearl Harbor only presidenthe was then into his third Offset from what? [The Third Offset,
I enjoyed John Corrells characteris- termshe and her friends had known. August, p. 24]. As I read more, I realized
tically detailed and thought-provoking The 9/11 attacks were quickly splashed it wasnt offset as in offset bombing,
article on Pearl Harbor in the November/ across television, magazines, and news- so I looked up several definitions, but
December issue [Pearl Harbor Rides papers, thrusting a new, unknown enemy none fit exactly. After a little thought, I
Again, p. 22]. Toward the end, on p. out to an unsuspecting America. Indeed, concluded it was something that acts as
29, one of the last paragraphs noted we all saw the towers fall as it happened. counterbalancenot to equilibrium, but in
a poll of students from the University Unless we were there, we couldnt see our favor. Most agree that it was nuclear
of New Hampshire. (Why that school the Japanese strafing and dropping their weapons that defined the First Offset,
was chosen was not given.) Correll bombs and torpedoes as it happened. but I believe its broader. Its nuclear
[said] the poll found limited interest and George W. Bush had become president prowess. Nuclear weapons did offset a
knowledge about Pearl Harbor among barely eight months before. Suddenly, we long, drawn-out end to World War II in
the millennials. To them, the 9/11 at- were in a world war again, a war we had the Pacific, and later offset the imbal-
tacks were of far greater significance. generally not known was coming. The ance in conventional forces in Europe
This note reinforced my feeling over the war came home to her more directly in as compared to the Soviet Unions, but
years that schools are not emphasizing late May 1945 as she peered from her it was nuclear propulsion that allowed
the importance of the world wars in the mothers apartment window straining to us to have our most secure leg of the
shaping of the world of the last half of catch the last glimpse of her Navy husband nuclear triad.
the 20th century and their societies to of 17 months, his seabag on his shoulder, I thought I understood the Second
a disinterested population that would headed for parts unknown, she about to Offset, precision guided weapons, when
inherit that world. However, the feeling give birth to their first child (me). For several I first read about it, until I just heard three
that 9/11 was more important than Pearl months, she did not know where he was, speakers at a symposium all couch it
Harbor is certainly worth discussing. although, in fact, he was in a top-secret differently. So I looked for commonal-
Besides appearing almost in real time specialized unit at Pearl Harbor producing ity and concluded it is not precision,
on TV, 9/11 obviously did affect us more invasion maps for the planned operation its accuracy. Yes, guidance makes
recently and those effects are still being against Japan. She wrote to an FPO ad- weapons more precise at striking a
felt even as I write. dress, standing in for me to congratulate point, but precisely striking the wrong
A few days after the attacks, I asked him on just making Fathers Day that year. point is an offset of another flavor in the
my mother how she felt. At the time, she My point is that everyone has his wrong direction. To achieve accuracy,
was 79, born and bred in the Bronx, a own collection of reference points by theres more to it. The invention of the
1943 graduate of Hunter College. Without which he forms opinions as to the rela- laser target designator and laser guided
a moments hesitation, she declared the tive importance of specific events. Fifty bomb defines the start of this era. It later
terrorists attacks were far more impor- years from now, will our grandchildren included: establishing and maintaining
tant, perhaps because Hawaii and the and great-grandchildren wonder what a constellation of satellites (GPS) so
war were distant to most of the American the fuss was all about after the seismic our military forces and weapons know
population at the time, and everyone had 2016 presidential election? By then, I more precisely where they are; updating
faith in President Franklin D. Roosevelt suppose, we will have a better idea as myriad charts/maps and digital terrain
to guide the country. Like many others to whether we made an 8.0 mistake, elevation data; and making advances
of her youthful generation, FDR was the or whether we finally have met the in intelligence, surveillance, and re-
unrelenting enemy of Sept. 11, 2001, connaissance (ISR) to precisely know
Do you have a comment about a
and soundly beaten him, as we did the
current article in the magazine?
equally dangerous Axis countries of the Index to Advertisers
Write to Letters, Air Force Mag
1940s. If we hadnt, I would not be here
az ine, 1501 Lee Highway, Ar- Boeing ................................................Cover II
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be concise and timely. We cannot
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We reserve the right to condense
letters. Letters without name AFA Corporate Membership Spotlight........35
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When I first heard of the Third Offset,
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I was disappointed in myself for not know- Air Warfare Symposium .............................41
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ing of the first and second and wondered, Budget Rent a Car.......................................65
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who observ ed, oriented, decided, and Col. Don Rupert,
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HA Maj. G en. S tephen A. lark from S pec. Asst. to DCS , S trat. P lans & Rq mts.,
m a tc h e d a e r o s p a c e p o w e r a n d a te c h n ic a lly
USAF, Pentagon, to Dep. Asst. Secy. for Prgms., Office of Asst. SECAF, Financial Mgmt. s u p e r io r w o r k fo r c e to e n s u r e U S n a tio n a l
Comptroller, O S AF, P entagon Maj. G en. P eter E. ersten from Dep. Asst. S ecy, P rgms., s e c u r ity .
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DCS , S tat. P lans & Rq mts., U S AF, P entagon Maj. G en. Marc Henry S as s ev ille, from S r. A d v o c a te fo r a e ro s p a c e p o w e r a n d S T E M
Defense Official, Turkey, DIA, Ankara, Turkey, to Dep. Dir., ANG, NGB, Pentagon. e d u c a tio n .
S u p p o r t th e T o ta l A ir F o r c e fa m ily a n d p r o -
H F A A HA CMS gt. K aleth O . W rig h t, to Chief Master S ergeant
m o te a e r o s p a c e e d u c a tio n .
of the Air Force, U S AF, P entagon.
CSAR Hercs leave Afghanistan; C-130Js for rescue; Speed saves ....
GOOD-BYE, HC-130S Were v ery familiar with the airdrop mission, S antoro
said, and although the sq uadron is not trained in CS AR, we
As the U S military has reduced the number of American can help prov ide capability for that neednamely, getting
troops in Afghanistan, it has also worked to close forward G uardian Angels to far-flung locations q uickly.
operating bases, return eq uipment to permanent bases, Before Vulture Rescue, teams would need more time to
and reduce the ov erall footprint there. P art of the drawdown get to an isolated person because they would hav e to fly
effort included pulling HC-130sthe combat search and the entire way in HH-60s, possibly needing to stop for fuel
rescue ( CS AR) v ersion of the C-130from the country. on the way, Nichols said.
S till, more than 8 ,000 U S troops remain in Afghanistan, Now, they can load onto a C-130J along with an aero-
and the loss of the HC-130 from the large and mountain- medical ev acuation team and fly faster and straight to the
ous country left a v oid, making it significantly harder for isolated person, he said.
pararescuemen to reach a downed pilot or other isolated Then, G uardian Angel pararescuemen and combat rescue
serv ice members q uickly if necessary. officers can jump out of the C-130J , take care of the per-
Normally, the rescue triad is made up of G uardian Angels son, and put him or her on an HH-60 P av e Hawk that can
( the specializ ed personnel recov ery airmen) , HH-60 P av e meet up with the C-130J at a nearby airstrip and transfer
Hawks, and HC-130s. Losing the HC-130s led to a reduc- the person to the medical teams care if needed, he said.
tion in range and speed, explained Lt. Col. S cott Nichols, Col. Ricky S exton, commander of the 45 5 th EAES ,
commander of the 8 3rd Expeditionary Rescue S q uadron. pointed out that if someone is stranded far from any U S
base, the pararescue team may be working on the ground
HELLO, RESCUE VULTURES for sev eral hours to keep the person safe. By the time they
get to the aircraft, they may be smoked, but if theyre
To make up for that loss, the 8 3rd, the 774th Expeditionary using the C-130J , they can turn the patient ov er to the
Airlift S q uadron, and the 45 5 th Expeditionary Aeromedi- EAES teamwhich includes critical care personnelfor
cal Ev acuation S q uadron ( EAES ) all from the 45 5 th Air additional care.
Expeditionary Wingcreated something they call Vulture
Rescue. THE SPEED OF J
Lt. Col. S arah S antoro, commander of the 774th, told
A i r F o r c e M a g a z i n e that the C-130 unit at Bagram Airfield, The C-130J can also get patients back to Bagram more
Afghanistan, is not trained in personnel recov ery, but does q uickly, where they can receiv e more treatment at the hos-
prov ide airlift and airdrop of personnel and eq uipment as pital there or be flown to G ermany. U sing Vulture Rescue
part of its core capabilities. instead of just the helicopters could get serv ice members
the care they need hours earlier than they would
otherwise, he said.
A irm en w ith th e 455th Exp editionary A erom edic al Ev ac u ation The bottom line is that we found a uniq ue way
S q u adron p rep are to load m edic al eq u ip m ent onto a C - 130 J at to improv e our capabilities and hav e a higher
a ram Airfield Af hanistan in ay
chance of sav ing liv es in search and rescue situ-
ations, Nichols said.
Its all about getting American hands on
American personnel and getting them to safety
and to the medical care they need, he con-
tinued.
The idea began with the prev ious deployment
rotation of airmen, and those units did a full
mission rehearsal in the late summer.
Nicholss, S antoros, and S extons units arriv ed
around O ctober and immediately started ham-
mering out details and planned another mission
rehearsal for December, so if the capability would
be needed, theyre ready.
calling the concept, which had pav ed the way to v ictory in the growing gap between the citiz enry of the U S and its
Desert S torm and subseq uent wars in the Balkans, Afghani- military, noting that fewer and fewer Americans hav e any
stan, and Iraq , fundamentally flawed. Mattis, outlawing firsthand knowledge of the military and warning that this
use of the term and concept in a 2008 directiv e, said he disconnect may create problems.
objected to the ideas of effects-based operations because
they had not deliv ered on their adv ertised benefits. Air- DYAD IN THE WOOL
power adv ocates, howev er, saw Mattis mov e as simply
countering what he perceiv ed as a threat to the primacy In 2015, Mattis testified before the Senate Armed Ser-
and funding of ground forces. v ices Committee about the potential future of the nations
The EBO concept holds that its more important to nuclear arsenal, saying fundamental q uestions must be
concentrate on desired outcomessuch as silencing a asked and answered about how many nuclear weapons to
command and control network, cutting off power in the maintain and their alert status. He suggested that if nuclear
enemy capital, or blinding enemy leadershiprather than weapons are only for deterrence, we should say so, and the
the specific tools used to achiev e those ends or traditional, resulting clarity will help to determine the number we need.
set-piece battles focusing on troops at the forward line of Reducing the triad of ICBMs, bombers, and nuclear-armed
battle. submarines to a dyad of bombers and subs only would
Despite Mattis objections, EBO has become accepted reduce the false-alarm danger, Mattis said at the hearing.
doctrine by all the serv ices, though under different names.
The Air Force resurrected the term just a couple of years GROUND-BASED PERSPECTIVE
after Mattis left the J FCO M post.
