Air Force World By Aaron Church, Associate Editor Raptor Ups and Downs The SAB apparently ruled out a prob- Although the F-22 fleet was ordered lem with the intake and exhaust systems, back in the air Sept. 19 after a months- though running engines in confined screenshot long grounding, commanders at JB spaces may pose an issue. Heavy G- Langley-Eustis, Va., and JB Elmendorf- loading may affect the OBOGS, as well. RIchardson, Alaska, regrounded their The grounding was temporarily lifted Photo by Jim Haseltine Raptors in late October as a precaution. in late August in order to allow F-22s The fleet was grounded due to a based at Langley to relocate away from fault in the onboard oxygen-generating the approaching Hurricane Irene. system, the cause of which remained Langley regrounded its Raptors, how- uncertain, but Air Combat Command ever, after an Oct. 20 incident in which a deemed it safe to fly as the investiga- pilot experienced hypoxia-like symptoms. tion continued. There were no injuries or mishaps. An Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force ACC spokeswoman couldn’t say how long Chief of Staff, announced a phased plan the new groundings would last. to return the aircraft to unrestricted flight. He said the aircraft will get frequent in- First Special Ops J-Hercs spections and Raptor pilots would get a Lockheed Martin recently delivered “baseline” medical exam so they can be the first HC-130J to Air Combat Com- checked for physiological changes. They’ll mand and the first MC-130J to Air Force also wear new “protective equipment” Special Operations Command. and data-gathering gear. He predicted The HC-130J personnel recovery it would take “a couple of months” to get aircraft joined the 79th Rescue Squadron operational pilots—who had lost their at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., Sept. 24, certification—and the F-22 initial training followed five days later by the MC-130J’s enterprise back up to speed. arrival at Cannon AFB, N.M., where it The Air Force Scientific Advisory joined the 522nd Special Operations Board started investigating the OBOGS Squadron. in August, but by late October, a fix re- Lockheed is “set to deliver 33 air- mained elusive. planes this year, and we expect to Grand Forks’ Global Empire In addition to receiving its first RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 40, Grand Forks AFB, N.D., now hosts ground control of battlefield airborne communications node (BACN) Global Hawks operating in Southwest Asia. The Air Force currently operates two BACN-modified Global Hawks alongside three similarly modified E-11A business jet aircraft. The specially equipped Block 20 Global Hawks enable uninterrupted communication between com- manders and ground forces even in mountainous terrain. “The ground segment shelters have actually been relocated, … [and] the first couple of missions [have flown] already out of Grand Forks,” said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman Global Hawk vice president in a briefing at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference, Sept. 19. Designated as home to the Global Hawk Block 40 equipped with the sophisticated Multiplatform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar for ground-target detection, “Grand Forks is turning out to be a hotbed” for Global Hawk operations, said Guerra. Three days after the first operational Block 40 touched down at Grand Forks, the Air Force activated the 69th Reconnaissance Group to operate and maintain the Block 40 aircraft. Grand Forks will host 10 RQ-4 Block 40 variants, with more Global Hawks arriving this fall. In addition to the two existing BACN Global Hawks, the Air Force has “identified two more Block 20s that would be modified to have the system,” pending congressional approval. 14 AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2011 continue that production rate in the and 16 earmarked for post-production reduction requirements, we are more mid-30s over the next several years,” conversion as AC-130J gunships. streamlined and better positioned” as Jim Grant, the company’s business USAF recently added 48 airframes an operational force, said Kathleen development vice president for air mo- to its HC/MC-130J recapitalization pro- I. Ferguson, USAF’s deputy assistant bility and special operations programs, gram, increasing the intended buy from secretary for installations. said at the Air Force Association’s Air 74 to 122. The headquarters Air Force BRAC & Space Conference in September. team “worked in unison with teams ACC has a firm order for 11 HC-130Js, BRAC Complete at each major command to execute with plans to procure a total of 37 to begin The Air Force officially completed the all requirements of this congressional replacing its 1965-vintage HC-130N/P 2005 round of Base Realignment and mandate,” she added. rescue-support fleet. Closure actions in mid-September. In six years, Air Force officials ex- AFSOC is slated to receive a total “Although BRAC 2005 did not com- ecuted seven closures and orchestrated of 48 aircraft, including 32 MC-130Js pletely meet the Air Force’s infrastructure 63 realignments at 122 installations to The