Air Force Magazine
Daily Report for Dec. 20, 2019

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Edited by Rachel S. Cohen and Brian W. Everstine

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Editor's Note

The Daily Report will pause for the holidays from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1; we will
return to your inbox on Jan. 2. We wish you a happy and safe season, wherever
you may be, and thank you for reading. See you in 2020!

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Huey Replacement Helo Named MH-139A ‘Grey Wolf’
By Brian W. Everstine

The UH-1N Huey replacement helicopter officially has a name—the MH-139A Grey
Wolf. Air Force Global Strike Command unveiled the name during a Dec. 19
ceremony at Duke Field, Fla. This is Global Strike’s first aircraft
acquisition, since its bombers were purchased before the organization stood up
in 2009.

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Sensors Could Help USAF Understand, Avoid Pilot Hypoxia
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Air Force is digging into new technologies that could help airmen recognize
when they’re losing oxygen or having other physical problems in flight. From
Dec. 17 to 19, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Life Cycle
Management Center, and Air Force Physiological Episodes Action Team hosted the
first “Physiological Episodes Mitigation Technology Summit and Industry Day”
to explore solutions to the sneaky, indiscriminate problem.

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Fiscal 2020 Appropriations Bill Heads to Trump’s Desk
By Rachel S. Cohen

The Senate sent the fiscal 2020 defense spending bill to the White House in an
81-11 vote Dec. 19, moving forward a $738 billion defense appropriations package
that comes nearly three months into the fiscal year. The House approved the
legislation Dec. 17. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into
law by the time federal funding runs out Dec. 20, following prolonged
negotiations over partisan priorities.

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Lawmakers Want More Details About B-52 Engine Replacement
By Rachel S. Cohen

Congressional authorizers want to restrict Air Force funding until the service
provides more information on its effort to replace the B-52’s engines. But the
joint fiscal 2020 defense policy bill would withhold 25 percent of the Air
Force’s total 2020 money until USAF Secretary Barbara Barrett sends Congress a
report with a slew of details on the program.

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KC-46 Flies Around-the-World Training Mission
By Brian W. Everstine

A KC-46 from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kan., took off Nov.
13 and spent 13 days traveling around the world before landing home Nov. 26. The
trip included visits to RAF Mildenhall, England, and the Dubai Air Show,
according to Air Mobility Command. The KC-46 made multiple stops, including in
Qatar, where it refueled an aircraft in the Middle East for the first time.

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Radar Sweep

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Who’ll Fix EW? Task Force Gropes For Answers

Russian and Chinese jammers could cripple US radio, radar, and GPS. The
Pentagon's still wrestling with who should fix that, let alone how.

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Russia’s Top Military Officer Airs Concern about NATO Drills

NATO exercises near the border with Russia reflect the alliance’s preparations
for a large-scale military conflict, Russia’s chief military officer said in
remarks published Dec. 18. The chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed
forces, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, said at a Dec. 17 meeting with foreign military
attaches that NATO’s activities have heightened tensions and reduced security
along the Russian border.

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Air Force to Schedule Nine Small Launch Missions in 2020

The small launch division of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center,
based at Kirtland AFB, N.M., is preparing to launch nine missions in 2020, more
than doubling the number of launches conducted in 2019.

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The Air Force Will Need Terminals That Work with More Than GPS

Congress wants the Air Force to develop a prototype receiver capable of using
navigation signals provided by other countries, which could increase the
resilience of the military’s position, navigation, and timing equipment.

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South Korean Air Force declares IOC for its F-35 Joint Strike Fighters

The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) has declared initial operating
capability (IOC) for its conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) F-35A
Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters in a ceremony held on 17 December at the 17th
Fighter Wing airbase in the South Korean city of Cheongju.

Jane’s Defence Weekly
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MDA to Host 'Industry Innovation Summit' in 2020

The Missile Defense Agency plans to hold a pair of meetings next year to
communicate its strategic mission to industry. According to a briefing slide
attached to an MDA notice issued this week, the "2020 Innovation Summit" will
consist of a two-part, closed-to-the-public, classified event.

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Cancers Strike Veterans Who Deployed to Uzbek Base Where Black Goo Oozed, Ponds Glowed

Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2, was an old Soviet base leased by the United States
from the Uzbek government just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks because
it was a few hundred miles from al Qaeda and Taliban targets in northern
Afghanistan. The base became a critical hub in the early days of the war to
provide airdrops, medical evacuation, and airstrike support to US ground forces
in Afghanistan. But K2 was contaminated with chemical weapons remnants,
radioactive processed uranium and other hazards, according to documents obtained
by McClatchy.

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AFGSC Names 2020 Spark Tank Finalists

Air Force Global Strike Command recently announced their 2020 Spark Tank
finalists, who will compete for the chance to have their project funded for
development.

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One More Thing...
Two USAF Officers Are Graduating as NASA Astronauts

NASA will honor the first class of astronaut candidates to graduate under the
Artemis program at 10:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 10, 2020, at the agency’s Johnson
Space Center in Houston. After completing more than two years of basic training,
these candidates—including two US Air Force officers—will become eligible
for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station,
Artemis missions to the Moon, and ultimately, missions to Mars.

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