US Air Force News

[James1978]

Boeing. Again.

Boeing’s KC-46 has a new top-tier deficiency
By Courtney Albon
July 30, 2024

DAYTON, Ohio — The Air Force and Boeing identified a new KC-46 deficiency this spring that’s causing damage to the tanker’s air system ducts — adding to the aircraft’s running list of unresolved, high-risk design flaws.

The latest deficiency, designated a Category 1 issue based on the degree of risk and operational restrictions it imposes on the aircraft or its operator, involves a faulty fuel pump. Boeing, the company building the tanker, noticed this spring that vibrations from a KC-46 fuel pump were damaging air ducts in its bleed air system.

Kevin Stamey, the Air Force’s program executive officer for mobility and training aircraft, told reporters Tuesday Boeing has worked quickly to repair damaged ducts and the program is currently testing a workaround for the issue. A longer-term design fix is likely, he added, noting that the deficiency may soon be downgraded to a lower category because of these measures.

“We potentially have a path to downgrade that as we work toward a permanent fix,” he said during a media briefing at the Air Force’s Life Cycle Industry Day conference in Dayton, Ohio. “The mitigation is designed to minimize the damage caused by the vibration.”

The Air Force and Boeing are in varying stages of resolving seven Category 1 deficiencies. Col. David Hall, senior materiel leader for the program, said during the same briefing that three of those are close to a resolution.

Among the more high-profile issues involves the tanker’s remote vision system, or RVS — a camera system that tanker operators use to a refuel a receiver aircraft. After years of delay and rework, the Air Force in 2022 approved a redesign of Boeing’s design, dubbed RVS 2.0, that addresses image distortion and shadowing issues in the previous version.

RVS 2.0 was supposed to be delivered this year, but that timeline has since shifted to 2026. Stamey said a recent schedule risk assessment indicates that spring of that year is the target for that delivery.

Boeing is also redesigning the tanker’s boom actuator, which is required to ensure it can safely fuel the A-10. Stamey said the company has completed prototype hardware for the fix and began lab testing it in May.

Per its development contract with the Air Force, Boeing must pay to fix most of the Category 1 deficiencies discovered before the program’s initial operational test and evaluation concludes. The company has racked up more than $7 billion in charges due to KC-46 design and manufacturing problems.

Asked whether the service is concerned the company’s development issues portend later future production challenges, Stamey was optimistic about Boeing’s quality management efforts.

“To their credit, they lean forward when they have a quality escape,” he said. “They’ve added inspectors on the line and they’re very sensitive to it.”

[jemhouston]

What's nice about Boeing HQ being in Virginia, Langley AFB can bomb it without tanker support. NAS Oceana can help out also.

I'm not sure anything other complete destruction of the C-Suite can save the company.

[Belushi TD]

Is it possible that Boeing is trying to get ALL the bad stuff out in the open all at once, since they're already in the public opinion toilet?

Or is that wishful thinking, and they're a shitshow from start to finish?

Belushi TD

[Pdf27]

Honestly, I can’t really blame Boeing for the KC-46 debacle very much by this point. Most the residual problems are due to the price and spec they had to hit to give the DOD a fig-leaf for not selecting the A330.

[James1978]

Lack of Parts Hurting C-5 Mission Capable Rate Even After $10 Billion in Upgrades
Aug. 9, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

A recent $10 billion fleetwide upgrade to the Air Force’s largest aircraft, the C-5M Galaxy, has not resulted in a higher mission capable rate—the huge airlifter was at 46 percent in 2023, down from 52 percent in 2022. Officials say the struggles are mostly due to a dried-up parts stream.

“We’re recovering from … budget decisions that were made on the C-5,” Kevin Stamey, program executive officer for mobility and training aircraft, told reporters at the recent Life Cycle Industry Days conference.

“When you cut the budget on a program, and you essentially advertise that, hey, we’re going to retire the system, unfortunately, the supply chain is challenged by getting restarted. I would say that is the singular greatest contributor to the hole we had to dig out [of].”

The C-5 fleet underwent a massive dual upgrade called the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) and Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP), both of which were completed in 2018. The C-5’s problem-prone GE TF-39 engines were changed out for four GE CF6-80C2 turbofans, which in addition to being more reliable, added 22 percent more thrust, a one-third shorter takeoff roll and a 58 percent improvement in rate of climb. Avionics improvements included cockpit displays, communications, and navigation upgrades.

The upgrades, which collectively cost about $10 billion, were intended to keep the resulting 52 C-5Ms operating at about a 75 percent mission capable rate into the early 2040s. After some initial success in the late 2010s, the C-5’s readiness has continued to decline. The cavernous airlifter constitutes some 21 percent of the Air Force’s organic strategic lift capacity.

“We’re making great progress” with the C-5, Stamey asserted. Air Force Materiel Command has a program called “Drive to 55,” which is meant to get the type back above a 55 percent mission capable rate, and “we are getting really close to hitting that.”

“Kudos to our depot, DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) and program office teams to get us there,” Stamey said, though he did not say when he expected the 55 percent MC rate goal to be achieved.

An AFMC official later said that more funds are being applied to the C-5 Weapon System Sustainment, and that another depot line has been added to the C-5 depot at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. Metrics of how the changes have boosted C-5 reliability performance are not yet available.

Although the C-5 is slated to start retiring in 16 years, there is as yet no formal “C-X” replacement program contemplated for it. Air Force officials have recently said a follow-on mega-airlifter in the C-5’s class may not be in the cards, as Air Mobility Command is looking at low-observable capabilities that may dictate a smaller aircraft.

At Life Cycle Industry Days, officials also said there is currently no plan for a Service Life Extension Program for the C-17, the service’s other large airlifter.

“We are looking at the things that would be necessary to keep the C-17 out past 2050,” Stamey said. “But right now, it is just an analysis. There’s nothing on the books right now for a SLEP program, other than looking at the necessary things it would take to keep that aircraft” another 25 years.

The C-17 succeeded the C-141, which during its lifetime not only underwent a major life extension, but much of the fleet was actually stretched with a fuselage plug that added as much as 25 percent capacity to its lifting power.

The C-17 entered service in the 1990s, but in fiscal 2023 averaged a 77.5 percent mission capable rate. The average age of the 222-strong fleet is just over 20 years.

[James1978]

Air Force says restoring nukes on some B-52s would cost $4.5 million
By Courtney Albon
August 2, 2024

DAYTON, Ohio — The Air Force estimates it would cost about $4.5 million to restore nuclear weapon capabilities on approximately 30 B-52 bombers, a calculation that follows proposals from Congress to assess shoring up the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal in the coming years.

