Aerospace World By Adam J. Hebert, Senior Editor Reservists Take Guam Rotation Approximately 300 airmen with the 93rd Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, La., deployed in January to Guam to fulfill an Air and Space Expeditionary Force (AEF) rotation of heavy bomb- ers to the region. They relieved an active duty unit, also from Barksdale. In recent months, USAF has sent USAF photo by SrA. Lynne Neveu bomber units to Andersen AFB, Guam, at the request of US Pacific Com- mand, to bolster the US military pres- ence in the Pacific. (See “Airpower for a Big Ocean,” July 2004, p. 36.) The Reservists of the 93rd BS, which is USAF’s only Air Force Re- serve Command B-52 unit, will serve its rotation at Andersen. The unit took six B-52s to the US territory in the Western Pacific, a 17-hour flight from Louisiana. Chu Claims Benefits “Hurtful” An F-15E of the 494th Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, UK, on Jan. 7 Pentagon official David S.C. Chu prepares to take off on a mission to test the new Sniper targeting pod and a set off a political firestorm recently GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition. (See “F-15E Adds Capabilities,” below.) with his comment that benefit boosts for active and retired military mem- bers and their families are “hurtful” to national defense. Small Bomb Aces Tests tion in a smaller size, reducing collat- The Wall Street Journal quoted The Small Diameter Bomb, a devel- eral damage concerns. Chu, who is the undersecretary of opmental precision weapon, passed defense for personnel and readiness, its first two live weapons tests, con- USAF Temporarily Grounds B-1Bs in a Jan. 25 article on the rise in tractor Boeing said in January. Two USAF’s fleet of 67 B-1B heavy military survivor payments, pensions, Small Diameter Bombs were launched bombers was temporarily grounded medical care, and other benefits. He from an F-15E Strike Eagle at 15,000 this winter when one aircraft’s nose said, “The amounts have gotten to feet and scored “direct hits on each gear collapsed after it had success- the point where they are hurtful. They target” at White Sands Missile Range, fully landed and taxied to a parking are taking away from the nation’s N.M. spot at a forward base. The bomber, ability to defend itself.” The goal of the testing program is which was supporting operations in Chu’s comments evoked outrage to “deliver the SDB capability to the Southwest Asia, belongs to the 28th from veterans service organizations, warfighter in 2006, as promised,” said Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, S.D. including the Air Force Association. Col. Jim McClendon, miniature muni- The incident prompted USAF offi- The American Legion, responding in tions group commander at Eglin AFB, cials to launch an immediate safety the Feb. 7 Wall Street Journal, called Fla. inspection of all B-1s. On Jan. 5, the remarks “a slap in the face to Once the baseline weapon goes within six days of the grounding, the every veteran” and said that “caring into production, Boeing plans to be- service returned the bomber fleet to for veterans isn’t a matter of econom- gin developing a more advanced In- flight status. ics but a moral contract.” crement II variant for use against An Air Combat Command state- AFA’s Chairman of the Board, Ste- moving targets. ment said, “Concerns leading to the phen P. “Pat” Condon, declared, “Our The first test, Dec. 13, struck a flight suspension have been ad- nation can and will pay for national scoring board. The second test two dressed.” defense and veterans care if asked— days later destroyed a Russian rocket it is the responsiblity of a wartime launcher. F-15E Adds Capabilities President to lead the way.” He added The Small Diameter Bomb is a sat- An F-15E at RAF Lakenheath, UK, that AFA “understands the need to ellite-guided, 250-pound class weapon was recently the first Strike Eagle to balance the budget, but it must not that promises the accuracy of the highly fly with the 500-pound Joint Direct be done on the backs of veterans.” successful Joint Direct Attack Muni- Attack Munition. The JDAM expands 12 AIR FORCE Magazine / March 2005 the F-15E’s attack capabilities by combining near-precision targeting Raptor Program Continues To Progress with a smaller weapon, which helps reduce the potential for collateral damage. Langley Gets Second Raptor The fighter on Jan. 7 also employed The 27th Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Va., in mid-January received the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. a flight-worthy F/A-22 Raptor on a six-month loan from Tyndall AFB, With the Sniper pod, “an F-15E weap- Fla., to begin conducting operational training. The 27th is slated to ons system officer can now indepen- reach initial operational capability with the