As CENTCO M chief, Mattis pushed for an ev er greater Trumps early national security lineup features almost
number of ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to carry entirely retired generals and v eterans from the Army and
out the counterinsurgency war. Marine Corps. For national security adv isor, he tapped re-
While CENTCO M commander, Mattis pushed to keep tired Army Lt. G en. Michael T. Flynn; for CIA, Rep. Michael
more carrier battle groups on station near Iran to deter R. P ompeo ( R-Calif.) , a West P oint graduate; for Homeland
that country. He has been an opponent of the deal struck S ecurity chief, retired Marine Corps G en. J ohn F. K elly.
with Iran ov er its dev elopment of nuclear weapons, say- J oint Chiefs of S taff Chairman G en. J oseph F. Dunford J r.
ing the agreement will only slow Irans march to become is also a marine.
a nuclear power. S peaking at the Center for S trategic and O ne retired Air Force general, who spoke about the Mattis
International S tudies in April 2016, Mattis said the next nomination on background, said he was worried that with all
P resident will inherit a mess because of the Iran deal. the surface-serv ice leadership on the Trump team, you hav e
He also said U S influence has been waning in the Middle no div ersity of thought. He observ ed that most of those being
East for decades, and he has complained about the O bama tapped are the people who created that counterinsurgency
administration not taking a tougher stance against Chinese doctrine. S o wheres the innov ation in thought? Where are
island-building in the P acific and Russian aggression in the different options going to come from?
Eastern Europe. The fear is, the general said, Mattis only sees airpower
Howev er, in remarks at the CS IS ev ent, Mattis said and the Air Force as aerial artillery to be used in support
theres no going back on the nuclear deal with Iran absent of ground forces.
a real v iolation of Irans obligations under that agreement. The episode regarding Mattis and EBO was troubling, he
European allies, he said, wouldnt go along with new sanc- continued, because as head of J oint Forces Command, you
tions, and U S sanctions alone would lack the necessary shouldnt be closing your mind to any ideas. Y ou should be
force to bring Iran to heel. U nder the agreement, the U S opening your arms to the widest spectrum of ideas.
and other countries lifted a decades-long freez e on Iranian When all the people in the room fall back on their experi-
assets in exchange for Iran promising to limit certain kinds ence, and there is no champion of airpower, the default may
of nuclear research and uranium enrichment for a number well follow the thinking that led to these long, drawn-out,
of years. Criticsincluding Mattissaid the deal merely indecisiv e outcomes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
ensured that Iran would ev entuallylegallyobtain nuclear The retired general acknowledged, though, that he
weapons, but on a longer timetable, funded with the windfall believ es Mattis will be able to manage the P entagon bu-
of its unfroz en assets. reaucracy, hav ing experienced it himself, operationally.
Mattis is fond of nonpolitically correct comments, hav ing His concern is only arent we a little lopsided here, with
famously said its fun to shoot some people and be po- regard to perspectiv e?
lite, be professional, but hav e a plan to kill ev erybody you Aerospace Industries Association P resident Dav id F.
meet. There are Web pages dev oted to Mattis q uotes. In Melcher, when asked if hes concerned about the ground-
announcing his choice for the S ecDef job, Trump compared serv ice-heav y makeup of the Trump national security team,
Mattis to World War II G en. G eorge S . P atton, famous said, Im really not. He explained, Ev ery one of those
both for salty, intemperate language and a hard-charging guys, like G eneral Mattis, was responsible for the whole
attitude rev eling in battle. combined-arms team. Their experience in that respect
Mattis is known to hav e a military library of thousands means they understand what everybody brings to the fight.
of v olumes and is considered by the Marine Corps and And theyre going to adv ocate for whats needed most, both
some others as a military v isionary. He has written one short term[ the] combatant commander v iewand longer
book about the military, W a r r i o r s a n d C i t i z e n s : A m e r i c a n term, department-wide. S o Im not concerned about that.
V i e w s o n O u r M i l i t a r y , published in 2016. In it he decried Melcher, himself, is a retired Army three-star general.
11.16.2016
A ir F orc e N am es N ew T op Enlis ted L eader S ilv er S tar A w arded f or V alor in A f g h anis tan
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein announced Retired Air Force SSgt. Benjamin D. Hutchins
on Nov. 16 that CMSgt. Kaleth O. Wright will serve as the received a Silver Star for his heroism in Afghani-
US Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein into the Bala Murghab River in Afghanistan
S S gt. Alyssa
stan as command chief master According to the Silver Star citation, Airman Hutchins,
hot
Fp
sergeant of the 9th Air and Space despite the onslaught of enemy fire, refused to leave the two
S A
Expeditionary Task Force-Afghanistan soldiers and persisted in his recovery attempt until American
U
in Kabul. forces arrived to repel the enemy and assist with the recovery.
Wright is the second African-American top Hutchins is credited with helping friendly forces overwhelm
enlisted leader for the service and the first since CMSAF the enemy stronghold.
Thomas N. Barnes held the position from 1973 to 1977. Gold- He was medically retired in 2014 from wounds received
fein announced Codys retirement in September at AFAs Air, in combat in 2012 and lives in Fayetteville, N.C., where he
Space & Cyber Conference. operates a construction business, according to the Observer.
400,000
By the Numbers
U S AF photo
nuclear missionarguably its most im- conditions, and what led to the scandals F irs t p ag e: A n u narm ed M inu tem an I I I I C B M
portant functionhad lost direction. of 2007 and 2014. Williford and his team b las ts ou t of a s ilo du ring an op erational
tes t lau nc h F eb . 25, 20 12, at V andenb erg
The Minot incident eventually forced came away from these surveys convinced A F B , C alif . O ne c h ang e b rou g h t b y th e F I P
the resignations of a Secretary of the Air of the need for a cultural change to is that nuclear mission officers now travel
to andenber to watch test launches
Force and a Chief of Staff, a major Air place the nuclear mission more in line Above left st t ony nitsuka takes
Force reorganization, and a program to with the rest of the operational Air Force. a tes t in 20 15 at M alm s trom A F B , M ont.
tighten up the standards, but there was The FIP results made it clear to Wil- issile crew members were bein tested
several times a year unlike pilots who are
more to come. liford that the nuclear field had entered evaluated every year plus Above nd t
The sense of a mission in crisis was a holding pattern. Without the Cold War Wesley riffith l and st t atie rimley
reinforced in January 2014, when 92 sense of urgency for the mission, the work in the launch control center in a mis
s ile alert f ac ility at M alm s trom .
nuclear missile officers at Malmstrom missile career field had grown isolated.
AFB, Mont., were caught cheating on Its leadership had become geared toward about performance on nuclear knowl-
their monthly nuclear proficiency exams. mere survival, its infrastructure and edge testswhat many in the nuclear
Within a month, then-Lt. Gen. Stephen equipment had become outdated and missile community now talk about as an
W. Wilson (now the four-star vice chief worn, and its evaluation regime had grown impossible-to-meet culture of perfection.
of staff), commander of Air Force Global abstract and inflexible. What was needed Eventually, mission drift set in, Wil-
Strike Command at the time, announced a was alignment with the changes that had liford said.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 21
The ICBM work had started to focus produced little pockets of innovation, and often found themselves afraid to ask a
more on operations within the gate of the we start spreading them across the group. question. After the investigation, they
base, where training happens, instead of The goal of the training and evaluation just completely changed all the leader-
where the mission is, which is in the field. reforms is to shift the emphasis from ship, to find leaders who were more
Airmen told Williford training was knowledge to proficiency, Williford said. approachable.
too rigid. Experience in a simulator was When the FIP team looked at the rest of Leadership changes werent just about
limited to a singular, four-hour event, the Air Force, they found a concentration intangibles, according to Col. Stacy Jo
while evaluators relied too much on paper- on proficiency and currency in leadership Huser, commander of the 91st Opera-
based tests. This standardized, one-size- development that was lacking in the tions Group at Minot AFB, N.D. The
fits-all approach artificially separated the nuclear field. Using the simulator more FIP determined that everybody who is
responsibility for safeguarding nuclear and fostering flexibility and innovation a 13Nthe Air Force specialty code for
weapons systems from the authority of in training would reward the proficiency nuclear and missile operationswill pull
team leaders to tailor training to the needs aspects of things. alert, Huser said.
of their crew. The new approach is supposed to create Prior to FIP, your squadron com-
To create a more realistic and sustain- well-rounded professionals in the nuclear manders didnt pull alert, and neither
able training and evaluation culture, two mission instead of skilled test-takers. did wing commanders. Now all those
of the most important FIP reforms are folks are pulling alert again with the crew
incentives to reward the mission in G ET O U T O F T H E S I L O S members, and theyre legitimate alerts.
the field and a move to align authority In the hunt for nuclear proficiency, the Its not a modified alert where they have
with responsibility, Williford explained. FIP discovered that officers need to get out a babysitter out there.
In terms of training and evaluation, this of the silos and off the northern tier bases Pulling alert is the heart of the ICBM
has meant closely pairing classroom more often. This involves professional mission. It requires 24 hours of uninter-
instruction with the simulator and more development opportunities, Williford rupted duty shared with a crew partner
complex and frequent simulator time. The said, in the form of continuing education, in a launch control center that can be a
new training standard for nuclear officers cross-service visits elsewhere within the A b ov e lef t: 1s t L t. K ry s tal W ilder ( l) and
1s t L t. M ary V as ta w ork in a lau nc h c ontrol
is a 12-hour simulator mission with six US nuclear forces, or a trip to observe c enter du ring an alert in M arc h . A b ov e: 1s t
different crews. This model allows crew live ICBM test launches at Vandenberg L t. Pam ela B lanc o- C oc a c los es th e b las t
members to bolster realism by practic- AFB, Calif. door at a m is s ile alert f ac ility .
ing the handoff of alert status from one As important as training, evaluation, three-hour drive from the base. One of
crew to another. and education are to the nuclear mission, the two officers on alert has to be awake,
Theres more flexibility in training however, the FIP also took aim at patterns monitoring the system, at all times.
since the FIP. Because missile crews of leadership, career field structure, and For Selvidge, seeing commanders pull-
have different levels of knowledge and funding levels. ing alert has been crucial for morale.
experience, Williford said simulator work For Capt. Kristin Selvidge, a flight Seeing your leadership out in the field
allows us to tailor the training to the commander in the 490th Missile Squadron doing the work with the regular line crew
needs of a crew in a way that a stan- at Malmstrom, the changes in leadership members, I think [creates] more apprecia-
dardized, paper-based test cant match. were the most noticeable outcomes of tion and respect.