The House and Senate armed services committees included the recommendation in their respective defense policy bills for fiscal 2025. The bombers in question had previously been equipped with the ability to carry nuclear weapons but were converted to conventional aircraft about 10 years ago to comply with a key U.S.-Russia arms control treaty known as New START.

That agreement, which sets limits on both countries’ nuclear arms capabilities, is set to expire in 2026. Proponents of the recommendation say that serious negotiations with Russia aren’t likely and the U.S. needs to prepare for a future without the same restrictions.

Brian Knight, deputy senior materiel leader in the Air Force’s B-52 bomber program office, said Tuesday the service is prepared to meet the timelines proposed in the bill, which calls for the conversions to begin within a month after the treaty limits lift in 2026. The process is estimated to be completed by 2029.

“The work itself, I’m not going to get into the details other than to say, we know how to do it and it’s relatively easy,” he told reporters during an Air Force Life Cycle Industry Day conference in Dayton, Ohio.

The Air Force operates a fleet of 76 B-52s, which have been in operation since 1976. The bomber was designed to carry nuclear and conventional weapons, but in 2015, the service modified 30 aircraft to a conventional-only status under New START.

Opponents of the policy proposal — including the House Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat Rep. Adam Smith of Washington — worry that making plans now to increase the U.S. nuclear stockpile could complicate future treaty negotiations.

Smith said in June, when the House’s bill passed, that the conversion process could interrupt ongoing efforts to modernize the aging B-52 fleet, which is on track to get a slate of upgrades in the coming years to keep it flying into the 2050s – and potentially until 2060.

“The Department of Defense is not interested in doing this,” Smith said. “They’re currently trying to extend the life of the B-52s out to 2050, which they think they can do. This would be another expense to that.”

Knight said the service could likely perform the conversions during planned depot maintenance. Brig. Gen. Erik Quigley, the service’s program executive for bombers, said in the same briefing this week that while the workload would be manageable, it would require some adjustments to the program’s depot schedule, which is usually set two years in advance.

“It would just take some planning to make sure that we got that into the flow,” Quigley said.

I suppose the real question is just what/how much did they take out of those 30 aircraft in 2015.

[James1978]

Air Force strikes deal with Boeing for E-7 Wedgetail
By Michael Marrow and Valerie Insinna
July 20, 2024

RIAT 2024 — Following a price dispute that dragged out negotiations, the US Air Force has reached a deal with Boeing to produce rapid prototypes of the E-7 Wedgetail, according to service Secretary Frank Kendall.

The Air Force intends to definitize final terms for the contract in August, Kendall said in a briefing with reporters at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) air show. Kendall did not share details of the agreement, but stated that the service “got to a reasonable price point” after bringing in Shay Assad, the Pentagon’s former longtime director of defense pricing, to broker a deal with Boeing.

Andrew Hunter, the service’s top acquisition official, said Boeing and the Air Force were eventually able to hammer out a deal due to the service’s investment in upgrading mission systems aboard the Wedgetail that will ultimately make it more attractive to potential international customers.

“There is credit here for Boeing and the suppliers. They did really buckle down and get their pencils out and sharpen them and do a good job to bring the cost of the rapid prototyping program down. That’s what we asked. And that’s what they did,” he said. “Why did they do that? They did that because there is an extensive market for E-7 going forward not only with the Air Force, but also with NATO and other partners. And so the business case was there for them to lean forward and get over the hump, if you will.”

Dan Gillian, Boeing’s vice president of mobility, surveillance and bombers, also declined to comment on the terms of the agreement, telling reporters that the parties achieved a “fair price” for the government as well as the “actual costs we think it will take to execute this program on time.”

The Air Force originally awarded Boeing a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to kickstart work on the Wedgetail in 2023, though the deal was signed as an undefinitized contract action as the two parties worked to come to terms. The agreement announced today covers two rapid prototypes, and the Air Force eventually expects to field a fleet of 26 aircraft.

Amid negotiations, Kendall earlier this year turned the heat up on Boeing, telling reporters that the service was “having a hard time” nailing down a price with the planemaker. Complications in ironing out the deal caused the Air Force to postpone procurement funding for the program, though Hunter previously said that he still expects Boeing could deliver the first prototype plane in fiscal year 2027.

According to Hunter, Air Force officials originally believed that their requirements would closely mirror those for E-7s acquired by the United Kingdom. But as the process went on, the requirements diverged, complicating the radar plane’s development and contract negotiations. Hunter also previously noted that it’s “not surprising” Boeing is “trying hard to do their homework” to avoid getting trapped in troublesome agreements like those that have contributed to losses for the company’s troubled defense unit.

During the course of negotiations, the Air Force’s requirements evolved to include US-specific features including open mission systems architecture, improved satellite communications and enhanced GPS, which will become part of the baseline Wedgetail going forward, Gillian said.

Boeing recently completed the final design review for the Air Force’s E-7 program, and is already building the first 737 Next Generation jetliner that will be converted into the service’s Wedgetail prototypes. That jet will fly in 2025 before being inducted for modifications the same year, Gillian said.

Ultimately, Boeing sees total sales of about 50-70 Wedgetails, including the Air Force’s planned program of record as well as other E-7 orders that have been booked or delivered, Gillian said.

A replacement for the aging E-3 Sentry, the E-7 is poised to be the Air Force’s newest eye in the sky. Using tools like its distinctive “top hat” radar manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the Wedgetail can gather tracking information on targets that on-board personnel can then use to help manage a battlespace. Boeing’s vision for the E-7 also includes controlling the Air Force’s forthcoming drone wingmen known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Reaching a deal with the Air Force adds another win for the Wedgetail, which recently prevailed in a competition to replace E-3s for NATO. Demand for the platform has even prompted Boeing to aim for an annual output of six Wedgetails near the end of the decade.

[clancyphile]

Only six Wedgetails per year?

[Rocket J Squrriel]

KC-46 was supporting a CAP for POTUS in the Los Angeles area yesterday. As it was refueling an armed F-15E part of the boom snapped off damaging both fighter and tanker. No lives lost and both planes safely landed. Back in June over Holland the boom damaged a refueling door on a F-16.

