Category: Aviation

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) —  

Nearly 80 U.S. Air Force service members and two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron integrated with Bangladesh for the bilateral tactical airlift exercise, Cope South 2024 at Bangladesh Air Force Bangabandhu Cantonment, Dhaka and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh, Feb. 19 – 28.

Airmen from Yokota Air Base and Kadena AB, Japan; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, came together to participate in subject-matter expert exchanges and six tactical airlift sorties alongside BAF, which involved 77 personnel jumps and five cargo bundle airdrops.

Cope South 2024 is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored bilateral tactical airlift exercise and provides an opportunity to strengthen the interoperability between U.S. and Bangladesh Air Forces, which directly impacts the ability to address shared security concerns.

“Cope South focuses on developing closer relationships with our BAF partners, so we are better equipped to operate together in the future,” said Capt. Jason Bentley, 36th EAS mission commander.

“We are building skills that assist in humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, which encompass a wide range of areas including crew resource management, aircraft formation, airdrop operations, aircraft maintenance and aeromedical evacuation,” he added.

Throughout the exercise, both U.S. and Bangladesh Air Force service members exchanged best practices, or SMEEs, in the operations, maintenance, medical and rigging career fields to strengthen relations and support the Bangladesh Armed Forces’ long-term modernization effort to maintain regional stability.

Relationships built with regional partners in the Indo-Pacific through exercises like CS24, civil-military operations and military exchanges are vital in HADR efforts and preserving stability in the region. CS24 has helped cultivate these common bonds, fostered goodwill and enhanced the mission readiness and interoperability between members of the Bangladesh and U.S. Air Forces.

“The BAF loadmasters were kind and made our interactions and SME exchanges feel like we’re simply talking to old friends and sharing lessons learned as aviators,” said Master Sgt. Tonisha Odom, 36th EAS senior enlisted leader. “In the short time we were there, we developed a warm relationship and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the BAF, knowing we share a common commitment to protecting the sovereignty of free nations.”

Through bilateral exercises like Cope South 2024, the U.S. Air Force and involved regional partners strengthen human relationships under the common goal of stabilizing the region and ultimately safeguarding the security of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The Pacific Air Forces’ participation in Cope South 2024 has indeed reaffirmed the strong bond of frivolity, friendship and cooperation between our two air forces,” said BAF Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Air Headquarters assistant Chief of Air Staff operations during the closing ceremony.

“Exercise Cope South has not only been about military events and strategic exercise, but has embodied the spirit of partnership amongst missions,” he concluded. “This exercise has surely paved the way for newer optimism in forming our existing bond and commitment to uphold the calls of humanity.”

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) —  

Nearly 80 U.S. Air Force service members and two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron integrated with Bangladesh for the bilateral tactical airlift exercise, Cope South 2024 at Bangladesh Air Force Bangabandhu Cantonment, Dhaka and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh, Feb. 19 – 28.

Airmen from Yokota Air Base and Kadena AB, Japan; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, came together to participate in subject-matter expert exchanges and six tactical airlift sorties alongside BAF, which involved 77 personnel jumps and five cargo bundle airdrops.

Cope South 2024 is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored bilateral tactical airlift exercise and provides an opportunity to strengthen the interoperability between U.S. and Bangladesh Air Forces, which directly impacts the ability to address shared security concerns.

“Cope South focuses on developing closer relationships with our BAF partners, so we are better equipped to operate together in the future,” said Capt. Jason Bentley, 36th EAS mission commander.

“We are building skills that assist in humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, which encompass a wide range of areas including crew resource management, aircraft formation, airdrop operations, aircraft maintenance and aeromedical evacuation,” he added.

Throughout the exercise, both U.S. and Bangladesh Air Force service members exchanged best practices, or SMEEs, in the operations, maintenance, medical and rigging career fields to strengthen relations and support the Bangladesh Armed Forces’ long-term modernization effort to maintain regional stability.

Relationships built with regional partners in the Indo-Pacific through exercises like CS24, civil-military operations and military exchanges are vital in HADR efforts and preserving stability in the region. CS24 has helped cultivate these common bonds, fostered goodwill and enhanced the mission readiness and interoperability between members of the Bangladesh and U.S. Air Forces.

“The BAF loadmasters were kind and made our interactions and SME exchanges feel like we’re simply talking to old friends and sharing lessons learned as aviators,” said Master Sgt. Tonisha Odom, 36th EAS senior enlisted leader. “In the short time we were there, we developed a warm relationship and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the BAF, knowing we share a common commitment to protecting the sovereignty of free nations.”

