Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Oct. 26, 2020

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Edited by Amy McCullough with Rachel S. Cohen and Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

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Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Hub is Helping NORAD Monitor US Airspace
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S.
Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American
Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from
attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.
airspace. But those systems largely cannot communicate with other software,
creating roadblocks in a process that should be fluid and collaborative. The
“Pathfinder” initiative is building a data ecosystem that lives in widely
accessible digital cloud storage, and that pulls together many different streams
of information into one operating picture.

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USAF Pushes Safer F-16 Training After Contractor’s Death
By Amy McCullough

The Air Force revamped its F-16 Basic Course following a 2017 incident where an
inexperienced student pilot strafed the wrong target and killed a military
contractor. Now, students must fly their first nighttime close air support
sortie with an instructor pilot in the rear seat of a two-person F-16D. If a
two-seat aircraft is not available, the student will practice their first solo
strafe attack without ordnance “while observed from close proximity by the
instructor,” Air Education and Training Command spokeswoman Capt. Lauren M.
Woods told Air Force Magazine.

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Dyess Airmen, B-1s in Guam for Bomber Task Force Deployment
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

About 200 Airmen and four B-1s from Dyess Air Force Base's 9th Expeditionary
Bomb Squadron began a Bomber Task Force deployment to Guam this week to back up
multilateral training being hosted by Pacific Air Forces, according to a PACAF
release. The Texas-based troops and aircraft arrived at Andersen Air Force Base
on Oct. 20, the release stated.

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Inside NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing Mission
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

Aviano Air Base's 555th Fighter Squadron this week concluded a nearly monthlong
stint supporting NATO's enhanced Air Policing mission in Bulgaria, during which
Russian military aircraft didn't cross into the European nation's sovereign
airspace, U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa told Air Force Magazine on
Oct. 23. “As we leave Bulgaria, we are thankful for the opportunity to support
the eAP mission as guests, and look forward to more opportunities to work with
the Bulgarian Air Force, especially as they grow their fleet of block 70
F-16's,” USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian wrote in an
emailed response to questions, adding that Bulgaria's recent purchase of the
fighters will provide “a highly capable, advanced, and interoperable aircraft
to defend the skies in the region.”

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Virtual Events: Wilsbach on Mitchell’s ‘Aerospace Nation,’ and More
By Jennifer-Leigh Oprihory

On Oct. 27, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute will host an
installment of its “Aerospace Nation” series featuring Pacific Air Forces
Commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach. The think tank will post event video on its
<a href="[link removed]">website</a>
and <a href="[link removed]">YouTube
page</a> after the live 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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Judge Permits Sex Assault Case Against Joint Chiefs Member

A federal judge on Oct. 22 refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the vice
chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff sexually assaulted a former top aide
during a Southern California trip. Air Force Gen. John Hyten has denied the
allegations brought by former Army Col. Kathryn Spletstoser that he attacked her
during a December 2017 trip to attend the Reagan National Defense Forum at the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles.

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Idea to Replace Air Force Fitness Test with Monthly Standards Popular on Service Website

A recommendation to eliminate the Air Force physical fitness test has shot to
the top of the rankings on the service’s main idea submission platform. The
fitness program proposal, submitted Oct. 16 to the Airmen Powered by Innovation
website, has received almost 800 votes and is now the most popular suggestion
for Air Force Spark Tank 2021, an annual campaign designed to spur creative
solutions and improvements by Airmen.

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European Nations Should Shape their Air-Combat Fleets to Support the F-35, US Analysts Say

European NATO nations without the fifth-generation F-35 combat jet should mold
their fleets to complement the U.S.-developed aircraft in future operations,
according to a new report commissioned by U.S. European Command. The analysis,
done by the think tank Rand and published Oct. 22, ascribes such a vital
advantage to the F-35′s stealth and sensor-fusion features that the jet would
be the only aircraft suitable for an initial contact with Russian forces in the
event of a conflict.

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Sparks Fly When C-17 has Gear-Up Landing at Kandahar

A C-17 Globemaster had an emergency landing at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan
on Oct. 18. No one was injured in the landing, U.S. Forces in Afghanistan
spokesman Army Col. Sonny Leggett said in a tweet that day, and enemy activity
was not involved.

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AFCEC Awarded Patent for New Runway Repair Technology

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently granted the Air Force a patent for
an innovative runway repair solution developed at the Air Force Civil Engineer
Center. The formula, developed by members of AFCEC’s laboratory at Tyndall Air
Force Base, will allow Rapid Airfield Damage Repair, or RADR, teams to quickly
repair runways using materials that can be gathered locally, such as sand and
clay.

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Blue Origin Trying to Convince the Air Force to Continue to Invest in New Glenn

The Air Force in August selected United Launch Alliance and SpaceX as its launch
providers for the next five years. Blue Origin competed for the job but lost
and, as a result, the Air Force plans to terminate a $500 million contract Blue
Origin received in 2018 to advance the development of its New Glenn rocket. The
company is moving forward with New Glenn with the goal to debut the vehicle in
2021 and pursue commercial work, but it is trying to make the case to the Air
Force that it should continue to fund the vehicle and the ground infrastructure
that it would need to be certified for national security missions.

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One More Thing...
Beetle Shell Holds Science Secrets for Air Force Researchers Making Tougher Planes, Armor

The “diabolical ironclad beetle” is teaching Air Force researchers new ways
to resist outside pressure. The beetle’s crush-resistant armor holds secrets
that could unlock new ways of making armor or designing stronger airplane
materials. The beetle study is part of an $8 million project funded by the U.S.
Air Force to explore how the biology of creatures can provide solutions to
military technological challenges.

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