Facebook has shots of what's left of the boom: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/eime3e7A7BJG533H/

War Zone has the story https://www.twz.com/air/atc-audio-revea ... s-boom-off

ATC Audio Reveals Details Of KC-46 And F-15E Refueling Incident That Broke The Tanker’s Boom Off
The incident occurred while F-15Es from Mountain Home AFB were providing patrols over California for President Biden vacationing there.
Thomas Newdick

Posted on Aug 23, 2024 4:14 PM EDT

8 minute read

KC-46 and F-15E had an incident resulting in the loss of the tanker's boom
Airman 1st Class Kimberly Barrer
A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker that was involved in a refueling mishap off the coast of California on Wednesday was helping to enforce a temporary flight restriction related to a presidential visit, it has emerged. Also involved were a pair of F-15E Strike Eagles, armed with live missiles. The tanker and one of the fighters were forced to make emergency landings — the F-15E twice having to abort those recoveries before finally touching down at an alternative location. The incident comes as problems still dog the KC-46’s troubled path to full operational capability.

You can listen to the relevant communications between some of the crew aboard the aircraft and air traffic control in the files embedded in the tweet below, posted to X by our friend @thenewarea51.


The KC-46 involved in the mishap was from the 931st Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, but was operating out of Travis Air Force Base, California, and was using the callsign WIDE12. It was refueling two F-15Es from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and reportedly assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron.

The fighters were callsigns NOBLE41 and NOBLE42. On this occasion, the F-15Es were reportedly helping enforce temporary flight restrictions related to a presidential visit. As we have discussed before, homeland defense during presidential visits is very resource intensive, with different assets being pulled from around the country to fulfill the high-stakes vital mission.

As of August 21, when the mishap occurred, President Joe Biden was reportedly vacationing in Santa Ynez, California.

US President Joe Biden arrives at Santa Barbara Airport August 20, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California. Biden is vacationing in Santa Ynez, California. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Santa Barbara Airport on August 20, 2024, ahead of his vacation in Santa Ynez, California. Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Based on the mission profile, the F-15Es would have been carrying AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder series air-to-air weapons, as well as 20mm cannon rounds.

WIDE12 and NOBLE42 both sustained damage while the fighter was taking on fuel from the tanker, although the exact nature of how that incident unfolded is unclear at this stage.

However, thanks to the audio, we do know that NOBLE41’s crew communicated via radio to air traffic control informing them that NOBLE42 had suffered some kind of issue with its hydraulic system. The radio communications also include WIDE12 confirming hydraulic problems of its own and declaring an inflight emergency. At one point in the communications, a reference is made to the boom on the KC-46 having “fallen off.”

U.S. Air Force Maj. Will Watson, a pilot assigned to the 905th Air Refueling Squadron from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., conducts a pre-flight check on a KC-46A Pegasus aircraft, assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Wing, prior to take off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, May 11, 2021, in support of exercise Northern Edge 2021. Approximately 15,000 U.S. service members are participating in a joint training exercise hosted by U.S. Pacific Air Forces May 3-14, 2021, on and above the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the Gulf of Alaska, and temporary maritime activities area. NE21 is one in a series of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command exercises designed to sharpen the joint forces’ skills; to practice tactics, techniques, and procedures; to improve command, control and communication relationships; and to develop cooperative plans and programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Adriana Barrientos)
A pilot assigned to the 905th Air Refueling Squadron from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, conducts a pre-flight check on a KC-46 assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Wing, prior to takeoff from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on May 11, 2021, in support of exercise Northern Edge 2021. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Adriana Barrientos Senior Airman Adriana Barrientos
As a result of the incident, the KC-46 returned to Travis Air Force Base for an emergency landing, having requested “a firefighting capability and probably a towtruck.”

The 931st Air Refueling Wing subsequently confirmed that the aircraft had lost a “portion” of its boom close to the base and then landed with what was left of the boom still lowered. The wing added that no one was injured during the incident.

That would appear to be supported by unofficial photos that appeared on Facebook purportedly show damage to the KC-46. In these photos, the boom itself is seen sheared off, the remaining part dragging on the runway, while there are also signs of impacts on the tip of the tail cone. So far, the authenticity of these photos has not been confirmed by the Air Force.


In a statement, the 60th Air Mobility Wing confirmed that the Travis runway had been temporarily closed as a result of the incident.

As for the F-15E, NOBLE42, the air traffic control communications indicate that it diverted to Fresno, California, where it, too, made an emergency landing. The crew of the Strike Eagle confirm that, while armed with live missiles, these are not “hung” — meaning that no attempt had been made to launch them.

The problems didn’t end there, however, since the arresting cable reportedly broke during the Strike Eagle’s first attempt at landing. A second attempt, made on the opposite of the runway, also ended in failure, with the arrester hook failing to catch the cable. Another diversion was then made to Naval Air Station Lemoore, where a safe recovery was achieved.


An F-15E Strike Eagle takes off in support of Operation Noble Eagle, September 25, 2015, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brittain Crolley
An investigation is now underway to understand the cause of the mishap and to fully assess the damage to the KC-46 and the F-15E.

Notably, this is not the first time in recent months that a KC-46 has had a mishap involving its refueling boom.

In June this year, another KC-46 from the 931st Air Refueling Wing was damaged while refueling a U.S. Air Force F-16 in Dutch airspace. On that occasion, air traffic control communications described damage to the refueling door on the fighter after a “too-close breakaway incident.” The crew aboard the KC-46 said that the tanker was “damaged and unable to refuel.” An investigation into this mishap is also ongoing.


Back in October 2022, there was another refueling accident involving a KC-46 and an F-15. Unconfirmed photos posted on social media showed the tanker’s damaged boom and tail cone. In another incident the same year, a KC-46 conducting a flight with a congressional delegation on board made an emergency landing with the boom dangling below the aircraft, as you can read about here.


Before that, in 2020, The War Zone examined a video showing an apparent close-call incident involving a KC-46 and a test F-15E. In this footage, the boom appears to slip off the Strike Eagle’s refueling receptacle, with its control surfaces nearly banging into the fighter’s canopy. Exactly when this incident happened is not clear, but Boeing confirmed that the boom did not make contact with the canopy of the Strike Eagle.

Fast forward to 2024 and Boeing and the Air Force are still working through various issues on the KC-46, some of which relate to the refueling system.

Notably, efforts are still ongoing to fix long-standing and serious problems with not only the KC-46’s boom but also the Remote Vision System that boom operators use to guide it into receiving aircraft.

Boeing is currently under contract to address issues with stiffness in the boom on the KC-46, a fix that involves hardware and software changes. As for the Remote Vision System, or RVS, the contractor is integrating an entirely new version of this into the tanker. The decision was taken after multiple problems with the original RVS, which was found to be potentially dangerous to use as well as potentially risking making boom operators physically ill.