Williford sees an important point about the FIP. Before the cheating scandal, said Having more people pulling alerts
empowerment here. Selvidgewho has served at Malmstrom spreads the duty around, creating a more
Giving the squadrons back that author- since 2011senior leadership was in- sustainable operating tempo. A new re-
ity to modify their training, he said, has timidating to many junior officers. They quirement gives missile officers a day
22 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
U S AF photo by S rA. J ason Wiese
off immediately after every 24-hour alert alerts they pull beyond the standard seven, T h e rem ote c onditions are m ade c lear b y
period. Thats not bad for morale, either. she said. It helps to show that our time th is p ic tu re of an F . E. W arren A F B , W y o. ,
alert f ac ility . T h e top s ide b u ilding s h ou s e
The FIP reforms are starting to pay off. is valuable, Garcia-Smith said, and that s u p p ort and s ec u rity f orc es , w h ile m is -
More officers are staying in the nuclear the Air Force recognizes that. s ileers w ork u nderg rou nd in th e lau nc h
missile career field. Previously, there New money for the nuclear mission c ontrol c enter.
simply werent enough billets to retain has gone toward better gear for the secu- Nonetheless, nuclear missile officers
officers in the middle of their careers. rity forces that protect the nuclear bases. are genuinely proud of their work and
It was typical to do a three- or four-year Theyve gotten new uniforms, protective even fiercely loyal to the remote bases
tour at a nuclear base, then be forced to vests, and Advanced Combat Optical Gun- where they are assigned.
cross-train into another career altogether. sights for their weapons. The Air Force People who say, You dont want to
A handful of high performers would stick is also making progress on replacing the go to Minot have never been stationed at
around and eventually win staff positions, Vietnam-era UH-1N Huey helicopters used Minot, Huser said. She said a new indoor
but filling those middle gaps created to patrol the vastly separated ICBM instal- playground and splash pad was built to
serious problems for mentoring and career- lations. A draft request for proposals for a help parents endure the North Dakota
field continuity, Huser said. new helicopter was released in December cold with young children. Garcia-Smith
Starting with the FY17 accessions, with a goal of fielding the system in 2021. said, Theres always something for you
Huser said, 13Ns are 13Ns for the rest of to get involved in at the base. Williford,
their careers. Additional billets have been C H A N G ES O V ER D U E who began his career as a missileer there,
created to make room for these midlevel Improvements have come to facilities agreed that the sense of community is
leaders, and from now on there will be and to quality-of-life initiatives. Carter foundational to life at Minot.
two assistant directors of operations in said Minot had received a newly repaired I had never expected to have such a
each squadron, she said. runway, expanded childcare options, large group of peers in a similar opera-
Supporting the manpower increase is and fitness centers open 24/7. Nuclear tional environment with the same daily
a new 3+3 career-field structure, with officers said the changes were overdue. stressors that the ops tempo provides.
young officers getting an initial crew tour Selvidge was delighted when new ameni- And what happens is, you make friends
to learn the mission, followed by a tour ties such as shelves, workout equipment, for life, he said.
concentrating on leadership development. microwave ovens, and refrigerators began Williford described this attachment
The goal of many of these changes is appearing in the underground capsules to the mission as a culture of pride,
to align the ICBM mission with standard where crews sit alert at Malmstrom. in contrast to the unhealthy culture of
practices across the rest of the Air Force. Huser said Minot now has an annual perfection that produced the 2014 testing
Because senior leadership also wants contract for deep cleaning of our launch scandal at Malmstrom. Where the missile
13N airmen to understand the uniqueness control centers. Despite the reality that career field is healthiest, the culture con-
of their mission, more money has been our elevators are decades old, though, nects the communities at each base to the
directed toward the career field since the the base has only recently moved to get strategic mission of nuclear deterrence.
early stages of the FIP. them refurbed and repaired. You have to understand why you do
In a speech at Minot on Sept. 26, 2016, Some of these quality-of-life changes, what you do, Williford said. To have
Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said especially the infrastructure upgrades, go the Chief and the Secretary and our
$10 billion has been invested in the nuclear a long way toward catching the nuclear strategic documents state that this is the
career field over the last two years. The bases up to rest of the Air Force. A No. 1 mission area of the Air Force, that
administrations budget also requests $108 lot of the stuff was outdated, Selvidge was huge.
billion more over the next five years to said. But others, like the pay raises, are Carter reminded his audience at Mi-
sustain and recapitalize the nuclear force. to incentivize the mission and repair the not that Americas nuclear deterrence
How is the money making a differ- professional culture to prevent future is the bedrock of our security. But
ence? First, in January 2014, Air Force scandals. he also admitted, I realize it feels at
Secretary Deborah Lee James announced So while funding has brought a number times that most people dont often think
a new system of incentive pay for nuclear of positive changes, its still a work in about your mission, which I know can
missile officers. progress. Lt. Col. Jared Nelson, com- be frustrating. He said that in a way,
Incentive pay is definitely a reality mander of the 742nd Missile Squadron at its a good thing. Because it means
now, said 1st Lt. Yasmine Garcia-Smith. Minot, said that the chairs in the capsules youre doing your job. Whether they
Crew members receive between $75 and where he and his crew pull alert are 50 recognize it or not, our entire country
$300 per month, depending on how many years old. and more depends on you.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 23
By John A. Tirpak, Editorial Director
being busier than ever as the Lakenheath, by contrast, will grow through. Torkelson said hes a big
primary US aerial tanker capabil- considerably, as it prepares to receive the believer in institutional momentum,
ity for Europe, the 100th Air Re- first contingent of F-35 fighters the US and theres a lot of momentum in both
fueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, will deploy in Europe. Though Laken- nations. The base will revert to British
UK, is preparing to move permanently, heaths fence line will not expand, its use after the US departs.
ending what will be a 77-year US contingent of US personnel is expected To soften the blow, were trying to
presence at the historic facility that to swell by about 1,200 people and the transfer as many jobs as possible over to
began hostingAmerican bombers just base will host more than 100 American Lakenheath to support the new missions
after World War II and a variety of fighter aircraft. there, he said.
missions ever since. Under the EIC agreement with Britain, Site activation task forces are already
Mildenhall is one of the bases affected though, Mildenhalls US missions wont figuring out how other facilities will ab-
by the European Infrastructure Consoli- be leaving until 2022, so the transition sorb functions that will move under the
dation, announced by the Pentagon in will happen gradually. Nothing irrevers- EIC. Other noteworthy bases used by the
2015 as a way to save money by huddling ible has yet been done to begin the move. US since before the Cold War, such as
military functions at fewer bases around The locals cling to things like that, RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth,
the continent. Mildenhalls tankers will Col. Thomas D. Torkelson, 100th ARW will also revert to British use or close.
move to Ramstein AB, Germany; its commander, said in an interview last Torkelson is keen to preserve the
352nd Special Operations Wing MC- summer. Many British employees at Mildenhall heritage. Many of the ivy-
130s and CV-22s will go to Spangdahlem Mildenhall who have made a career covered buildings on the base date back
AB, Germany; and its other assorted there are nervously waiting out the to World War II, bearing plaques noting
missions will move piecemeal to other time, hoping for a change in the plan, the history of the facility.
locations in Britain. Most will go to RAF Torkelson said. But this is not a US Air We are the only Active Duty Air
Lakenheath, a mere five miles awayso Force decision; this is a US government Force unit with World War II markings
close that the air traffic patterns practi- and UK government decision, and to on its aircraft, he said. The KC-135s of
cally overlap. all appearances, they plan to see this the Bloody 100th wear the Square
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 25
D that emblazoned B-17s operating deep shared sacrifice during World briefing for Air Force Magazine that any
from Thorpe Abbotts, some 35 miles War II that has been a foundation of the plans will have to wait until the British
east of Mildenhall during the war with special relationship between the US military services decide if any of them
Germany. Air Force heraldry experts are and Britain ever since, he said. want the facility. The British Army is
trying to figure out a way to preserve the contemplating taking over the base, as
markings and unit history because the W I T H ER M I L D EN H A L L ? there are nearby ranges it could use.
100th will be folded into the 86th Wing The UK government is trying to Despite the move of several hundred
when it moves to Ramstein. decide what to do with Mildenhall. The miles, US tanker capabilities in Europe
Top USAF leaders in Europe recog- government has committed to free up should not appreciably change, 100th
nize the significance of that heritage, public land for use as public housing, leaders said in interviews. Tankers will
Torkelson said. Ive even made it part and there is a tentative plan to build be an hour further away from aerial
of the EIC working group to ensure the 4,000 houses on the Mildenhall tract. refueling missions in the Atlantic, but
lineage is kept alive in the transition. Other plans suggest light industry us- will be an hour closer to missions in
That heritage forms a strong bond age or a mix of industry and housing. the Middle East.
between the Air Force and the com- However, US Air Forces in Europe The European tanker operating tempo
munity. The British appreciate the (USAFE) officials said in a background peaked in 2011, and it has scarcely re-
U S AF photo
C loc k w is e f rom u p p er lef t: A F renc h M irag e tak es on f u el f rom a M ildenh all- b as ed K C - 135 Another big booster of activity has
over Africa in French fi hters have own combat missions over Af hanistan ibya
yria and ra A pair of s sports the th Air efuelin Win s uare on the been supporting the European Reassur-
ramp at owid A oland he refuelers were preparin for altops a multinational ance Initiative (ERI), calling for frequent
maritime e ercise around the altic ea rA endall ryant a refuelin boom operator deployments to Europe of Stateside F-22,
peers from a window durin onnerre i htnin an interoperability e ercise with the
and France A ritish ornado links up with a AF durin nified rotector A-10, F-16, and B-52 units in theater
he th A W refueled aircraft durin operations in ibya security package missions. They alone
account for 40 to 50 percent of the
of the tankers were moved to Istres, operational missions 35 to 40 percent 100ths load, Torkelson said.
France, to be closer to the action. The of the time. The ERI shows of force and pres-
French air force also operates KC-135s In Fiscal 2015 the unit overflew its ence are on the backs of our KC-135s,
from Istres, located in Frances south- budgeted program by 127 percent, he he said. The deployments are typically
east coastal Mediterranean region, and said. The wing is routinely canceling for two weeks, so were refueling all
there is now a two-ship detachment lower priority sorties for higher prior- the time.
from the 100th stationed at the Istres ity missions because our percentage of The 100th is not the only tanker capa-
base all the time, helping Frances anti- priority ones has grown to 56 percent. bility in Europe; Air Mobility Command
terrorism effort in Mali. The French Typically, those high priority missions (AMC) sends tankers through the AOR
call it Operation Serval, the US name come with late notice and the lower to destinations elsewhere all the time,
is Operation Juniper Micron. priority ones just dont get flown. and they pick up some of the load.
Mildenhall maintains a one-ship High priority missions can be anything All the desert swap-out tankers flow
detachment at Incirlik AB, Turkey, from an emergency aerial tanking to through here, Torkelson observed.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 27
Another AMC KC-135 detachment During the interview with Torkel- a lot of the bread-and-butter training
at Geilenkirchen, Germany, is typi- son, he received a call from USAFE work is done in the bases simulator,
cally slaved to refueling the NATO headquarters dictating a high priority run by contractors, Barnes said. France
Airborne Warning and Control System mission to South Sudan. Asked what sends its KC-135 pilots to Mildenhall
(AWACS) aircraft. it was all about, he could only answer, for simulator work, as does Turkey,
The European air refueling mission You can Google it. also a Stratotanker operator. For pilot
is attractive to tanker pilots because The vast majority of European al- upgrades, most will go Stateside to the
it is really diverse, said 351st Air lies use the probe-and-drogue system KC-135 schoolhouse at Altus AFB,
Refueling Squadron chief Lt. Col. of refueling, so the 100th crews are Okla., he pointed out.
