Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for July 15, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Brian W. Everstine, Alyk Russell Kenlan, Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory and John A. Tirpak

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54th Fighter Group Pauses Flight Operations after F-16 Crash
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The 54th Fighter Group at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., is pressing pause on
some of its flying operations so it can “assess and reset” following a July
13 F-16 crash at the installation, base spokesperson Denise Ottaviano told Air
Force Magazine on July 14. An F-16 assigned to the 49th Wing crashed while
landing at Holloman around 6 p.m. local time on July 13, according to a Facebook
post published by the wing. “The sole pilot on board successfully ejected and
is currently being treated for minor injuries,” the post states. It was the
Air Force's second F-16 crash in two weeks.

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Air Force Now Wants Up to 200 F-15EXs
By John A. Tirpak

The Air Force's F-15EX contract awarded to Boeing July 13 could cover as many as
200 of the advanced Eagles, 56 more than the service has previously said it
would buy. The “up to” figure in the contract is an increase from 144, which
the service has stuck with since the updated F-15s were added to its budget two
years ago. At 200, the Air Force would nearly buy enough of the two-seat
fighters to replace its extant F-15C/D fleet of 234 jets.

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USAF Wants Its Reaper Replacement to Serve More Missions with Fewer People
By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force wants its follow-on to the venerable MQ-9 Reaper to move beyond
the surveillance and strike roles, and be able to conduct air-to-air and base
defense missions with increased autonomy to lessen the number of people in the
loop, the service’s top acquisition official said. The Air Force issued a
request for information on June 3 for the Reaper’s replacement, with responses
due July 20. The goal is to replace the MQ-9 with an operational remotely pilot
aircraft by 2031— a timeline that is an “eternity” in a modern, digitally
engineered world, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Will Roper said.
With most future programs, new aircraft and systems need to move beyond
traditional, individual roles to serve a greater purpose in a high-end fight.
“The litmus test for the MQ-Next is going to be what other letter can we
assign to its name, because it’s doing a mission other than ISR and strike,”
he said.

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House Appropriators Approve 2021 Defense Spending Bill, Veto Threat Looms
By Brian W. Everstine

The House Appropriations Committee passed its version of the 2021 defense
spending bill by a 30-22 vote July 14, though dissenting Republicans warned of
“poison pills” in the measure that would invite a veto. The bill includes
$694.6 billion for the Pentagon, including $626.2 billion in base funding and
$68.4 billion in overseas contingency operations spending. This total is $1.3
billion above the Pentagon’s 2020 budget, but $3.7 billion below the
administration’s request. Committee Republicans cautioned that some provisions
in the measure invite a veto, including blocking Pentagon funds from going
toward building a border wall, funding to rename Army bases named for
Confederate leaders, and limiting the Defense Department’s reprogramming
authority.

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Russia: USAF, Navy Aircraft Intercepted over Black Sea
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

The Russian Defense Ministry claims it intercepted a USAF RC-135 reconnaissance
plane and an MQ-9 Reaper, as well as a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol
aircraft, over the Black Sea on July 14. If verified, the Black Sea meeting
marks at least the 10th interaction between U.S. and Russian aircraft in less
than two months.

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Boeing Says T-7 Developmental Testing 80 Percent Complete
By John A. Tirpak

The Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer is making progress despite the
COVID-19 pandemic, with 80 percent of developmental testing complete and the
first engineering and manufacturing development aircraft under construction,
Boeing officials reported July 14. The T-7 has shown “fighter-like”
performance and will be a competitor for light attack and light fighter
competitions worldwide, officials asserted.

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Scholarship Foundation Set Up to Honor Fallen F-16 Pilot’s Legacy
By Alyk Russell Kenlan

After 1st Lt. David Schmitz died during a routine training exercise in June, his
former best man and fellow F-16 pilot vowed to keep his legacy alive by setting
up a scholarship foundation in his memory. “He had an impact on so many
people. I didn't want that to ever end,” said Maj. Patrick Bruton, who started
the foundation. Schmitz, who was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw
Air Force Base, S.C., was killed June 30 when his F-16CM Fighting Falcon crashed
at the base. He was 33. Bruton, who also flies F-16s at Shaw, started a
GoFundMe page on July 5, and has already raised $18,952 toward his goal of
$25,077—the “77” represents Schmitz's fighter squadron. Bruton said he
will use the money to start the Lt. David Schmitz Foundation, a program to give
scholarships to those interested in pursuing a career in aviation.

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Virtual Events: 16th Air Force Commander on ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Today, 16th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh will appear in
conversation during the latest installment of the “Aerospace Nation” series
hosted by AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Event video will
tentatively be posted on Mitchell's <a
href="[link removed]">website</a> and
<a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> after the event.