The view from the flight deck of a C-17 Globemaster III as it takes on fuel from a KC-46 over the Eastern seaboard, March 9, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph Morales A C-17 Globemaster to be refueled by a KC-46 Pegasus over the Eastern seaboard, Mar. 9, 2023. The aerial refueling of the C-17 occurred during Exercise White Stag. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph Morales
In previous Air Force tankers, the boom operator occupied a position from at the rear of the aircraft, while the KC-46 does away with this and instead has them work from the main cabin. Using the RVS, the boom operator steers the boom into the receiving aircraft aided by video feeds from an array of video cameras at the rear of the aircraft. Special glasses provide the boom operator with feeds presented in a hybrid 2D/3D format — at least, in theory. However, with the original RVS not working as intended, notably in direct sunlight, KC-46 boom operators have had to use a variety of workarounds to ensure that receiver aircraft can be ‘gassed up.’

The RVS 2.0 is not now expected to be delivered until April 2026.

Despite this, the Air Force has continued to introduce the KC-46 to service, in the process of phasing out the KC-10A Extender, the last remaining examples of which are planned to be decommissioned next month. The new tanker has also chalked up some significant achievements, including conducting operations from austere airstrips, while the Air Force is also examining options for operating the KC-46 with just two individuals on board — a pilot and a boom operator — in certain high-end wartime scenarios.

Regardless, the KC-46’s complicated development and many and varied teething troubles mean that an incident like that which occurred off the California coast earlier this week — whatever the reason for it — isn’t a good optics for the USAF’s new newest tanker.

We have reached out to the Air Force for more details about exactly what happened.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

[James1978]

4-Star Commander Denies Request to Wear Boonie Hats at Nellis Air Force Base Amid Standards Push
Military.com | By Rachel S. Cohen
Published August 16, 2024

The necks of airmen at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, will continue to scorch under the blistering summer sun after a request to let them don the military's iconic boonie hat was denied by higher headquarters.

Col. Joshua DeMotts, commander of the 99th Air Base Wing at Nellis, wrote to Air Combat Command boss Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach last month with a plea for cool heads: Could airmen wear the floppy Operational Camouflage Pattern boonie hats instead of ball caps during the hot weather months from April 1 to Nov. 1?

"Due to the extreme heat at Nellis AFB that tops 120 degrees during the summer, it is imperative to adjust aspects of the uniform to ensure appropriate protection is afforded to our airmen performing their duties," DeMotts wrote in the memo. "The boonie hat will allow the relief of excess body heat and protection for the neck and face from the intense summer sun."

Wilsbach's response put the request on ice: No.

DeMotts' memo, signed July 9, appeared on the unofficial "Air Force amn/nco/snco" Facebook page on Thursday. Air Combat Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Emily Grabowski confirmed the document's authenticity on Friday.

She declined to provide a reason why the commander denied Nellis' request.

"Local commanders may request exceptions to policy outside of current Department of the Air Force instruction, and it is within the ACC commander's authority to approve or disapprove," Grabowski said.

In the hours after the memo leaked online, airmen took to social media to blast the answer as an example of out-of-touch leadership.

"@aircombatcommand what is going on," Instagram user @mudhen_memes, an account dedicated to the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter, asked Thursday. "Can you step out of the way and let us execute the mission you're asking??"

Boonie hats are round, wide-brimmed sun hats worn by troops in particularly hot or tropical climates, such as the jungles of Vietnam, that call for more-breathable headgear with greater skin coverage than a ball cap to prevent burns and cancer. Air Force regulations allow deployed airmen, and those authorized by a major command such as Air Combat Command, to wear the OCP boonie hat "when theater conditions dictate."

For some service members, the hats constitute peak military fashion; for others, they're an unprofessional, confusing accessory. The latter outlook has landed them on the off-limits clothing list for most troops for years.

But not all senior officers keep floppy headgear at arm's length. Last October, the commander of Fort Bliss authorized the wear of boonie caps for soldiers at the El Paso, Texas, installation, which averages nearly 300 days of sun each year. They remain banned on other Army bases.

Wilsbach's decision to deny Nellis airmen their boonie hats comes on the heels of his command-wide push to reinforce dress and appearance standards that he believes have slipped.

In June, Wilsbach told airmen under his purview they had a month to undergo unit-level inspections to ensure all adhere to Air Force regulations on uniforms, grooming, customs and courtesies. He also directed wings to check whether troops' personnel records are in compliance with medical and religious exemptions -- to see, for instance, whether an airman with a beard possesses a shaving waiver.

The directive applies to Air Combat Command's more than 157,000 uniformed and civilian employees who supply fighter jets, intelligence-collection aircraft, cyber operators and more to U.S. forces in North America, South America, the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It sparked a scramble to find well-fitting uniforms at base exchanges and thrift shops, as well as plenty of grumbling on social media.

Wilsbach argues that holding airmen to the standards in place is key to their military identity and operational prowess as the U.S. prepares for a possible war with China in the Pacific. When troops pay attention to the small details, he said in July, they'll get the hard parts right as well.

The deadline to finish the inspections was July 17.

[James1978]

USAF Taps Tough Negotiator For Boeing B-52 Upgrade Delays
By Brian Everstine
August 07, 2024

Unusually, it is not a new aircraft program struggling with delays and cost overruns that has brought Boeing and the U.S. Air Force back to the negotiating table. The B-52J upgrade program’s engine replacement and radar modernization plans are both at risk of running behind schedule and over budget, Air Force officials say, following a change in the overall acquisition plan last year.

“We’re putting a lot of effort on that, making sure we’re keeping Boeing on schedule—actually trying to move the schedule to the left on that effort,” says Brig. Gen. Erik Quigley, the Air Force’s program executive officer for bombers.

The service awarded Boeing the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) contract in 2018, with operations expected to begin in 2030. The company also won the Radar Modernization Program (RMP), which is planned to install the APG-79 active, electronically scanned array radar from the F/A-18 on the B-52s.

Costs for both programs are billions over previous estimates. Air Force B-52 Deputy Senior Materiel Leader Brian Knight told reporters at the service’s Life Cycle Industry Day conference in Dayton, Ohio, that the RMP estimate stands at $3.3 billion, up from a 2021 estimate of $2.3 billion.

For CERP, the Air Force is now projecting a total cost of $15 billion, up from $12.5 billion in 2023. The service and Boeing are working on a new schedule baseline ahead of a Milestone B decision to start engineering and manufacturing development, Knight said at the conference.

To help Boeing keep to schedule, the service has brought in a specialist. In July, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced the hiring of Shay Assad, who was director of pricing when Kendall served as undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics. Assad was notorious in this role for harsh negotiations to cut companies’ profit margins to achieve better terms for the Pentagon.