Jason Barnes. frequently tasked to configure with a
We do a mix of everything, he said. basket on their booms, or use scarce T IPO T H EH A T
Coronet missions are those that support wing podsthe Multipoint Refueling For being a 50-plus-year-old platform,
fighters coming across the Atlantic Systemthat deploy hoses and baskets. the KC-135s are holding up remarkably
from the States. The wing supports The 100th also refuels the 352nd SOWs well, Barnes said.
the F-15s of the 48th Fighter Wing MC-130s. Attempts to directly refuel the My hats off to our maintainers.
at Lakenheath, and there is a steady CV-22 tilt-rotors from KC-135s have They do a very good job and with a
array of allied aircraft that get their proved technically challenging and are very high mission effectiveness rate.
fuel from US tankers. A KC-135 crew not yet a normal procedure. He said he is not seeing an increase
r Airmen assi ned to AF ildenhall review i ht plans in at stres e ub in aborts or mechanical problems in
A France AF supports French anti terrorist operations in ali and orth Africa the last few years, despite the higher
with airlift and air refuelin here is now a two ship detachment assi ned to
the stres base at all times rA yler iller performs a pre i ht check on a at operating tempo.
e avik Airport in celand he tanker provided air refuelin to A fi hters performin The KC-135 maintenance team helps
celandic air surveillance and policin missions in rA aniel amey inspects a with some of the back-shop maintenance
in stres AF has been supportin counterterrorism efforts there since
needs of RC-135 Rivet Joint intelligence,
surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft
could easily see, in a week, Rafales The procedures are aircraft-specif- that operate from the base, including
from France, Tornados from Germany, ic, Barnes said, so pilots and boom onecalled Airseekerthat belongs
and even Gripens from Hungary or operators alike rarely get into a rut to Britain.
Sweden. (When a US tanker refuels a of doing the same old, same old. The Torkelson said the Airseeker is visit-
partner country, the US is reimbursed European Theater requires diplomatic ing from RAF Waddington, where the
for the fuel passed and a percentage clearances needed for overflight of runway is being rebuilt.
of the cost of the mission, Torkelson its many countries, Barnes said. The The UK doesnt like Waddington as a
explained.) European airspace is dense with air long-term solution for their Rivet Joints,
The 100th is the only air refueling traffic and is challenging airspace because the runway is too short and they
wing directly supporting Air Forces to fly in, he said. require a tanker for every mission from
Africa, so in addition to tanking French Even though there are always more there. And so theyve been waiting for
fighters going to and from Mali, the tanking missions to do than there are our basing decision [for the location of
wing refuels aircraft striking ISIS tankers available, the unit still does US Air Force RC-135s in Europe] to
targets in Libya and other locations. some missions strictly for training. But see if they might be able to potentially
28 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
pile onto that and maybe put their UK tankers, as proof of concept that we Though Mildenhalls closure will
Rivet Joints there, Torkelson explained. can do it. leave no resident US tanker capability
As the principal engine of US aerial Another hot topic of the sympo- in Britain, the Royal Air Force has its
refueling in Europe, the 100th has been sium, Briones reported, was how to own robust refueling capability, field-
trying to build partnerships with other successfully bring new tanker capa- ing MRTTs at RAF Brize Norton, the
countries having a refueling capability, bilities into NATO and the European RAFs mobility hub. There will be
according to Maj. Steve Briones, the Union. New countries are looking to no tanker deficit after the Mildenhall
wings chief of operations group plans, get into the refueling business and are closure.
strategy, and exercises. buying aircraft like the Airbus A330 Asked what the tanker mission in
He helped organize the European Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT). Europe needs that it doesnt have,
Air Refueling Symposium, held at the In the not-too-distant future such Torkelson said that any wing com-
base last spring. The conference drew aircraft will be in more European mander would answer, Manning.
air refueling practitioners from eight fleets, he said. No one asks for better working
countries, he said, and they were not There was agreement to expand or living conditions, Torkelson said.
all NATO members. the conference from two days to two Everyone asks for bodies, but he
Everybody told their story of what weeks, to have it annually instead of recognizes that even though USAFE
they do and have been doing since the every other year, to include more coun- is requesting more airmen, they may
2014 meeting, he said. tries, and to have live-fly exercises, not arrive quickly. The better answer
At Torkelsons direction the 100th Briones said. There will be work done to the question is an ability to bear
is encouraging standard tactics, tech- to better coordinate between USAF and the burden better. Give us broader
niques, and procedures (TTPs) among European Air Transport Command and shoulders. He said that calls for fixing
the European countries that do air the Movement Coordination Center in internal processes, internal schedul-
refueling. Some of their TTPs, Briones Europe, both located in Eindhoven, ing, to minimize waste, redundancy,
said, are quite different from US Air Netherlands. Briones likened them to a minimize aircraft generation that
Force standards. European version of US Transportation doesnt lead to anything. That makes
Other countries fly really close Command and Air Mobility Command. us able to bear the burden more.
to each other when doing refueling More cooperation will make it Torkelson said hes agnostic about
operations, he said, and USAF doesnt possible to better distribute available the relocation of the 100th to Ramstein,
see a good reason to do that. Although tanking assets and render assistance if but feels strongly that a permanent US
Briones didnt say the close formation a tanker is needed for an emergency. tanker presence is definitely needed
tactic is unsafe, weve actually had Up until now, the US has not been in Europe.
to cancel and say no to formation heavily involved in European Youre flying through all these dif-
flying because their TTPs are not as tanking operations on a tactical level, ferent nations, all the voices and
conservative as ours. Briones said. On a strategic level, accents on the radio, from here to Bul-
One of the action items from the however, that is happening. garia, all distinct. Its such a unique
May meeting was to start doing mixed All this partnership activity is a place to project and employ airpower.
formation flights that the US can say critical step forward if we do end up Helping the allies be interoperable and
yes to, and plans are being made to fly doing something like [Operation Uni- more capable because of our routine
formation with German and Spanish fied Protector] again in the future. presence is satisfying.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 29
Its a small world after all.
U
ntil recently, conducting On one occasion, ISIS packed a drone The Army had a more sobering
surveillance and delivering with explosives and then detonated it assessment in a counter-unmanned
munitions from the air was the after it was retrieved by coalition forces, aircraft system strategy extract that
sole province of nation-state killing four. was released in October.
air forces. Now, anyone with a drone Speaking at the Unmanned Systems Analysis of the future operational
can do the same. Defense forum in October, Air Force environment and recent military opera-
Over the last decade, dronesor un- Brig. Gen. Brian M. Killough, the tions around the globe clearly illustrates
manned aircraft systemshave become director of strategy, concepts, and the seriousness of the UAS threat,
cheaper, more capable, easier to fly, and assessments, said even though drones the report states. As technology has
ubiquitous. Even hobby machines can havent yet posed a major military progressed, both reconnaissance and
pose a military threat. Combined Joint threat, they can still degrade mission attack capabilities have matured to the
Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve performance. He compared their ef- point where UAS represent a significant
Commander Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. fectiveness to Germanys use of V-1 threat to Army operations from both
Townsend said ISIS has made extensive and V-2 rockets during World War II. state and nonstate actors.
use of drones to observe bases and Though highly ineffective militarily, Russia, for instance, has been hon-
deliver explosives. the rockets were nevertheless incred- ing its UAS capabilities and techniques
Its not episodic or sporadic, he ibly effective psychologically. He since it saw Georgian forces effectively
said during a press briefing in October. likened drone assaults to mortar attacks use drones for intelligence, surveillance,
Its relatively constant and creative. on a forward operating base. and reconnaissance during the 2008 war.
To catch up, they implemented a massive Strike Command chief Gen. Robin
development program that has paid off in Rand said UASs had flown in the US
the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine. over some of the areas that we dont
There, Russian-backed separatists have particularly like them being over.
used the latest UAS modelsincluding The threat will only grow. The Army
Russias Orlan-10, Granat-1, and Tak- report says that while between 80,000
hion and others from Israel, France, and and a half-million drones were operating
Chinato spot and monitor artillery in US airspace in 2016, some 700,000
targets, the report notes. One analyst new drones were expected to be sold by
considered UAS-guided artillery to be the end of that year.
the most significant difference-maker Meanwhile, technology will make
in a conflict between otherwise equal UASs smaller, cheaper, and more ca-
forces. pable, Dan Stamm, Battelles manager
In short, ISIS isnt the only threat. for counter-UAS programs and coinven-
Deployed troops and platforms also tor of a drone jammer, told Air Force
arent the only vulnerabilities. Magazine.
At AFAs Air, Space & Cyber Confer- This is one of the very rare cases
ence in September, Air Force Global that I can think of where our adversar-
Battelle photo
A c ontrac tor rec ov ers a S c an Eag le s m all u nm anned airc raf t s y s tem af ter a m is s ion f or
O p eration I nh erent R es olv e in I raq . A dv anc ing tec h nolog y is m ak ing th e U A S s s m aller,
c h eap er, m ore c ap ab le and m ore dang erou s in enem y h ands .
IO
AIR
GR
OR
RO
TE
A
P
ME IP
MBERSH
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or contact Jennifer Jordan-Harrell at JJordan-Harrell@afa.org
By Brian W. Everstine, Pentagon Editor
the war in the Middle tinue to sharpen our military edge so through the South China Sea. This
East and the need to face down we remain the most powerful military will be true no matter what happens in
Russia in Europe, the US has in the region and the security partner Syria, along Russias periphery, or in
not veered away from its pivot of choice. He added that the US is other global hot spots.
to the Pacific, announced five already sending our best people and This region, Carter said, with
years ago. In fact, the focus platforms into the region. half of humanity, half of the worlds
on the Pacific is entering a new phase, A planned pivot, phase three, would economy, is the single most consequen-
which will see the most advanced see even greater investments targeted at tial region for Americas futureand
US aircraft deployed in the region, to ensuring US capabilities in the Pacific indeed for the worlds.
demonstrate American commitment region stay the best, the SecDef said. As soon as practical, the US plans
andif necessarydeter or defeat The US cant simply ignore North to send and deploy F-35 fighters and
hostile actors. Koreas continued saber-rattling and KC-46 tankers to the Pacific region. The
In this next phase, Defense Secre- march to nuclear-capable missiles, or continuous bomber presence in Guam,
tary Ashton B. Carter said in September turn a blind eye toward Chinas aggres- now in its 12th year, has become more
in Coronado, Calif., the US will con- sive attempts to control trade routes intense and more public. Recently, all
36 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
U S AF photo by A1C K yle J ohnson
three types of US strategic bombers were On static display were a B-1 bomber More than 46,000 airmen in the
deployed to the theater at the same time. and F-22 stealth fighter, an Army AH-64 region are ready to fight tonight be-
The Defense Department is going to Apache, and Navy P-8 and P-3 maritime cause, in the event of any contingency,
hone its partnerships in the Pacific even patrol planes. Two F-22sbased at the first call will be for airpower,
as we qualitatively upgrade the United Hickamroared overhead, and another Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen.
States own force posture in the region B-1, deployed at the time to Andersen Terrence J. OShaughnessy told Air
and prioritize some big bet investments AFB, Guam, made a low pass over Force Magazine.
in advanced technologies, Carter said the base and the international visitors. Simply put, airpowers unique at-
during a press conference after a recent tributes offer commanders speed and
Association of Southeast Asian Nations F IG H T T O N IG H T the flexibility to effectively address the
(ASEAN) meeting in Hawaii. The aircraft represent the Air Forces tyranny of distance, he said. He noted
Underscoring Carters remarks, the commitment to put its most advanced two recent missions: C-130s from the
US put on a formidable display of fightersF-22s and soon F-35sand 374th Airlift Wing in April respond-
military hardware for ASEAN defense bombers on constant rotation to the ing to an earthquake in Japan, and the
ministers at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam. region. September overflight of deployed B-1s
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 37
U S AF photo by S S gt. Benjamin W. S tratton
A D V ER S I T Y A N D D A N G ER
Chinas island-building and North
Koreas missile and nuclear tests have
raised collective concern among
Pacific nations, OShaughnessy said.
