Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for May 13, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen, Brian W. Everstine and John A. Tirpak

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Space Force Plans for Transfers as ‘Thousands’ Volunteer
By Rachel S. Cohen

More than 1,000 Airmen have signed up for the new Space Force in the first two
weeks of the month-long voluntary transfer window, Space Force Vice Commander
Lt. Gen. David Thompson said May 12. The initial transfer period opened May 1 to
allow Active-duty Air Force officers as well as enlisted members in existing
space careers and certain other jobs to formally join the Space Force. Those who
worked with Air Force Space Command before the Space Force was created in
December were automatically assigned to the new service, but are not yet
official members. “Not being exactly sure where we think we should be, we feel
like we're in a good place in terms of those numbers," Thompson said during an
AFA Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event.

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Air Force Stops T-38 Formation Landings After 2019 Fatal Crash
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force no longer requires student pilots to conduct formation landings in
T-38s, following a crash at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., that killed a student
and instructor. The night before the Nov. 21, 2019, crash, the instructor and
two supervisors in the training squadron discussed the fact that combat pilots
no longer conduct formation landings—when more than one aircraft land at the
same time—questioning whether it should still be a requirement for students in
the aging T-38. Following a service-wide review, Air Education and Training
Command in March halted the practice, which has long been a part of flight
training. The family of 2nd Lt. Travis Willkie, the student pilot killed in the
crash, told Air Force Magazine they are “relieved” the service is no longer
requiring the “inherently dangerous maneuver,” but the service's decision to
halt the practice, “substantiates the failure of Air Force leadership to
discontinue an archaic and dangerous requirement, in a tired 58-year-old plane,
before it took the life of our son Travis and his instructor pilot.”

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GAO: F-35 Not Meeting Reliability, Maintainability Goals
By John A. Tirpak

A new Government Accountability Office report on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
warns of potential further delay beyond the already-postponed full-rate
production decision expected next March. The delays could stem from quality
standards not being met and because alternative vendors for all parts once made
by Turkey have not yet been established.

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AFSOC Buying Third A-29 for Foreign Training
By Rachel S. Cohen

Air Force Special Operations Command is ordering a third A-29 Super Tucano to
train foreign troops, aircraft manufacturer Sierra Nevada Corp. said May 11. The
A-29 is one of two light attack platforms the Air Force bought for limited use
after declining to turn the light attack experiment into a full-fledged
procurement program. Super Tucanos are used for AFSOC’s combat aviation
advisory mission, and Textron’s AT-6 is proving out the Airborne Extensible
Relay Over-Horizon Network (AEROnet), the service’s prototype data-sharing
network.

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Virtual Events: Examining COVID-19’s Impact on Defense Aircraft Programs
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On May 14, the Aviation Week Network will host a free webinar entitled "How
COVID-19 Is Affecting Top Defense Aircraft Programs." You can learn more and
register for the event <a
href="[link removed]">here</a>.

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Radar Sweep

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Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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House Dems Release $3 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill

House Democrats released an economic stimulus bill on May 12 that would provide
another $3 trillion in federal coronavirus aid, though Senate Republicans said
the measure is dead-on-arrival. The 1,800-page "Heroes Act" comes as the U.S.
unemployment rate hit nearly 15% because of COVID-19, which has killed more than
80,000 people in the United States.

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DOD Awards $138 Million Contract, Enabling Prefilled Syringes for Future COVID-19 Vaccine

Spearheaded by the Defense Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF),
in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the contract will support
“Jumpstart” to create a U.S.-based, high-speed supply chain for prefilled
syringes beginning later this year by using well-established Blow-Fill-Seal
(BFS) aseptic plastics manufacturing technology, suitable for combatting
COVID-19 when a safe and proven vaccine becomes available.

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Newly Assigned U.S. Airman Tests Positive for Coronavirus after Arriving in South Korea

An American service member tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving
from the United States on a U.S.-government chartered flight for a new
assignment in South Korea, the military said May 12.

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DARPA to Begin Launching Blackjack Satellites in Late 2020

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to launch the first
experimental satellites of the Blackjack program in late 2020 and early 2021,
the agency said May 11. DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office started the
Blackjack program in 2018 to show the military utility of low Earth orbit
constellations and mesh networks of low-cost satellites.

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The Trump Administration’s Aggressive Approach to Arms Negotiations Could Backfire

A key arms control agreement will either get much bigger—or be scuttled,
hastening a new arms race.

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Navy MQ-4 Triton Flying Operational Missions from Guam

Almost three months after arriving in Guam, a pair of MQ-4C Triton autonomous,
unmanned aircraft have integrated into fleet operations and training flights and
stretched the Navy’s maritime domain awareness across the Indo-Pacific,
according to the Navy.

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SOCOM Chief: Door-Kickers Are Out, Cyber Operators Are in

The future of U.S. special operations may no longer involve a gaggle of
commandos busting through a door, according to U.S. Special Operations Command's
top general, but 'cyber operator' tasked with bringing their unique set of tools
to bear on adversaries. Speaking to thousands of members of the defense
industrial base at the 2020 Virtual Special Operations Forces Industry
Conference, SOCOM commander Army Gen. Richard Clarke laid out his vision for the
future of U.S. special operations around the globe, a future that, while still
centered on violent extremism, will rely heavily on information warfare.

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USAF Rejects Wisconsin Guard Sergeant’s Reprisal Allegations

U.S. Air Force investigators have rejected a Wisconsin National Guard
sergeant’s allegations that his commanders retaliated against him and tried to
force him out of the service after he complained about sexual assaults in his
unit.

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One More Thing...
Bored in Quarantine? Learn to Fly a KC-135!

As weeks of coronavirus-driven social distancing turn into months, everyone is
looking for new ways to pass the time. But what to do when you just can’t
stand baking yet another loaf of sourdough bread? Never fear, MacDill Air Force
Base has the answer: Learn to fly a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft.

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