Assad’s first task in his new position was to reach a deal with Boeing for the Air Force’s E-7A Wedgetail program after the company put forth cost estimates that far exceeded Pentagon expectations. Now he is working with Boeing on the B-52J.

“I don’t want to speak disparagingly against Boeing,” Quigley said regarding Assad’s hiring. “I mean, the government had our own issues, too. It’s about efficiencies. A lot of it is in the business end of things, you know. How we do pricing, how we do proposals, how we do contracting when we go to the table to negotiate with any Defense Department industry partner.”

Some delays are linked to the change in acquisition approaches the Air Force made last year, shifting from a middle tier of acquisition pathway that utilized prototyping to a major capability acquisition. That moved most of the work into a single contract. “It created, I’ll say, the opportunity for the prime contractor to raise costs,” Knight said.

CERP has seen issues in testing, particularly around adding acoustic liners to the inlet of the Rolls-Royce F130’s nacelle. This has prompted more tests by Rolls-Royce, which Quigley says have been difficult as the program progresses because of a lack of wind tunnel capacity. Boeing is integrating the Rolls-Royce engines.

The B-52J upgrade program also includes new pylons, wiring and harnessing, as well as a new power generation system and cockpit with throttles, controls and displays. Quigley says the overhaul is needed to keep the bombers healthy enough to fly into the 2060s, as issues with their current Pratt & Whitney TF33s will become acute in about 2027. The Air Force and Pratt are discussing ways to improve the health of the TF33 as CERP proceeds, he says.

Likewise, the RMP is more than just slapping a new radar on the bomber. The APG-79 is legacy technology that requires rework before it can replace the older mechanically scanned APQ-166 radar. Moreover, Boeing is marrying the processor from the F-15’s APG-82 to the APG-79. Low-rate initial production of the RMP has been pushed to the spring of 2025, the Government Accountability Office says.

A 2023 Selected Acquisition Report stated that the program had discovered material defects in the design of the new radome, requiring a major redesign. Lab testing issues created a cost breach in 2023—problems with displays and sensor processors were the primary cause.

Quigley says the program office is consulting Air Force Global Strike Command to see if the overall radome requirements could be loosened to speed up the process. The program is shifting to a honeycomb design for the radome, Knight said. Additionally, Boeing and RTX are estimating long-lead part wait times that are about a year longer than originally expected.

While the engine and radar upgrade programs progress, lawmakers are calling on the Air Force to look at another major change for the B-52 fleet: restoring nuclear weapons capabilities for all of the bombers. Under the New START agreement, 30 of the bombers lost the ability to carry the weapons. The treaty is set to expire in 2026, although Russia suspended its participation in February 2023. While Moscow stopped short of withdrawing entirely, there are no plans for the treaty to continue beyond its expiration. Both House and Senate versions of the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill call for the change.

The Air Force could meet the timeline set in the bills and have the bombers converted by 2029, Knight said. He would not expand on how it would do so other than to say,“It’s relatively easy.” Nuclearizing the B-52s anew would cost about $4.5 million total, and the work would be added to regular depot maintenance, officials said.

[James1978]

More F-35 nonsense.

New F-35s can fly combat training as DOD holds millions from Lockheed
By Stephen Losey
August 30, 2024

The newest F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are now able to carry out more elaborate training missions, but the government is withholding millions of dollars in payment to Lockheed Martin until the jets can fight in combat.

Lockheed Martin has upgraded the software in its latest batch of F-35s to handle “more robust combat training capability,” the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed said in a joint statement Thursday. Previously, these F-35s could only carry out “initial training capability” using a partial version of the upgrades known as Technology Refresh 3.

The government refused to accept delivery of the new TR-3 fighters from Lockheed starting in July 2023 due to software integration problems and some hardware shortfalls. Lockheed continued to build F-35s while hunting for a solution to the TR-3 problem and stored them at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility.

Lockheed developed a partial version of the TR-3 software it referred to as “truncated,” which would allow the jets to fly basic training missions — but not in combat. The government concluded the truncated software worked well enough to start accepting the jets and deliveries resumed in July 2024.

TR-3 upgrades include better displays, computer memory and processing power, which are necessary for a more expansive upgrade known as Block 4. In addition to allowing the F-35 to carry more weapons, the Block 4 upgrades will allow the jets to better identify targets and conduct electronic warfare.

Top Air Force officials and Lockheed Martin last month promised further improvements to the F-35 will come.

But the new jets will likely not be able to fly into combat until 2025, and that will cost Lockheed in the meantime.

The JPO said Thursday that until TR-3′s combat capability is qualified and delivered, the government is withholding about $5 million per jet in payments to Lockheed Martin. Those withholdings were negotiated as part of the government’s agreement with Lockheed to accept and deliver F-35s with combat training capability.

The newest F-35A fighters, which the U.S. Air Force flies, cost about $82.5 million. New F-35Bs — the short-takeoff and vertical landing variants flown by the U.S. Marine Corps — cost about $109 million, and the F-35Cs the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps use on aircraft carriers will cost about $102.1 million.

The JPO and Lockheed also said the company and its industry partners “are making significant investments in development labs and digital infrastructure that benefit the F-35 enterprise’s speed and agility in fielding capabilities to the most advanced and connected fighter jet.”

The yearlong delays in delivering an unspecified number of F-35s have caused ripple effects throughout the Air Force and the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, said in July the TR-3 delays had led to a “slowdown” in the number of F-35s arriving at RAF Lakenheath in England, the home of the service’s two European-based F-35 squadrons. He said fewer than a dozen jets had been delayed.

“Don’t think that the TR-3 problems are over,” Hecker said at the Royal International Air Tattoo air show at RAF Fairford in England. “We do have a working software in TR-3 that is definitely good enough for training. … But there’s more to go.”

Newly delivered TR-3 jets would likely be sent to training bases, according to Hecker. Combat-capable jets flying training missions at those bases would then probably be transferred to Lakenheath.

And since TR-3 is necessary to put Block 4 upgrades in the jets, the delays have slowed down the next series of F-35 modernizations.

Andrew Hunter, the Air Force’s acquisition chief, also told reporters at the RIAT air show that the service was not paying full price for the incomplete jets.

“We will not pay for that which we have not yet received,” Hunter said.

[James1978]

So the KC-10s are now gone.

‘The Gucci Way’: Air Force’s Very Last KC-10 Tanker Bids Adieu at Travis
Sept. 26, 2024 | By David Roza

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.—Military aircraft are not known for fine dining, which is why several years ago Master Sgt. Van Stewart Jr. was surprised to wake up midway through a 19-hour flight to the Middle East aboard a KC-10 refueling tanker to the smell of roasted pork shoulder.