Adversity and danger are bonding
our allies and partners ever closer and
have led to increases in engagements
U S AF photo by S rA. Dillian Bamman
and training, he said.
In 2016, PACAF airmen participated
in more than 200 engagements and develop relationships, and become can offer quick access to hot spots in
exercises with partner nations. These more interoperable as we assess how a contingency, even though they could
have included large-scale events such to best leverage and complement one face a high threat level. The command
as Cope North, Red Flag-Alaska, and anothers capabilities in the event of a is reviewing its balance of the other
Rim of the Pacific, as well as smaller crisis or contingency, he said. stand-off bases that are removed
operations such as a B-1 training mis- PACAF is concentrating on other, from hot spots but can still be used to
sion with Royal Australian Air Force emerging powers such as India, Vietnam, move combat power over vast distances,
joint terminal attack controllers. This and Indonesia, and engaging them in he said.
was the first such joint exercise in more new ways. In November, PACAF and While the Air Force across the world
than 10 years, OShaughnessy said. Indonesia launched Cope West, the first has a history of being agile to project
There will be an even higher tempo time in nearly two decades the US and power in areas such as US Central Com-
of these exercises as more Air Force Indonesian air forces have flown in mand and US European Command, the
assets flow into the theater and interop- fighter combat training. Pacific provides a unique challenge in
erability with partners becomes even It isnt just fighter training, either: its massive size.
more important, he said. PACAF has increased humanitarian For this theater, we need to increase
These engagements offer invalu- assistance and disaster relief training the scale and scope of those operations,
able opportunities to train together, alongside combat training to let those OShaughnessy concluded.
40 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
C2 and Fusion Warfare
Russias military presence in Syria continues to grow despite government air strikes against opposition forces, so humanitar-
Russian President Vladimir Putins March announcement that ian aid could get through to the areas and people devastated by
he would begin to withdraw troops from the war-torn country. the conflict. US officials had said that if the cease-fire held for
Outgoing Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper seven days, the US and Russia could begin collaborating on air
Jr. told House lawmakers on Nov. 17 that Russia has shown no strikes against ISIS.
signs of pulling out of Syria. They have sustained a presence of Air Forces Central Command boss Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Har-
their artillery and a deployment of a very advanced air defense rigian told reporters in mid-September the command was in the
system, Clapper told members of the House Select Intelligence preliminary stages of creating an integration center that would
Committee. Clearly the Russians are there to stay. enable such joint operations. However, the cease-fire crumbled
The US and Russia had recently brokered a temporary cease- a few days later when an aid convoy was bombed, killing more
fire that took effect Sept. 12. It called for a break in Syrian than 20 people.
4 5
6 7
6 7
5 6
5 6
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While maintaining its neutrality, Sweden is growing its air
force and pursuing greater interoperability with the US.
wedish air force maintainers refuel and rearm a A ripen he fi hter is certified
to carry many munitions and weden is seekin certification for more
wedish soldiers ather their weapons and e uipment on the i ht line on otland
a altic ea island durin an e ercise in weden is re establishin a military
p res enc e th ere.
I n f orm ation ov er L ink p ing , S w eden, are J A S - 39 s f rom : S w eden, th e C z ec h R ep u b lic , and
T h ailand ( top row , l- r) , H u ng ary and th e U K ( s ec ond row ) , and S ou th A f ric a ( f oreg rou nd) .
weden s aab rieye airborne early warnin and control aircraft outfitted with an
ac tiv e elec tronic ally s c anned array radar s y s tem , w ill need rep lac ing s oon.
three aircraft were ahead of their time, principal beyond-visual-range weapon. well as new weapons like the Meteor
and the Viggen and Draken, painted gray, The motor allows the Meteor to retain and Small Diameter Bomb, additional
would look right at home on a modern propulsion all the way to the target, al- underfuselage hardpoints, an infrared
runway even though their designs date lowing it to keep high speed until the search-and-track system, new air-to-
back to the 50s and 60s. very end. A traditional missile engine surface missiles, greater internal fuel
The Gripen is used for point defense, loses speed. So this is really great. capacity, new data links, an active
offensive and defensive counterair, anti- Helmrich said, I cant see that theres electronically scanned array radar, and
shipping, close air support, reconnais- any fighter that can compete with Gripen sensor fusion throughout, Helmrich said.
sance, and interdiction. It was designed in the air-to-air role at this moment. The jet is being developed to reduce
to be nimble and quick, without heavy workload and offer increased availability
fuel tanks because it would operate so S EL L I N G T H E G R I PEN and potentially faster turn time.
close to home, and to be easily main- Sweden designed the Gripen not only The first JAS-39Es will be delivered
tained. for its own purposes but for export, to circa 2023 and notionally retire around
Turnaround time is between 10 and defray its own expense in fielding the 2042, he said. After that, it will be time
20 minutes, depending on what kind jet. It touts the Gripen as an inexpensive for yet another ahead-of-its time design.
of mission youre doing, and it can be alternative for nonaligned countries Implementing the defense bill is all
done with two technicians, Helmrich seeking an effective, easily maintained about shifting the mind-set of the
said. At Red Flag in 2008, the Gripen air defender. So far, the Gripen has Flygvapnet, Helmrich stated.
achieved a 95 percent rate of launching logged sales to the Czech Republic, We are now turning to a more practi-
planned sorties, he said. Hungary, South Africa, Thailand, the cal focus on actions and skills, he
The Gripen concept calls for continu- UK (where it is used in small numbers said. Its not what we are capable of,
ous upgrades, with a major addition to in the test pilot school), and recently to but what we can actually do. And that
capabilities every third year and smaller Brazil, which is buying the advanced is really important to us. So we are once
block upgrades to existing systems every JAS-39E and F model. again on a war basis: We participate in
calendar year. The newest model of the Gripen, the more exercises. We train a lot more and
Some countries, Helmrich said, E version, is set for first flight this year. show that we do more air operation
you have a big upgrade and you live The JAS-39E concept was worked out and also practice a lot of individual
with it a number of years. We do this over a period of several years, Helmrich military skills.
continuously. said. During that time the Flygvapnet Helmrich said the new ethos is: What
The most recent upgrade added ca- and Saab looked at options ranging from we do, not what we can do. Through
pability for the Meteor missile, Small a modest upgrade of the C model up these effortsparticularly the steady
Diameter Bomb, night capability for to a clean-sheet, stealth design. Plan- practicing of interoperability with the
the recce pod, Link 16, and digital close ners determined that with new sensors, US, NATO, and othersthe Flygvapnet
air support, Helmrich said, along with tweaks to the airframe, and a lot of new increases capability, and by doing that
improved maintenance requirements, avionics, the existing Gripen could be we are a stabilizing force in this area.
to increase availability. affordably evolved into a world-class Because of Russian provocations,
The Meteor is a game changer, he platform able to hold its own militarily Sweden is in a more dangerous neighbor-
claimed. The air-breathing missile offers and in the export market through 2040, hood than most would have anticipated
a bigger no-escape zone and greater he said. 20 or even 10 years ago, but it is seeking
range than the AIM-120 Advanced Medi- The E model will have a more pow- the partnerships and equipment needed
um-Range Air-to-Air Missile, Gripens erful version of the GE F414 engine as to secure its defense.
58 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
Northrop G rumman photo v ia Erik S imonsen
the Air Force F-15 and
Navy F-14 were being devel-
oped in the early 1970s, their
performanceespecially their speed
and radar detection rangewas unprec-
edented, and so was their price. Congress
shuddered at the idea of such expensive
machines being the fighter mainstays
of the two services and directed the Air
Force to explore less costly aircraft that
could complement the F-15 and, later,
the F-14.
From that challenge eventually grew
two of the most successful fighter pro-
grams in history, each now in service
nearly 40 years: the F-16 and the F/A-18.
Both have already achieved a combined
production of more than 6,000 airframes.
The Air Forces Prototype Program
YF-17.
weight and cost. This was to be a technol-
ogy exploration; the LWF program didnt
commit to production, but to add some
L ef t: A p rototy p e of N orth rop s Y F - 17 of f er-
ing , th e C ob ra, w ou ld g o on to b ec om e th e
N av y s F / A - 18 . B elow : G eneral D y nam ic s
p rototy p e Y F - 16 . T h e des ig n w ou ld b ec om e
th e A ir F orc e s F - 16 .
By Erik Simonsen
unexpectedly opted to reduce procure- it had chosen the F-17 variant as its new A n F / A - 18 F S u p er H ornet taxis ac ros s th e
ment costs and redundancy and canceled lightweight fighter. i ht deck of Dwight D. E isenhower
on a deployment for peration nherent
VFAX. In Congress view, the YF-16/ The F-17 then evolved into the F/A- esolve in ovember he uper Hornet
YF-17 LWF/ACF competition would 18A, the F/A designation coined by the first ew in
yield a suitable aircraft. McDonnell Douglas/Northrop team to
Northrop entered discussions with suggest a multirole fighter/attack aircraft. was officially named the Fighting Falcon,
McDonnell Douglas, a contractor with Though it looked much like the YF-17 but pilots preferred the name Viper
extensive experience building carrier from a distance, the new jet was beefier, (borrowed from fighter spacecraft in the
aircraft. Under an agreement between the with bigger engines, a bigger nose, Battlestar Galactica TV show popular
two companies, the YF-17 evolved into a fatter LEX, sawtooth wing leading at the time), and it stuck, unofficially.
the NACF (Navy Air Combat Fighter), edges, different intake geometry, heavier Meanwhile, the Navy/Marine Corps
a jointly developed air combat fighter landing gear, and of course, an arresting procured the F/A-18. Navy Secretary
for the Navy. McDonnell Douglas hook system. William Graham Claytor Jr. bestowed
would become the prime contractor Though a planned F-18L land-based the name Hornet on the type in March
to offer an aircraft to meet NACF version didnt sell and never entered pro- 1977. With McDonnell Douglas test
requirements. Northrop, meanwhile, duction, F/A-18As were sold to foreign pilot Jack E. Krings in the cockpit, the
would be a partner on the NACF and air forces for land-based operations. No. 1 F/A -18A made its official maiden
the leader on a ground-based YF-17 The General Dynamics F-16 transi- flight on Nov. 18, 1978. The type was
variant to be offered to NATO nations tioned from the prototype aircraft to a later upgraded with new avionics and
and other allies. full-scale development (FSD) production other changes that prompted production
At the same time, General Dynamics aircraft. The Fort Worth production line Hornets to be designated F/A-18C and D
teamed with Vought (LTV) to navalize was configured to produce the first eight (for one- and two-seat versions).
the YF-16. The YF-16s single engine FSD F-16As. During operational test, The F-16 design proved so iconic and
was an issue, and other factors such early FSD F-16As with black radomes versatile that it spawned an extensive
as reduced landing approach speed were quickly detected at great distances number of variants.
and strengthened fuselage/landing gear by Aggressor pilots during dogfights. After being damaged in a landing ac-
all required modifications and added Subsequently, all F-16 radomes were cident on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards,
weight. coated with specially formulated gray the No. 3 F-16 was modified with a
Both General Dynamics and Northrop paint to blend with the two-tone gray two-seat cockpit and reconfigured with a
presented NACF proposals to the Navy. camouflage applied to the fleet. cranked-arrow delta wing. Redesignated
In General Dynamics case, it offered The first F-16A Block 1 (serial No. 78- F-16XL, and joined by a single-seat
three separate variations of its naval- 0001) was flown at Fort Worth in August version converted from the No. 5 jet,
ized F-16. 1978 and was delivered to the Air Force the new configuration competed with
during the same month. Initial operational the F-15E Strike Eagle in the 1981 Air
T H E U S N A V Y A N D B EY O N D capability (IOC) was declared on Oct. 1, Force Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF)
On May 2, 1975, the Navy announced 1980. A rapidly paced program, the F-16 competition. The F-15E won that contest.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 63
A U nited A rab Em irates F - 16 E tak es of f
f rom N A S J B F ort W orth , T exas . T h e
U A E op erates s om e of th e w orld s m os t
P hoto by Dav id Raykov itz adv anc ed F - 16 s .