F/A-22 later this year. dently launch satellite-guided weap- ons,” stated a Jan. 12 Air Force news Langley already had possession of one F/A-22, but that bird has been release. It added, “Previously, such used exclusively for maintenance training, a Langley spokesman said. launches required ground support In September 2003, Tyndall began receiving the first operational coordinates.” Raptors to develop an F/A-22 tactics and qualification training capa- The upgrade cuts the time between bility. target identification and bombs on target, said Col. Kent Laughbaum, commander of the 48th Operations Jumper Qualifies To Fly F/A-22 … Group at Lakenheath. The pod re- The Air Force’s top uniformed official completed qualification training in ceives the necessary coordinates by the service’s new air dominance fighter in January. Gen. John P. satellite and can forward the infor- Jumper, Chief of Staff, took his final qualification flight Jan. 12 at mation directly to the JDAM. Tyndall AFB, Fla. Airmen from USAF’s 4th Air Sup- port Operations Group, based at According to Jumper’s Air Force biography, the F/A-22 is the 10th type Heidelberg, Germany, assisted the of Air Force aircraft the Chief has flown. He began his career flying the sortie. Joint terminal attack control- C-7 and was an F-4 combat pilot during the Vietnam War. lers ran air control for the mission in At a press conference after his flight, Jumper explained that he needed a simulation that “resembled weather to qualify in the new fighter to gain firsthand knowledge to help him in Southwest Asia,” the release stated. better understand how to use the advanced aircraft. He said, “The Raptor does everything we had hoped it would do, plus some.” Reservist Heads Active Unit According to Air Force Reserve Command, an AFRC officer is now commanding a permanent active duty … And Speculates on Crash operational Air Force unit for the first Speaking with reporters following his qualification flight, Jumper said time in history. Lt. Col. John Breeden he believed the Dec. 20 crash of an F/A-22 at Nellis AFB, Nev., was on Dec. 17 became commander of caused by a software error. the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron at Indian Springs AFAF, Nev. The Air Force had not concluded its investigation into the crash, but it The 11th RS trains crews to oper- did return the fleet to flight status by Jan. 6, following a 17-day ate the Predator unmanned aerial grounding. (See box “USAF Quickly Returns F/A-22s to Flight,” Febru- vehicle, which has been used so suc- ary, p. 35.) cessfully in Afghanistan and Iraq. Turning leadership of the unit over to an AFRC officer features promi- nently in USAF’s move to use Indian Springs as a test location for its Fu- ture Total Force initiative to test new ways to integrate active duty and air reserve component personnel. (See “Editorial: The Unified Air Force,” January, p. 2.) USAF photo by Lisa Norman “What we’re trying to do here [at Indian Springs] is integrate the Air National Guard and Reserve to put the best people in the best positions to move forward the future of the Air Force,” Breeden said. Breeden is a former A-10 pilot who returned to the Air Force as a full- time Reservist after the 9/11 terror attacks. DOD Picks Presidential Helo The Navy Department in January picked a Lockheed Martin-led team to design and build the next genera- Gen. John Jumper, USAF Chief of Staff, climbs out of an F/A-22 cockpit on Jan. tion Marine One Presidential helicop- 12 at Tyndall AFB, Fla., after completing his qualification training to fly the Air ter. Force’s newest fighter. Jumper said the training will help him understand how Selection of the Lockheed Martin/ best to use the Raptor. AIR FORCE Magazine / March 2005 13 Aerospace World the shift of the 455th AEW from a The Iraq Story Continues “temporary presence to an enduring presence,” stated the release. The Casualties unit’s primary mission is to provide By Feb. 2, a total of 1,436 Americans had died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The aerial cover for US and coalition fatalities include 1,433 troops and three DOD civilians. The number of Americans ground troops in Afghanistan. killed in action by enemy attack is 1,100, and 336 died in noncombat incidents. Hunt said the consolidation would A total of 10,769 troops have been injured. Of those, 5,150 troops returned to continue over “the next year or so” as duty within three days and 5,619 did not. USAF adjusts its footprint in Southern Europe and Southwest Asia “to just a Surprise Kirkuk Raids Net Weapons few bases to save personnel and re- Airmen and soldiers at Kirkuk AB, Iraq, seized illegal weapons and stolen merchandise when they conducted surprise inspections of base quarters used by sources.” US contractor personnel and third country nationals.