“I think they pre-roasted it, then brought it aboard and warmed it up,” the flight engineer recalled “It was delicious.”

Stewart’s story was one of many shared Sept. 25 and 26 here, as KC-10 Extender air and ground crew members past and present gathered to bid farewell to the last of the Air Force’s 60 KC-10s before its flight to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, also known as The Boneyard, in Arizona.

The jet, tail number 79-1948, took off from Travis at about 10:15 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Sept. 26, flying under the callsign “Gucci 10,” an ode to the “Gucci” nickname and motto at the 9th Air Refueling Squadron, the last unit to operate the jet. The wheels-up was the last of thousands in the KC-10’s 44 years of service since it first took off in 1980. It was quickly joined by two F-15Cs from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing.

Also known as “Big Sexy,” the KC-10 can haul nearly twice as much gas as its older sibling, the KC-135, and almost as much cargo as the C-17, a dedicated transport jet. Retired Chief Master Sgt. Robert Lasseigne knew he was seeing something special when he joined the team testing the jet in 1980 in Yuma, Ariz.

A crew chief, Lasseigne had just come from the bumpier, colder C-130. By comparison, the KC-10 was literally an airliner; the jet was based on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and retained 88 percent systems commonality, according to the Air Force.

“The KC-10 was just great from a maintenance perspective,” Lasseigne told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “It was a good airplane, smooth rider, reliable, and it was very good at executing its mission.”

The crew chief recalled carrying all the spare parts, maintainers, and extra pilots for an F-15 squadron aboard three KC-10s while refueling the fighters from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., on their way to a deployment overseas.

“When you do stuff like that, then you know what the total fight really is,” he said.

Stewart had a similar experience during his first mission on the KC-10.

“You hear the stories when you go through training, but then you actually execute the mission, and you see the amount of cargo we load on, and then you look out while you’re airborne, you see three fighters on both wings,” he said. “That’s who you’re dragging to wherever you need to get to.”

‘Never Once Let Me Down’
The KC-10’s vast fuel tanks paid off during the longest fighter combat mission in history. April 14, 1986, saw 24 F-111 strike fighters and five EF-111 electronic warfare variants take off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, U.K., to strike targets in Libya in response to a terrorist attack on a Berlin discotheque that the U.S. and West Germany blamed on Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

The French and Spanish governments refused to allow U.S. aircraft to fly over their countries en route to the strike, so the fighters had to circle around much of the continent in a 6,400 mile, 13-hour trip, much longer than the standard F-111 sortie of about two hours.

Operation El Dorado Canyon, as the mission became known, depended on nearly 30 KC-10 and KC-135 tankers refueling the fighters and each other multiple times there and back, often in radio silence. Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Danel remembered the briefing at RAF Mildenhall at 6 a.m. filled with tanker crews from across the service and a surprise appearance by then-Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Gabriel.

“That’s when I realized ‘we’re not kidding, this is serious,’” the now-retired KC-10 flight engineer recalled. “The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is here. We’re going to do it.”

Danel and the rest of his crew’s first job was to serve as backup in case a tanker broke down before the mission launched later that night. None of the jets malfunctioned, so their next job was to take off at around midnight and refuel the tankers on their way back from the Mediterranean Sea.

“One of the KC-10s just barely had enough fuel” to get to the rendezvous point because it had given so much to the F-111s en route, Danel said. The mission showcased the Extender’s “tremendous capability” he said. “It could carry so much more fuel, so it could do what it did.”

Lt. Col. Andrew Baer, commander of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis, described the amount of gas the KC-10 can haul as “staggering.”

“When we pull up to an exercise or to an event, and the controller says, ‘how much fuel do you have to give’ and you call back ‘300,000 [pounds],’ the radio stops,” he said. “People say, ‘what?’ It is just amazingly capable.”

That capability saved lives during the war in Afghanistan, where Baer filled up plenty of near-empty fighters so they could keep providing close air support for troops in contact.

“Even if that fighter started heading for home because he had to, we had the engines and speed to run him down, put the boom down, fill it up so he could turn around and come back,” Baer said. “Almost 4,000 hours in this plane, it has never once let me down.”

Fighter pilots shared that admiration.

“There are few better sights I’ve seen from the cockpit than the silhouette of the KC-10 on the horizon with its boom extended, and the relief I felt knowing I would soon get the fuel I needed to complete the mission,” said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., an F-16 pilot, in a video statement played at the Sept. 26 ceremony.

But perhaps the most telling endorsement came from a KC-135 pilot, the new head of Air Mobility Command, Gen. John D. Lamontagne.

“There are tankers,” he said, raising one hand to eye level, “and then there are KC-10s,” raising the other hand above his head as far as he could go.

‘Well, This is a Nice Airplane’
The Extender also sported creature comforts including a coffee-maker, a refrigerator, and an oven, all of which were newer and nicer than the facilities aboard other aircraft such as the KC-135.

“Everybody else was envious of what we had, because there we were playing in an airliner,” said Danel, who considered the KC-10 “a big upgrade” over his previous aircraft, the C-141 Starlifter.

The fact that civilian airliners operated the DC-10 made for a collegial air crew culture, particularly in reserve units, said another flight engineer, retired Master Sgt. Michael Engelbrecht, better known by his nickname, “Commander Scumby.” On other aircraft, the commissioned pilots might not interact as much with the enlisted flight engineers, but on the KC-10, those flight engineers may soon be a fellow first officer or captain on the DC-10 at the airlines.

“A lot of these guys in the reserves, they were all airline pilots,” Engelbrecht said. “They knew that one day you could actually be sitting next to them if you got all your ratings. And then I became really good friends with a lot of the pilots.

“A lot of my buddies that are pilots at UPS or Hawaiian Airlines, they were flight engineers, because most of us said, ‘Well, this is a nice airplane, let’s do it for a living,’” he added.

Along the way, the 9th Air Refueling Squadron picked up the term ‘Gucci’ as both a nickname and a way of life. Accounts differ as to where the term came from. Danel said it started when an Airman brought a Gucci brand carpet back from Honolulu to the squadron’s break area at March Air Force Base, Calif., where it was headquartered at the time. The squadron then became known as the “Gucci boys,” and used the callsign Gucci during airlift missions.

“Part of it too was because we had the nicest tanker,” he added. “It was so much nicer than the KC-135.”

Meanwhile, Stewart said the term originated when a group of squadron members went on a mission without any luggage, so they wound up buying Gucci brand luggage and hauling it around. Either way, “Gucci” has become a lifestyle at the 9th ARS.