AT-6C light attack aircraft successfully employed precision guided munitions for the first time during tests in Arizona in late September and early October. Air Force Reserve Command Test Center carried out the tests. Light attack is not a procurement program, but the center 10.04.2011 will report findings to senior USAF leaders to help refine requirements. It’s hoped that a light attack aircraft based on a design by Hawker Beechcraft or another company could one day fill a niche between remotely piloted aircraft and high-performance fighters. AIR FORCE Magazine / November 2011 15 Air Force World implement BRAC’S 64 USAF-specific recommendations. In all, the service Dunn Ending Tour; Search for AFA President Begins carried out 401 actions. USAF completed the transformation on The Air Force Association has begun its search for a new time and within the $3.8 billion budgeted. President (formerly called Executive Director) to replace The changes are expected to yield about Michael M. Dunn, who is retiring in 2012 after five years $1.4 billion in annual savings, according as president and CEO. A search committee has been ap- to service estimates. pointed to identify candidates. The search committee consists of John D. W. Corley as New START Comes to Minot chairman, and committee members Stephen P. “Pat” Condon The 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, and Larry A. Lawson. Corley is the former commander of N.D., in late August underwent the base’s Air Combat Command and is a current AFA National Director. Condon is first on-site nuclear inspection under the a former AFA National President and Chairman of the Board and current New START agreement. National Director Emeritus. Lawson is Lockheed Martin’s Executive Vice Given 24 hours’ notice, Minot hosted President and General Manager of the F-35 program and is a current AFA 10 Russian inspectors on a verification National Director. All three have broad experience in AFA. tour of the wing’s Minuteman III ICBMs The search committee will be principally advised by John A. Shaud, former and launch facilities. “It’s imperative to AFA Executive Director and current National Director Emeritus; Michael E. meet our treaty obligations and Team Ryan, former Air Force Chief of Staff and AFA National Director; and Gerald Minot has done that in a superb fashion, R. Murray, the 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and a former given the ongoing flood recovery,” said AFA National Director. Col. Stephen L. Davis, 91st Missile Wing Persons wishing to be considered by the search committee must submit commander. their requests in writing or via electronic correspondence, to be received by Under the treaty, which took effect in Jan. 15, 2012, to the following: February, the United States and Russia are permitted both on-site and satellite- In writing: reconnaissance verification of treaty Air Force Association compliance. Attn: Presidential Search Committee Type 1 inspections, such as the Rus- PO Box 926 sian visit to Minot Aug. 23, review opera- Arlington, VA 22216 tional systems, while Type 2 inspections look at nonoperational systems. Electronic correspondence: Minot, home to both ICBMs and [email protected] nuclear-capable B-52s, is subject to four short-notice, on-site inspections per treaty year. July, after tabling a deal in February, Pentagon officials notified Congress of Iraq Joins F-16 Club citing budgetary constraints. the possible foreign military sale—includ- Iraq’s government signed a deal with Maj. Gen. Russell J. Handy, then the ing advanced Block F-16s and associated the US to acquire 18 Lockheed Martin- senior USAF representative in Iraq, weapons, training, and hardware—last built F-16 Block 52 fighters to re-equip told reporters in September that Iraq year. The FMS deal could be worth its air force. plans to purchase a “complete pack- upward of $4.2 billion. Lockheed Martin is “pleased by the age,” including flight training. announcement” and welcomes Iraq “as An initial cadre of Iraqi pilots is Dempsey Chairs JCS, Carter In the 26th nation to operate the F-16,” the already undergoing instruction in the Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey suc- company said in a Sept. 27 statement. United States, although the first F-16 is ceeded Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen Iraq renewed its bid to acquire as not expected to arrive in Iraq until late as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, many as 36 “Viper” Block 52s in late 2013 at earliest, said Handy. Sept. 30. Also, the Senate on Sept. 23 confirmed Ashton B. Carter as the new Index to Advertisers deputy secretary of defense. Dempsey assumed the top uniformed Alenia ......................................................................................................................................29 Boeing .........................................................................................................17, 44-45, Cover IV military post after serving only a few Bose............................................................................................................................................21 months as Army Chief of Staff.