With a trapezoidal wing, the F-16XL and the F/A-18F was a two-seater with company merged with Martin Marietta,
was later resurrected as the Falcon 21 a weapon systems officer in back. The it became Lockheed Martin in 1995.
for an F-16 upgrade program that didnt Super Hornet was a dramatic upgrade, McDonnell Douglass merger with
materialize. with a 25 percent increase in wing area, Boeing in 1996 gave Boeing a heavy
In 1978 the sixth FSD aircraft was a Multifunctional Information Distribu- fighter presence with the F-15 and
converted into the Advanced Fighter tion System (MIDS), APG-73 advanced F/A-18.
Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 radar, and Advanced Targeting Forward More than 4,570 F-16 multirole
testbed. The AFTI investigated several Looking Infrared (ATFLIR). The pilot fighters in blocks 10 through 60 have
new ideas, including electric actuator was equipped with the Joint Helmet been produced for some 30 countries,
technologies that would be used on the Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). It and more than 1,550 Hornets and Super
future F-35. allows pointing weapons without turning Hornets have been built, along with more
In 1984, General Dynamics offered the aircraft. In addition, large trapezoidal than 100 EA-18G Growler electronic
the Agile Falcon variant, featuring a 25 intakes infused with radar-absorbing attack variants.
percent increase in wing area and an in- technology fed two uprated General Lockheed Martin continues to up-
novative technology infusion. It was later Electric F414-GE-400 engines generating grade the F-16 for all its customers.
proposed as a lower-cost alternative to the 22,000 pounds of thrust each. The Super The latest F-16V took to the air in
Advanced Tactical Fighter program, but Hornet offered a 40 percent increase in October 2015. This variant features a
when USAF rejected the idea, the Agile range and loiter time versus the earlier fifth generation APG-83 active elec-
Falcons technology was adapted and later version. The first Super Hornet was tronically scanned array fire-control
incorporated into Japans Mitsubishi/ delivered in December 1998, and IOC radar, advanced mission architecture,
Lockheed Martin F-2 fighter. was achieved in September 2001. and numerous cockpit improvements.
After the Navys failure with the A-12 The LWFs evolution into the ACF Together, the YF-16 and YF-17 cre-
Advanced Technical Aircraft stealth at- for the Air Force, and the NACF for ated the fourth generation of fighter
tack plane in 1991, the service needed the Navy, was truly exceptional. In a aircraft that today are the most numerous
a quick way to populate its flight decks 1990 article written for the Society of examples of the class. The Lightweight
with a credible strike platform. The Experimental Test Pilots, Northrop test Fighter competition gave rise to two
service decided the fastest way to do the pilot Paul Metz stated, Both Northrop winning aircraft designs that have each
joband save a lot of money on ground and General Dynamics were asked to created an extraordinary legacy.
gear, spares, and trainingwas to grow build a new fighter unconstrained by
the Hornet into a larger aircraft with more conventional design criteria while using
weapons-carrying ability, longer range, existing technology, and in that the Erik S imonsen is a freelance photogra-
and better sensors. LWF program was successful. pher and writer. His previ ous article for
Through various mergers and ac- A i r F o r ce M a g a zi n e , F-108 Rapier,
M ER G ER S A N D U PG R A D ES quisitions the contractors names have appeared in S eptember 2014. His
latest book is C o m p l e t e H i st o r y o f U S
Thus was born the Super Hornet. changed. General Dynamics sold its C o m b a t A i r cr a f t F l y- O f f C o m p e t i t i o n s:
It first flew in November 1995. The Fort Worth military aircraft division W i n n e r s, L o se r s, a n d W h a t M i g h t
F/A-18E was the single-seat version, to Lockheed in 1993, and when the H a ve B e e n .
64 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
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As of Dec. 5 201 , more than a fifth of all Here s some other interestin facts
of the Air Forces officers are women the
highest percentage in U S AFs history. Women made up the largest percentage of Active
Duty members in 200 19.91 percent, or 8, 00 out
of 344,529 members.
Weve been covering female demograph-
ics in the Air Force since the 1950s, when There were more women in USAF in 2004 than
in any other year in the last 20 years 73,035, when
women made up just a little more than one they made up 19. 1 percent of the force.
percent of the force. Here, we give you a
look at the last si decades of progress as At right, weve charted the Active Duty from the 1950s
to 201 , broken down by officer and enlisted forces.
women have gradually become a larger por-
tion of U S AFs serv ing airmen. The biggest
jump came in the 1970s, and numbers have
consistently been in the 19 percent to 20
percent range in recent years. We ve charted our findin s broken down by total
25
20
P ercentage
15
10
0
195 0 1960 1970 198 0 1990 2000 2010 2016
25
20
P ercentage
15
10
0
195 0 1960 1970 198 0 1990 2000 2010 2016
25
20
P ercentage
15
10
0
195 0 1960 1970 198 0 1990 2000 2010 2016
By John T. Correll
Northrop Aircraft, Inc., photo via Air Force Global Strike Command History Office
C A N C EL L A T I O N
The final blow came from deep cuts
ordered by President Harry S. Truman
Northrop Av iation, Inc., photo to the Fiscal 1950 defense budget. A
board of senior Air Force officers in
percent over budget. By then, it had four shallow fences or air dams ran December 1948 proposed the cancel-
another problem. from front to back to help channel the lation of six aircraft programs, 240
The atomic bomb had dramatically airflow. Northrop disliked the intruding airplanes altogether, from four different
changed the nature of strategic war- fins but they added, in their way, to the contractors.
fare, said Air Force historian Richard sleek appearance of the aircraft. Among these were the 30 reconnais-
P. Hallion. It would be increasingly The YB-49 first flew in October 1947. sance YRB-49s. Air Materiel Command
important in the years ahead to develop It achieved some gain in top speed, sent Northrop a telegram in January
bombardment aircraft capable of lug- but the extra weight of the jet engines 1949 to stop work on the YRB-49
ging the then-ponderous 10,000-pound reduced the range and the bomb load except for testing, but the heyday of
atomic bomb. The XB-36 could do so; significantly. It also had mission- the Flying Wing was not quite finished.
Northrops XB-35 and later the YB-49 limiting stability problems that rendered The YB-49 was already scheduled to
could not. it unsuitable for a bombing platform, take part in a big air show at Andrews
Cheerleaders were not substantially Hallion said. Air Force Base on the outskirts of
deterred. The New York Times proclaimed By thenand although its supporters Washington, D.C., in February. The
in June 1946 that the XB-35 could carry were not ready to concede the point show, according to The Washington
more bombs farther and faster than any the Flying Wing had been effectively Post, grew from a plan for the House
plane in history and could outspeed eliminated as a bomber. The B-36, Armed Services Committee to see
most of todays fighter planes. which performed much better, entered virtually every plane in the fighting
Not to be outdone in enthusiasm, Air Force operational service in 1948 fleet. That included what the newspaper
Air Force Magazine predicted in July and would continue as the first-line described erroneously as the flying
1946, Compared to a conventional bomber until supplanted by the B-52 wing jet bomber B-49.
airplane of equal power, weight, and in the 1950s. The YB-49, flown in from California,
fuel load, the Flying Wing will 1) carry The prospects for the Flying Wing was seen at Andrews by Truman, four
one-fourth more useful load, 2) travel were restructured in September 1948 members of the Cabinet, and 102 mem-
one-fourth farther with an identical fuel with an Air Force contract for 30 YRB- bers of Congress. The Post reported that
load, 3) travel approximately 20 percent 49s in a reconnaissance variant called the Northrop B-49, a flying wing, drew
faster with the same thrust or applied the RB-49A. Even in that the future the most attention. Apparently, most of
horsepower. was not secure, with the option of a the members of Congress did not know
reconnaissance version of the faster and that the order for the odd-looking plane
J ET S F O R T H E Y B - 49 more capable B-52, then moving along had been canceled.
The XB-35 was not as futuristic as in development, looming in the 1950s. Truman liked it, too, and reportedly
it looked. The design had been ad- The YB-49 was inspirational in flight said, This looks pretty damn good to
vanced for 1941 but, as Hallion said, but it could not fulfill the promise given me. I think we ought to buy some. At
it was caught at a transition point in to it by jet propulsion, Hallion said. his instruction, the YB-49 was flown
aeronautics: between the era of the Its aerodynamic planform remained down Pennsylvania Avenue and past
propeller and the jet. that of a solidly subsonic 350 mph the Capitol, but the Presidents impres-
Northrop and the Air Force attempted propeller-driven airplane. Structurally sions were momentary and the budget
to bridge the transition by replacing it was at best only marginally suited cuts held.
the propellers on several of the XB- for the 500 mph environment since it The House Armed Services Commit-
35s with eight jet engines in a variant constituted basically a lash-up of jet tee held an inquiry that summer, osten-
designated as the YB-49. It was easily engines replacing the B-35s piston sibly about malfeasance in procurement
the most handsome of the Northrop ones. of the B-36 bomber. In actuality, it
Flying Wings. On June 5, 1948, a YB-49 broke up was an offshoot of the Revolt of the
Four fixed vertical fins were mounted in flight over the Mojave Desert near Admirals, seeking to block the B-36,
on the trailing edges for stability and Muroc Dry Lake in California, killing which the Navy regarded as a threat
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 71
U S AF photo
T h e f ront landing g ear of an X B - 35. N ote
th e c op ilot s w indow ab ov e th e s tru t, to
th e rig h t of th e c enterline.
to aircraft carriers in the long-range propellers with suitable bloodshed. The in which he had joined in absolving the
power-projection role. The hearings BV-38 was supposedly based on a Horten Air Force of impropriety in the bomber
were orchestrated by Rep. James Van test bed from Germany but it also bor- contracts. He did so, he said, out of fear
Zandt (R-Pa.), who was a member of rowed features from several Northrop that his company would otherwise be
the Navy reserve. prototypes. blackballed.