Through bilateral exercises like Cope South 2024, the U.S. Air Force and involved regional partners strengthen human relationships under the common goal of stabilizing the region and ultimately safeguarding the security of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The Pacific Air Forces’ participation in Cope South 2024 has indeed reaffirmed the strong bond of frivolity, friendship and cooperation between our two air forces,” said BAF Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Air Headquarters assistant Chief of Air Staff operations during the closing ceremony.

“Exercise Cope South has not only been about military events and strategic exercise, but has embodied the spirit of partnership amongst missions,” he concluded. “This exercise has surely paved the way for newer optimism in forming our existing bond and commitment to uphold the calls of humanity.”

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AFNS) —  

Nearly 80 U.S. Air Force service members and two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron integrated with Bangladesh for the bilateral tactical airlift exercise, Cope South 2024 at Bangladesh Air Force Bangabandhu Cantonment, Dhaka and Operating Location-Alpha, Sylhet, Bangladesh, Feb. 19 – 28.

Airmen from Yokota Air Base and Kadena AB, Japan; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, came together to participate in subject-matter expert exchanges and six tactical airlift sorties alongside BAF, which involved 77 personnel jumps and five cargo bundle airdrops.

Cope South 2024 is a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored bilateral tactical airlift exercise and provides an opportunity to strengthen the interoperability between U.S. and Bangladesh Air Forces, which directly impacts the ability to address shared security concerns.

“Cope South focuses on developing closer relationships with our BAF partners, so we are better equipped to operate together in the future,” said Capt. Jason Bentley, 36th EAS mission commander.

“We are building skills that assist in humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations, which encompass a wide range of areas including crew resource management, aircraft formation, airdrop operations, aircraft maintenance and aeromedical evacuation,” he added.

Throughout the exercise, both U.S. and Bangladesh Air Force service members exchanged best practices, or SMEEs, in the operations, maintenance, medical and rigging career fields to strengthen relations and support the Bangladesh Armed Forces’ long-term modernization effort to maintain regional stability.

Relationships built with regional partners in the Indo-Pacific through exercises like CS24, civil-military operations and military exchanges are vital in HADR efforts and preserving stability in the region. CS24 has helped cultivate these common bonds, fostered goodwill and enhanced the mission readiness and interoperability between members of the Bangladesh and U.S. Air Forces.

“The BAF loadmasters were kind and made our interactions and SME exchanges feel like we’re simply talking to old friends and sharing lessons learned as aviators,” said Master Sgt. Tonisha Odom, 36th EAS senior enlisted leader. “In the short time we were there, we developed a warm relationship and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside the BAF, knowing we share a common commitment to protecting the sovereignty of free nations.”

Through bilateral exercises like Cope South 2024, the U.S. Air Force and involved regional partners strengthen human relationships under the common goal of stabilizing the region and ultimately safeguarding the security of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The Pacific Air Forces’ participation in Cope South 2024 has indeed reaffirmed the strong bond of frivolity, friendship and cooperation between our two air forces,” said BAF Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Air Headquarters assistant Chief of Air Staff operations during the closing ceremony.

“Exercise Cope South has not only been about military events and strategic exercise, but has embodied the spirit of partnership amongst missions,” he concluded. “This exercise has surely paved the way for newer optimism in forming our existing bond and commitment to uphold the calls of humanity.”

Source: United States Air Force

KORAT ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE BASE, Kingdom of Thailand (AFNS) —  

Source: United States Air Force

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) —  

Military uniforms are designed to accommodate most body types, but many individuals face difficulty finding a good fit based on unique proportions or even medical needs.

The Air Force provides special-order – often used interchangeably with special-measurement which is the most common type of special order – uniforms to service members who fall outside of the standard size range. There are also options for those who need non-permethrin-treated operational camouflage pattern, or OCP, uniforms. Permethrin is an insect repellent. The special-order process allows service members to comply with military standards and maintain a professional appearance without incurring additional costs.

“What the customer pays is the standard price of the item,” said David James, Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Customer Cell chief. The DLA Troop Support customer is the Army Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, which operates the Military Clothing Sales Store, or MCSS, on behalf of the Department of the Air Force.