“That’s like our motto: ‘Everything’s Gucci,’” Stewart said. “Whether it’s taking care of your Airmen or executing the mission, we just do it the Gucci way.”

Generations United
That common identity between KC-10 crews past and present was on display at the farewell ceremony, where maintainers painstakingly recreated nose art on the final Extender of a knight riding a dragon. That nose art was spotted on the same tail number, 79-1948, back when it was originally delivered to Strategic Air Command, Baer explained.

“The nickname given to the airplane by the maintainers and the crews was Excalibur,” said the lieutenant colonel, who commanded the jet’s final flight.

Back in the SAC days, KC-10s sported a blue and white paint scheme. But the nose art reappeared in later images of the jet after it had been painted in a gray and white ‘Shamu’ paint scheme. Most nose art paint schemes are a one-off, Baer said, so the fact that the knight and dragon appeared twice made it a no-brainer for 79-1948’s final flight to the boneyard.

“Headquarters needs to approve nose art, and when we showed the history of how the nose art had been installed and reinstalled, it was a profound ‘yes,’” he said. “We’re really proud we put it right where it was, in the right scale, the right colors. It’s the real thing.”

But as great as the KC-10 was, the people who fixed and operated it were what made it special, Baer said.

“You saw generations from really the first delivery guys, the guys who were senior in 1980, all the way to some of our youngest Airmen out here shaking hands and meeting them,” he said of the ceremony. “That’s what is so incredible right now, in this one moment of time, we have multiple generations of people that are united by that airframe.”

Those generations got to see the 79-1948 off when it climbed into the air for the last time on Sept. 26.

“I’m probably trying to hold it in because there’ll be so many people, but then when we get in the bus or get back home … it’s probably going to all come out,” said Stewart, the final KC-10 flight engineer, the day before the flight. “It’s going to be weird coming off the plane and not ever coming to pick it up.”

But while the KC-10 is retiring, the refueling mission continues as the the 9th ARS and other former KC-10 squadrons transition to the brand new KC-46 Pegasus, which Baer described as “a technological marvel.” It’ll be the latest tanker for the 9th, whose refueling history goes all the way back to 1951.

“Old Big Sexy is going away,” Stewart said, “but rest assured that the 9th Air Refueling Squadron and the other tanker squadrons, they’re still going to be bringing fuel to the fight in an upgraded capacity.”

[James1978]

Not that we have the money, or the people, but it seems like a second Hurricane Hunter squadron would not be the worst thing to have.

Air Force Report: Hurricane Hunters Stretched Thin Amid Brutal Storms
Oct. 2, 2024 | By David Roza

New storms may already be forming in the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic, even as rain soaks the East Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene last week, which killed at least 130 people and closed two major Air Force bases.

That means hurricane season is far from over for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, an Air Force Reserve unit stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

Better known as the Hurricane Hunters, the squadron flies into storms to collect atmospheric data that help scientists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) predict the size of the storms and where they will make landfall, which in turn helps decision-makers make calls such as evacuation orders.

Their work makes a big difference, increasing weather model accuracy and hurricane track forecasts by 20 percent. That saves lives and money; it costs at least $1 million to evacuate a mile of coastline, so it helps when planners have a better sense of where to focus safety efforts.

Helene was a case in point. The 53rd WRS flew nine missions into the storm from Sept. 23 to 26, according to a press release.

“[W]e have been working around the clock to provide data for NHC forecasts,” the squadron wrote on Instagram as Helene approached Florida.

The squadron’s work is particularly important for rapidly intensifying storms such as Helene, which grew from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane in just 64 hours.

“Rapid intensification is a phenomenon that is difficult to forecast and forecast models still have a hard time predicting it,” Capt. Amaryllis Cotto, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer, said in the release.

“This is a feature that Hurricane Hunters can analyze while flying the system, providing real-time insight of the storm,” she added. “By relaying how well or fast it’s developing, NHC forecasters then have the chance to make quick updates on their watches and warnings and quality check the current forecast trends.”

Bargain Hunting Hurricanes
But providing that data requires aircraft, personnel, and funding, and the 53rd WRS is stretched thin covering a longer hurricane season and an increasingly busy winter season. The squadron has seen an 18 percent increase in demand flying hurricanes since 2018, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported in May.

When hurricane season wraps up in November, the 53rd WRS switches to atmospheric rivers: bodies of water vapor flowing through the skies over the Pacific Ocean that can carry massive amounts of potential rain, snow, and flooding across the West Coast. Historically, winter was a chance for the squadron to recuperate after hurricanes, but the demand for winter missions has climbed 606 percent since 2018, with no new resources to meet it.

“The resources we’re working with today were established and set in 1996 and no significant changes have happened since then,” Maj. Chris Dyke, another aerial reconnaissance weather officer, said in April. “At that point it was resourced for a six-month hurricane mission. We are now a 10-month operational mission and a two-month road show. … To be honest, it’s not enough time for the aircraft.”

In last year’s defense spending bill, Congress required a report from the Air Force on whether the 53rd WRS has enough resources to meet requirements. The Air Force completed the report in April and Air & Space Forces Magazine obtained a copy late last month. The report lays out in greater detail why the squadron’s resources are insufficient today and will be even more so in the near future.

“Looking ahead to 2035, projections indicate a consistent rise in operational demands for weather reconnaissance,” Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, chief of the Air Force Reserve, wrote at the top of the report. “Despite the impressive contributions of the 53rd WRS, the report identifies substantial challenges due to resource constraints.”

The 53rd WRS’ requirement to fly hurricanes falls under the National Hurricane Operations Plan, which lays out that Air Force weather reconnaissance forces must provide 24/7 coverage of current or potential tropical cyclones threatening the U.S. or its interests on both coasts from up to three locations simultaneously.

The minimum force for covering one storm 24/7 is three aircraft, 54 aircraft maintainers, 18 aircrew members, and 23 support personnel, the report said. But as storms approach the mainland, that amount goes up by one aircraft, 13 aircrew, and three support personnel. That means to conduct operations any time during hurricane season (June 1 through Nov. 31), the squadron needs 10 operational and available aircraft, 164 maintainers, 67 aircrew, and 72 support personnel, the report said.

At first glance, the 53rd WRS appears to hit most of those numbers, with resources allocated for 10 WC-130J aircraft, 278 maintainers, 100 aircrew, and 57 support staff. But the number of missions keeps rising, and not all the squadron’s allocated people or planes are available to carry them out.

“The unit has averaged just above 50 percent available manning due to position vacancies, members in training, and members not medically available,” the report read.