Several aircraft industry executives KCET reporter Clete Roberts then
were called to testify, including Northrop N O R T H R O P S C H A R G E enlarged on the story, reporting that
who said there had been no dishonest in- After a silence of 30 years, Northrop the YB-49 won a flyoff competition
fluence in award of the bomber contracts reemerged in public with an accusation against the B-36 and had been selected
or the cancellation of other contracts. that the Air Force had killed the Flying by the United States Air Force as the next
Of the 15 Northrop Flying Wing plat- Wing in retribution for his refusal to generation bomber, the replacement for
forms produced, several crashed and a merge his company with Consolidated the B-29.
number of others, some of them stripped Vulteealso known as Convairwhich The Los Angeles Times, picking up on
shells, were destroyed as surplus. Two had been formed by the earlier merger the story, said that in 1948, the Air Force
YB-49s survived the cancellation. One of Consolidated with Vultee in 1943. had awarded Northrop a contract to
broke in two when a landing gear col- The charges were made in an inter- build 35 bombers with the possibility of
lapsed in a high speed taxi run test in view with Los Angeles public television ultimately producing 200 to 300 planes.
1950 and was destroyed. station KCET in 1979 but the program, Variations on these accusations have
The other was preserved for testing, The Flying WingWhat Happened to persisted ever since. The best job of
flew 13 times, was put into storage, and It?, was not broadcast until December sorting out the facts has been by Francis
finally scrapped in 1953. Jack Northrop 1980, by which time Northrop had suf- J. Bud Baker, currently on the faculty
retired in 1952 at the age of 57 and sold fered a series of strokes that left him of Wright State University, a former Air
his holdings in the company. unable to speak. Force officer and manager in the B-2 pro-
From all appearances, the flying wing According to Northrop, he was sum- gram who investigated the Flying Wing
was dead, a footnote in history, although moned in July 1948 to a meeting with cancellation for his Ph.D. thesis in 1984.
it popped up from time to time in popular Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Syming- To begin with, it is fairly clear that
culture. The 1953 movie War of the ton, who demanded that Northrop agree the July 1948 meeting was requested by
Worlds used Northrop YB-49 test foot- to the merger with Consolidated Vultee, Northrop, not by Symington, to obtain
age to depict the dropping of an atomic maker of the B-36 bomber. clarification about several aspects of the
bomb on Martian invaders, oblivious to He quoted Symington as saying, program. There had never been a flyoff,
the irony that the demise of the YB-49 Youll be goddamned sorry if you dont. with the B-36, theYB-49 was not selected
was due in part to its inability to carry I got a telephone call a few days as the next generation bomber, and there
the atomic bomb. later from Mr. Symington, Northrop was no contract for 35 bombers with
Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 had said. He said, I am canceling all your more to come. Northrops contract was
a fight on the ramp around the fictitious Flying Wing aircraft. for 30 YRB-49 reconnaissance aircraft.
BV-38 flying wing. Indiana Jones Northrop said he had perjured himself Symington denied that he had made
backed his opponent into the spinning in his congressional testimony in 1949 any threats. There was a tremendous
72 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
National Archiv e photo
resident Harry ruman left with binoculars military officers
and m em b ers of th e p res s ins p ec t a B - 49 in 19 49 du ring an air
s h ow at A ndrew s A F B , M d. D es p ite T ru m an s enth u s ias m f or th e
F ly ing W ing , th e p rog ram w as c anc eled.
overcapacity in the industry following image on the radar screenbut that following the basic laws of physics,
World War II, he told Baker. It was had not been of much interest at the they came up with strikingly similar
clear that many of the smaller companies time. By the 1980s, the ability to evade designsa flying wing shape, con-
could not survive. Northrop came to see radar was regarded as vitally important. cluding that this unusual boomerang
me and said that unless he received his The technology of the 1940s could shape afforded the lowest radar return
flying wing orders, his company would not resolve the Flying Wings problem head-on and provided the favorable
be in serious trouble. I knew at the time of instability in flight. The solution lift-over-drag ratio necessary for fuel
that the Air Force favored the B-36, was developed by NASA and the Air efficiency in long-range flight.
built by Convair. I may very well have Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory Just before Northrops death, he
suggested that he merge his company in the 1960s and 1970s with digital was given special permission by the
with Convair, who we knew was going fly-by-wire, which translated the Air Force to enter the Northrop de-
to get business. pilots actions into electronic signals velopment facilities and see the ATB
Symington also pointed out that sum- and used computers to manipulate the design, which eventually became the
mary cancellation of the YB-49 was not flight controls. phenomenal B-2 stealth bomber. It
within his authority. That decision came Fly-by-wire, operating instantly had a wingspan of 172 feet, just like
as a result of the senior officer board re- and constantly, compensated for in- the YB-49.
view five months later, and Northrop was stability. It was sometimes said that Northrops original Flying Wing
not singled out for the cut. The biggest given the right software and enough was 30 years ahead of its time,
losses in the reduction were sustained by engine, it would be possible to fly a said E. T. Wooldridge when he was
North American, not Northrop. John Deere tractor. chairman of the Aeronautics Depart-
The two companies contending in ment at the National Air and Space
R ET U R N O F T H E F L Y I N G W I N G the Advanced Technology Bomber Museum. Retired Brig. Gen. Robert
Northrop died in 1981, but he lived program were those with the most L. Cardenas, who was the principal
long enough to see the reincarnation of experience with radar low observables, test pilot for the YB-49 in the 1940s,
his flying wing concept in a dramatic Lockheed because of its develop- added that the airplane had to wait
new application. Competition was un- ment of the F-117 attack aircraft, for technology to catch up.
derway for the Air Forces Advanced and Northrop for its history with the
Technology Bomber, and by then, two Flying Wing.
Jo hn T. Correll was editor in chief of
big things had changed. Northrops design team and mine A i r F o r ce M a g a zi n e for 18 years and
It was known in the 1940s that the worked in total ignorance of what the is now a contributor. His most recent
all-wing configuration had a low radar other side was doing, said Ben Rich article, Maxwell Taylors Trumpet, ap-
cross sectionregistering a minimal of the Lockheed Skunk Works. But peared in the Ja nuary issue.
R ig h t S tu f f , R ev is ited S ec retary of th e A ir F orc e D eb orah L ee of the light. O ur eyes are capable only
Roger. The clock is operating. Were J am es , interv iew w ith B reak ing D ef ens e. of seeing light in the v isible spectrum. If
underway. ... ero G, and I feel fine. c om , D ec . 1. we can fabricate an area of nanostruc-
L ac onic s tatem ent radioed to Earth b y tures on flat surfaces like glass, ... we
U S M C C ol. J oh n H . G lenn J r. at s tart of S om eth ing of an O b s tac le will be able to conv ert inv isible light in
historic orbital space i ht lenn I dont giv e a damn what the presi- the nighttime or dark areas into v isible
th e las t of A m eric a s orig inal s ev en Proj - dent of the U nited S tates wants to do, light. M oh s en R ah m ani, A u s tralian
ec t M erc u ry as tronau ts , p as s ed aw ay D ec . or anybody else wants to do. We will not N ational U niv ers ity , on s u p er nig h t v i-
8 at ag e 9 5. waterboard. We will not torture. S en. s ion s y s tem s , D ef ens eO ne. c om , D ec . 7 .
J oh n M c C ain ( R - A riz. ) , q u oted in The New
R u s s ia s L andg rab York Times, N ov . 28 . A C ertain L atin F lair
Q uite simply, Russia has launched O ne more three- or four-star gen-
a military landgrab in U kraine that is R ap tor T ales I eral giv en a senior appointment, and
unprecedented in modern European Wev e been focused on the high-end we can start referring to a Trump junta
history. These actions in Crimea and threat all along. ... In the F-22, I conv ert rather than a Trump administration.
other areas of eastern U kraine danger- on guys, and they nev er ev en see you R etired A rm y L t. C ol. A ndrew B ac ev ic h ,
ously upend well-established diplomatic, there. ou roll up right behind them and c om m enting on p rom inenc e of f lag of -
legal, and security norms. ... We believ e go, Why waste a missile when you hav e f ic ers in T ru m p adm inis tration, T im e.
it is in our v ital national security interest a gun C ol. Peter M . F es ler, F - 22 p ilot c om , N ov . 29 .
to uphold these norms and v alues and and c om m ander of U S A F 1s t F ig h ter W ing ,
prev ent Americas commitment to its q u oted in The National Interest, N ov . 29 . V anis h ing A c t
allies and ideals from being called into He [ IS IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghda-
q uestion. ... We believ e that Russias R ap tor T ales I I di] is in deep hiding because we hav e
illegal annexation of Crimea should It [ the Raptor] makes up for a lot of eliminated nearly all of his deputies.
never be accepted.L etter f rom b ip ar- shortcomings in the pilot side. ou can We had their network mapped. If you
tis an 27 - m em b er g rou p of s enators to hav e a really bad day and [ the] airplane look at all of his deputies and who he
Pres ident- elec t D onald J . T ru m p , D ec . 8 . will still do phenomenally well. ... In this was relying on, theyre all gone.
airplane it is much easier to survive. B rett M c G u rk , U S env oy to th e g lob al
M eanw h ile, in L ith u ania . . . F - 22 p ilot c all s ig n C ras h , The National c oalition f ig h ting I S I S , The Washington
S pring will come, the cuckoo will Interest, N ov . 29 . Post, N ov . 28 .
sing, and we will pav e our roads with
the corpses of ussian soldiers. R im - O c c am s R az or Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines
v y das M atu z onis , L ith u anian w h o teac h es S ome people say you cant throw The biggest challenge right now is
g u errilla w arf are c ou rs es f or c iv ilians , T h e money at everything. ou can ou the fact that only three in 10 can actually
A s s oc iated Pres s , D ec . 1. absolutely can. If you said, the pilot meet the req uirements to actually join
bonus is now $ 5 00,000, single lump- the military. We talk about it in terms
A f f ordab ility Q u iz sum payment, I guarantee you will solv e of the cognitiv e, the physical, and the
Do we go down the path of trying your pilot shortage. T om H u nt, f orm er moral req uirements to join the military,
to recapitaliz e both nuclear and con- AF fi hter pilot who left the force in and its tough. ... What the research
v entional [ assets] at the same time? ... 20 13, V O A new s . c om , N ov . 28 . tells us is that 5 0 percent of the youth
How do we as a nation ensure that we today actually know v ery little about the
are appropriately moderniz ing both our T h e Pom p eo L ine military. They dont know the different
conv entional forces that hav e atrophied The line is v ery clear. Are you with types of serv icesthe fact that there
and our nuclear forces that hav e atro- us or against us? If youre with us: G od is an Army, a Nav y, an Air Force, and
phied. And wev e got to get at both. ... bless you, G odspeed, lets go get em. a Marine Corps. M aj . G en. J ef f rey J .