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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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Dunford Withdraws as Pick to Lead Coronavirus Oversight Commission

It's the latest blow to a panel that has struggled to get up and running, and
which is supposed to monitor a $500 billion relief fund.

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USAF Releases Report on Airman’s 2019 Death Following PT Test

A captain assigned to the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center,
Detachment 2 died in August 2019 shortly after taking her annual fitness
assessment at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., due to complications related to the
sickle cell trait, accident investigators found. The captain was aware she had
the sickle trait, had received the appropriate counseling, did not report any
concerning symptoms prior to the test, and had completed the rest of the
assessment without any difficulty, according to the report, which was released
July 14.

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To Block Trump’s Troop Withdrawals, Congress Turns an Old Tactic Upside Down

Lawmakers from the Senate and the House have in the last three years sought to
use legislation to prevent the president from pulling troops from Afghanistan,
Syria, South Korea, and now Germany—unless the administration certifies that a
withdrawal will not harm U.S. or allied interests. It’s an unusual reversal
for Congress, which historically is far more likely to seek to force a return of
American troops, not demand that they remain deployed.

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First Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Delivered to Japan

The United States delivered the first Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey to Camp Kisarazu,
Japan, on July 10. The Japan Ground Self Defense Force is the first operator of
the V-22 outside of the U.S. military.

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Revolutionizing Aircrew Training Through Virtual Reality

A new virtual reality trainer is one step closer to potentially transforming the
way B-52 Stratofortress student pilots train for combat. The Virtual Reality
Procedures Trainer, released during a milestone demonstration of its
capabilities on July 7 at STRIKEWERX in Bossier City, La., may even change the
entire Air Force bomber community’s approach to training.

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416th FLTS, AFRL Tests ‘Gray Wolf’ Prototype Cruise Missile

The 416th Flight Test Squadron recently completed a round of tests of the Air
Force Research Laboratory’s “Gray Wolf” prototype cruise missile at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Gray Wolf is a DOD-directed prototype production
and demonstration of low-cost, subsonic and networked collaborative cruise
missiles. The missiles are designed to launch in a swarm to target enemy
integrated air defense threats.

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Mitchell Institute Hosts Uzi Rubin

Watch Uzi Rubin, the founder and first director (1991-1999) of the Israel
Missile Defense Organization in the Israel Ministry of Defense, discuss the
Iranian missile threats to the Middle East region and U.S. and allied interests
in a virtual AFA Mitchell Institute Nuclear Deterrence Forum.

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Air Force Name Tapes Can Now Include Accent Marks and Hyphens

Airmen and Space Force members whose names contain accent marks or hyphens will
soon be able to purchase accurate name tapes and tags, while qualifying male
airmen will be newly able to receive five-year shaving waivers, the U.S. Air
Force announced July 10. Those changes are part of a series of updates to the
service's dress and appearance policy aimed at "creating a more inclusive
culture," officials said.

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Veterans Affairs COVID Cases Reach Highest Levels Yet, but Hospitalization Rates Keep Heading Downward

Veterans Affairs hospitals hit their highest levels of active coronavirus cases
this week, but department officials say the hospitalization rates of those
patients has also reached its lowest levels since the start of the pandemic.

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Air Force Participating in DODʻs COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program

The U.S. Air Force is participating in a program launched by the Defense
Department to collect convalescent plasma from COVID-19 patients to be used as a
possible treatment for the virus.

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Legion Pod Achieves Major Milestones

See photos of an F-16, piloted by Lt. Col. Jeremy "Clutch" Castor, from the 85th
Test and Evaluation Squadron, as it takes flight on the Fighting Falcons
first-ever flight with the Legion Pod.

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Space Force Acquisition Management Criticized by House Appropriators

The House Appropriations defense subcommittee in a report released July 13
blasts the U.S. Space Force for not having a dedicated civilian leader in charge
of acquisitions. The committee is “most concerned that the Department of the
Air Force has no Senate-confirmed senior civilian leader solely focused on space
with authority over acquisition, budget, and long-term planning,” says the
report accompanying the fiscal year 2021 funding bill for the Defense
Department.

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One More Thing...
USAF Wants Your Ideas on How to Optimize Aviation Fuel

In partnership with AFWERX, Air Force Operational Energy has launched an Airmen
Powered by Innovation Challenge to solicit ideas on how to optimize aviation
fuel for the Air Force, enabling greater combat capability, range, and more
efficient operations. The challenge is open to Airmen of all ranks and
occupations and is accepting submissions on a rolling basis.

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