Further more, only 110 of the squadron’s maintainers are authorized for mission generation, but the standard for C-130Js is 54 maintainers for three aircraft at each location, the report said. That means the squadron can support only two locations even if all its authorizations were available at all times.

“Given current challenges and compounded by the anticipated future growth in demand, we are not positioned to be able to fully support NHOP requirements,” the report states.

The squadron’s aircraft are in a similar situation. When it adopted the WC-130J in 1999, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was among the first units in the Air Force to fly the ‘J’ model, the latest version of the venerable C-130 aircraft. But 25 years later, the fleet is feeling the effects of a quarter century of rough skies. The average availability aircraft for the squadron was 65 percent, according to the report, with at least one aircraft in long-term depot maintenance and another in short-term maintenance at any given time. That leaves just eight available aircraft to handle requirements.

“Because it’s aging, it gets worse each year, and so the vast majority of your non-mission capable time is scheduled maintenance, and that increases each year,” Col. William Magee, commander of the 403rd Maintenance Group, said in April.

Hungry Winters
Why the rise in demand? Scientists need to identify tropical cyclones earlier in their development and provide more persistent coverage to spot changes in storm track and intensity, the report said, and advances in weather model capability make that coverage even more important. Mother Nature also has a vote, with the squadron expecting a bump from 15 to 16 storms per year today to 18 storms by 2035.

The squadron faces similar demands and challenges in the winter, which is covered by the National Winter Season Operations Plan (NWSOP). Like with hurricanes, the NWSOP requires 24/7 coverage of potential environmental threats on both coasts from up to three locations at the same time.

Fulfilling that requirement for one location at any given time requires the same minimum package of 3 aircraft, 54 maintainers, 18 aircrew, and 23 support personnel, the report read, but being ready to handle more than one location from Nov. 1 to March 31 takes more people than the 53rd WRS might have available at any given time.

The number of winter flying hours has gone up more than 600 percent since 2018, with Airmen flying missions all over North America. The squadron expects its winter storm flights to bump up from 50 today to 65-70 by 2035.

“Given current challenges and anticipated future growth in demand, we are not positioned to be able to fully support NWSOP requirements,” the report states.

Then there are the dropsondes: the small cylinders which crew members drop out of the aircraft on a mission. Suspended by parachute, the dropsondes collect atmospheric data and transmit it to the aircraft as they descend through the storm. But as demand for weather reconnaissance has surged, so as the 53rd WRS’ use of dropsondes: the squadron burned through 1,796 this past year (868 for winter missions, 928 for hurricanes) for a total of $4 million when including training, the report said.

Though Congress provides regular budget increases for dropsondes, the squadron said it will need even more to keep pace with demand.

When It Rains, It Pours
Beyond its hurricane and winter requirements for the homeland, the 53rd WRS is also seeing more demand from U.S. European Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. For example, tropical cyclones “have been identified as the most significant environmental threat” across INDOPACOM, according to the report, particularly from July through December, which overlaps with both the hurricane and winter seasons.

That timing “would drive a significant increase to the demand already placed on the mission,” the report read. “Based on the currently limited resources of the 53 WRS (aircraft, flying hours, personnel and dropsondes), if these requirements were added, the mission capability would drop to approximately 25 percent.”

The squadron already has to decline some missions; Dyke recalled a moment last year where the 53rd WRS pulled aircraft out of the Caribbean island of St. Croix and sent them back to Keesler to track Hurricane Idalia, which was deemed the more important storm.

“That was an example where we’re asking the hurricane center, ‘OK, pick and choose, what’s your priority?’” he said in April. “There are impacts from the one we don’t fly. We’re talking about potential impacts to stateside readiness, homeland defense.”

Congress did not require the Air Force to estimate how many more aircraft, personnel, and other assets it would need to meet growing requirements, but it was clear from the report that today’s mix is not enough.

“Despite these expanded responsibilities and significant extension of the operational season, the number of aircraft in the 53 WRS has remained constant, challenging their ability to cover these diverse and increasing demands,” the report read. “As the frequency and severity of weather-related disasters rise, alongside the growing global strategic concerns, the demand for reliable weather data, especially in data-sparse regions has never been more critical.”

[James1978]

Because of course it's Boeing . . .
I know and accept that certain things on military aircraft cost more than their commercial equivalent. But a soap dispenser on a C-17 should not cost 80 times more than the soap dispenser that goes in a 737.

USAF Overpaid For C-17 Parts, More Oversight Needed, Watchdog Says
Brian Everstine - Aviation Week
October 29, 2024

An anonymous tip about an expensive soap dispenser for the lavatory on a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III has led to the Pentagon’s watchdog urging the U.S. Air Force and Defense Contract Management Agency to increase oversight of contracts with a warning that it could impact the fleet’s readiness.

The Defense Department Inspector General on Oct. 29 released an investigation into Boeing’s performance-based logistics contract for the C-17, finding that the Air Force substantially overpaid for randomly selected spares.

“Until the Air Force establishes controls to require contracting officials review spare parts purchase throughout the execution of the contract, the Air Force will continue to overpay for space parts for the remainder of the [logistics] contract, which continues through 2031,” the report says. “The Air Force overpaying for spare parts may reduce the number of spare parts that Boeing can purchase on the contract, which could reduce C-17 readiness worldwide.”

The IG said it received a hotline call specifically focusing on the Air Force overpaying for a soap dispenser for the C-17. In response, the office began an investigation and selected 46 parts to review from 2018 through 2022. As part of a September 2021 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract, Boeing will receive up to $23.8 billion for C-17 maintenance through 2031. As part of the contract, Boeing was awarded its first delivery order of spare parts worth $648.1 million in October 2021.

The IG found that the Air Force overpaid for 12 of the 46 selected parts at a cost of $992,568. The IG also found that it could not validate the fair and reasonable rate for 25 parts, and that the Air Force did pay a fair and reasonable rate for nine parts.

Specifically for the soap dispenser allegation, the IG report found that Boeing charged a 7,943% markup—more than 80 times the commercially available cost.

The root cause, the IG says, is that the Air Force program office did not validate the accuracy of data used for contract negotiation, conduct surveillance to identify price increases during contract execution and review invoices to determine fair and reasonable prices before payment.

The report outlines a series of recommendations, including that the Air Force direct the C-17 contract officer to require Boeing to notify of price increases of 25% or higher than the proposed price, along with reviewing spare parts prices throughout the execution of the contract and obtain justification of price increases. The Defense Contract Management Agency also needs to review Boeing’s part tracking system to validate the accuracy of forecasting demands for spare parts.

[jemhouston]

How about court-martialing the officers who signed off on it. If civilian, fire them.