We tend to get the q uestion, Can we And if youre against us: G odspeed, I S now , c om m ander U S A rm y R ec ru iting
afford this? I would offer you a differ- have a missile that is looking for you. C om m and, The Arizona Republic, D ec . 1.
ent q uestion: Can we afford not to do R ep . M ic h ael R . Pom p eo ( R - K an. ) , tap p ed
this G en. D av id L . G oldf ein, U S A F to b e C I A direc tor in T ru m p adm inis tration, H e s B ac k
C h ief of S taf f , National Defense, D ec . 6 . q u oted in D ef ens eO ne. c om , N ov . 30 . Rosalynn and I share our sympa-
thies with the Castro family and the
D ear N ext S EC A F . . . L ates t S orc ery Cuban people on the death of Fidel
The first thing I would say is, ou We managed to fabricate v ery teeny Castro. We remember fondly our v is-
think you know ev erything, but beware tiny structures. Those magic structures its with him in Cuba and his lov e of
the unknown unknowns. oull have an are capable [ of] changing the intensity of his country.F orm er Pres ident J im m y
agenda of things youll begin working on the light, change the shape of the light, C arter, s tatem ent on death of C u b an th u g
and boom eal life will intervene. and at the same time, change the color p res ident f or lif e F idel C as tro, N ov . 26 .
That initial ride was such a hit that McCool created a team to plan
the ne t one. The second Annual AFA Heritage ide took place last
J une.
This outside-the-bo AFA activity drew a wide-ranging group of
participants, attracted by the opportunity to contribute to a good
cause while doing something they enjoy.
2 The third annual ride is scheduled for this spring.
76 FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM
3
4
/ 1/ In 2016, the div erse crowd inv olv ed the ride for the stretch into Bandera.
different types of bikes and riders The complete ride took some sev en
of all experience lev els. This group, hours. / 4/ Chris McCool, AFA National
photographed in Bandera, Texas, Director CMS gt. K athleen McCool, and
joined the AFA ride after it was Edgar at a rest stop. / 5/ Drones v iew
underway. The ev ent had already of motorcycles pulling into Bandera. / 6 /
begun to gain a reputation as one The rides prov ide a chance to meet
of the best motorcycles rides in the other members of the J BS A military
area. / 2/ S ome 45 people turned out community.
in 2015 . Nearly 60 took part the next
year. Here, riders line up in 2016 at a Alamo Chapter member TS gt. S teve n P hil-
stoplight, with chapter members TS gt. lips is an instructor at the Air Force Recruit-
S tev en P hillips bringing up the rear left ing S chool, JB S A-Lackland, Texas. He rides
and CMS gt. Edward Edgar at the rear a Harley-Davi dson V-Rod. TS gt. Vincent
right. / 3/ P art of the group that joined Harris is a recruiter in Tacoma, Wash.
6 5
NATIONAL OFFICERS
NATIONAL DIRECTORS
L. Boyd Anderson George M. Douglas Dan Hendrickson James M. McCoy Mary Ann Seibel-Porto Scott P. Van Cleef
Ogden, Utah Colorado Springs, Colo. Port Angeles, Wash. Bellevue, Neb. Las Vegas Former Board Chairman
Fincastle, Va.
R. Donald Anderson Michael J. Dugan Harold F. Henneke Thomas J. McKee John A. Shaud*
Poquoson, Va. Dillon, Colo. Greenwood, Ind. Fairfax Station, Va. McLean, Va. Larry O. Spencer
President
David L. Blankenship Michael M. Dunn* Victoria W. Hunnicutt Craig R. McKinley* R. E. Gene Smith Air Force Association
Tulsa, Okla. Port Orange, Fla. Gray, Ga. Arlington, Va. West Point, Miss. Arlington, Va.
Bonnie B. Callahan Charles G. Durazo Leonard W. Isabelle George K. Muellner Jack H. Steed Charles C. Baldwin
Winter Garden, Fla. Yuma, Ariz. Lakeport, Calif. Huntington Beach, Calif. Warner Robins, Ga. National Chaplain
Johns Island, S.C.
Dan Callahan Justin M. Faiferlick James M. Keck Charles A. Nelson Robert G. Stein
Noah Sherman
Centerville, Ga. Fort Dodge, Iowa San Antonio Sioux Falls, S.D. Colorado Springs, Colo.
National Commander
Arnold Air Society
George H. Chabbott Samuel M. Gardner Thomas J. Kemp Ellis T. Nottingham Joseph E. Sutter
Champaign, Ill.
Dover, Del. Garden City, Kan. Crowley, Texas Arlington, Va. Knoxville, Tenn.
Shannon Mulkern
Stephen P. Pat Condon Edward W. Garland Robert E. Largent Donald L. Peterson* Mary Anne Thompson President
Ogden, Utah San Antonio Harrison, Ark. Fairfax Station, Va. South Yarmouth, Mass. Silver Wings
Clemson, S.C.
O. R. Ollie Crawford Don C. Garrison James R. Lauducci John J. Politi Walter G. Vartan
San Antonio Easley, S.C. Alexandria, Va. Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas Chicago
William D. Croom Jr. Richard B. Goetze Jr. Hans Mark Jack C. Price Leonard R. Vernamonti
San Antonio Arlington, Va. Austin, Texas Pleasant View, Utah Clinton, Miss.
Julie Curlin Emlyn I. Griffith Robert T. Marsh S. Sanford Schlitt Jerry White
Tampa, Fla. Rome, N.Y. Falls Church, Va. Sarasota, Fla. Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jon R. Donnelly Monroe W. Hatch Jr.* William V. McBride Victor Seavers Charles P. Zimkas Jr.
Richmond, Va. Clifton, Va. San Antonio Eagan, Minn. Colorado Springs, Colo.
EGLIN CHAPTER
The E glin Chapter in Florida had much to celebrate at
their annual awards luncheon in Shalimar.
The Brereton Award, named after Lt. Gen. Lewis H.
Brereton, was awarded to J. R. McDonald, the V P of Air
Force programs at Lockheed Martin, for outstanding civilian
contributions to airpower, reported Amy D. Gold, chapter
communications V P, and E ddie McAllister, chapter V P of
awards.
The chapters E xceptional Service Citation went to Steve
Madley, who oversaw the annual golf tournament, hosted
by the chapters education foundation.
Chapter Sustained Service citations went to Bob Patterson,
Shirley Pigott, Dave Miller, and Mike Boles.
The Chapter Member of the Year is Colleen Smith, V P
for Community Partners.
Occupation: F-22 maintenance officer this organiz ation I would not be where I am today, I would
Education: B.A., Russian and IDS, Michigan State University; not hav e receiv ed such great professional dev elopment,
masters degree in education, University of Oklahoma or met my best friends, mentor, or husband.
How did you first hear of AFA? What do you think AFA needs to improve?
I joined Arnold Air S ociety in college at Michigan S tate AFA really needs to hit the next generation and get them
U niv ersity when I was in RO TC and this is where I became to lov e it just like I did. Y ou can get the 18 -to-25 -year-olds
an AFA member, too. S o really I became a member at age to lov e [ AFA] ; its just selling it and really getting them to
18 . I was also the national commander of Arnold Air S ociety believe. Once they attend a conference or firsthand see
and was giv en a lifetime membership by AFA. the benefits they will be hooked. Its having all our current
activ e members reach out and bring those people in and
What compelled you to join? to the ev ents.
It was how much they gav e back and how inv olv ed they
were with the community around them. Ev eryone also has a How do we create more awareness about AFA and
professional organiz ation that helps grow and dev elop them, what it does for airmen and their families?
and this is mine. We need to promote and get our faces out there. There is
so much good AFA does but no one ev er hears about it.
What do you enjoy about AFA membership? [ P ublic Affairs] and adv ertising is what we need more of,
What I enjoy is nothing that is tangible. I lov e who AFA has especially with social media the way it is. And bringing in
helped me become, the opportunities it has presented, and that younger generation will help with this and bring new
the people and mentors it has brought into my life. Without innov ativ e ways of thinking.
I
received a phone call on served as Florida state and region But then I began to think: What
the day after Thanksgiv- president, until his doctor advised would happen to our members?
ing in November 2014 . cutting back on travel. Plus I thought about our Commu-
Joan E mig, the wife of our nity Partners who have supported
Red Tail Memorial Chap- I D O N T W A N T T H EJ O B us each year. I also thought about
ter president, was calling to tell After getting over the shock of the AFJROTC cadets from the local
me that her husband, Michael H. E migs sudden death, I realized high schools.
E mig, had suffered a heart attack that as the vice president of the I decided to call an emergency
and had died in the hospital on chapter, I was expected to take meeting of our members and of-
Thanksgiving morning. over as president. ficers, and I phoned Florida State
It floored me. At first I didnt want the job. President Dann Mattiza. At the
E mig was Air Force 24 hours a I have many other interests. meeting I briefed everyone and
day. His car was painted Air Force One of them is building model asked for their help to keep the
blue. His cellphone ringtone was airplanes, and I am kept busy with chapter going.
the Air Force Song. He had poured that activity alone, being invited They all agreed.
tremendous energy into AFA chap- by various groups to make pre- I chose a new group of chapter
ters both here and in his home sentations about the hobby and officers, and the state president
state, Pennsylvania, and he had the aircraft. swore me in as chapter president.
FEBRUARY 2017 H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM 81
A B I G C O M M I T M EN T Terry L. Dickensheet, is a member relaxed more into what I was doing,
My immediate concern was that of our chapter, and he said yes, too. and things got easier.
our chapter had committed to host- The convention was a big success, The year ended better than I had
ing the 2015 Florida AFA state thanks to our members getting in- expected, with the help from the of-
convention. volved. Some 50 people attended it. cers and members of our chapter.
Florida, as you probably know,
is its own region. Hosting the state F O L L O W U P A G O O D Y EA R
convention is a huge task. Afterward, I made an effort to 2016 was a good year for us. We
But the chapter ofcers all voted meet with local high schools that started by picking a chapter teacher
to carry on with the job, and com- have AFJROTC units, to let them of the year, chemistry instructor
mittees were set up, including one know we were here to help if we Timothy L. Byrne of Crystal River
to nd a hotel with the best ameni- could. I invited their aerospace High School. Hes now a chapter
ties, food menu, and room rates. We science instructors to become mem- member.
signed a contract with the Marriott bers of our chapter. Retired MSgt. The county Civil Air Patrol squad-
in Ocalaand I convinced the sales Kevin Gunter joined AFA this past ron placed rst among Floridas CAP
manager to become a Community November. unitsand 10th nationwidein the
Partner. We recruited US Rep. Ted Yoho CyberPatriot 2015-16 round. This
I needed a guest speaker and (R-Fla.) as an honorary member in was the teams rst time in AFAs
I knew whom I wanted. I asked summer 2015. national youth cyber defense compe-
then-US Rep. Richard Nugent (R- The Arnold Air Society cadets tition. The CAP advisor, Dale Katz,
Fla.), who was on the House Armed from the University of Florida in subsequently joined our chapter.
Services Committee. He is a former Gainesville are members, as is their In all these endeavors, I had the
Air National Guardsman and an professor of aerospace science. backing of chapter ofcers com-
honorary member of our chapter. All in all, our membership aver- mitted to involving our group in
He said yes. ages around 500. activities.
The AFJROTC cadets from Belle-
view High School were asked if they T H I N G S G O T EA S I ER Howard L. Burke, a Vietnam War ve t-
would present the colors at the I started 2015 uncertain of wheth- eran, is president of the Red Tail Me-
convention. Their senior aerospace er I could do the job as chapter morial Chapter in O cala, Fla. He has
science instructor, retired Lt. Col. president. As the year went by, I been an AFA member for a decade.
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