“MCSS locations purchase uniforms from DLATS [commonly used as an abbreviation for DLA Troop Support] at cost and sell at cost,” said Shawn Martinson, AAFES military clothing buyer. “If a service member requires clothing or footwear that is unavailable in the sizes provided in store and they cannot be accommodated by altering an available item, the military clothing associate prepares a special-measurement requisition through DLATS.”

When the Air Force transitioned to OCPs, Lt. Col. Katie Henschel, a program manager with the U.S. Transportation Command, noticed she broke out in hives during duty days.

“I had red, bumpy, itchy skin all along my arms and legs whenever I was in uniform; however, over the weekend, my skin would return to normal,” Henschel said. “My medical provider suspected an allergic reaction to the permethrin-treated OCPs. Their advice was to see if non-permethrin-treated OCPs were an option.”

The special-order process begins and ends at the MCSS.

First, a service member tries on several standard sizes to determine if a common size garment can be used. If not, the store associate indicates the best fitting standard size, describes how the garment fits improperly, and takes the service member’s body measurements.

Forms for special-order uniforms are completed and submitted to either DLA Troop Support or the Air Force Clothing and Textile Liaison Office, or AFCTO. The AFCTO, part of Agile Combat Support’s Human Systems Division, assists those unfamiliar with the special-order process by guiding them and reviewing their requests for completion prior to submission to DLA Troop Support. Upon receipt of the special-order request, DLA Troop Support puts the order on contract with their vendor. Finally, the DLA Troop Support vendor develops the requested item and ships it to MCSS for customer pickup.

The special-order process for footwear is similar but may require a visit to a healthcare provider if a medical condition is confirmed or suspected. A healthcare professional will take foot measurements and tracings and fill out required forms. The paperwork is then given to MCSS for requisition.

“Most special orders can be filled in 60 days, but depending on the item there may be exceptions,” James said.

Source: United States Air Force

TUNIS, Tunisia (AFNS) —  

The 13th African Air Chiefs Symposium was hosted by the Tunisian Air Force with U.S. Air Forces Africa in Tunis, Feb. 26 to March 1.

The symposium was attended by about 250 participants to include air chiefs, liaison officers, officials addressing Women, Peace and Security initiatives, and senior enlisted representatives from 36 African nations.

Tunisian Air Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hajem, Association of African Air Forces chairman, delivered opening remarks to kick off the event.

“We can strive to reach common ground and innovate all of our air forces,” Hajem said. “We can assist one another by working together to advance air cooperation in Africa. Education is the strongest weapon to inspire change, which is the heart of our African Air Chiefs Symposium.”

This year’s theme, “Pan-African Education and Training Opportunities,” is centered on sharing training and education opportunities to address challenges faced by African air forces.

Gen. James B. Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa commander and AAAF co-chairman, said the symposium brings air chiefs together to discuss timely, pressing issues.

“The African Air Chiefs Symposium provides air chiefs on the continent an opportunity to come together and develop authentic, meaningful relationships,” Hecker said. “During the symposium, air chiefs learn each other’s first names, they learn their cultures, their problems and how their air forces deal with challenges.”

The symposium was orchestrated by AAAF, a voluntary, non-political organization focused on collaborative, multilateral engagements to promote African-led air power solutions among 29 African member nations and the U.S.

The strategic conversations held during previous symposia led to the concept of operationalization of the association.

“Operationalization is the mechanism by which AAAF will implement its short- and long-term goals, via a three-year exercise cycle,” said Ọláyanjú Andrew Pópóọlá, AAAF permanent secretariat director.

During the symposium, AAAF members deliberated on and passed nine proposals, including an operationalization road map, enabled by the U.S. Air Force.

Reaffirming the U.S. commitment to African partners, Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman, U.S. Africa Command, strategy, engagement and programs director, said “for Africa, diplomacy leads, development follows.”

One of the key proposals successfully passed this year was to integrate WPS initiatives into the association, based on a proposal created in 2023.

The WPS initiatives are based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which addresses the importance of women’s full and equal participation in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction.

“It is important for us to undertake the necessary advocacy, for the decision-makers to be convinced of the relevance of having women at the epicenter of everything we do,” said Gen. Birame Diop, United Nations Department of Peace Operations military adviser. “Participating in the promotion of gender mainstreaming and the implementation of WPS requires particular skills, and skills do not appear out of nowhere. Skills are developed with training and education.”

Additionally, African senior enlisted representatives worked together during the Senior Enlisted Forum to refine a unified set of noncommissioned officer guidelines. The goal is to use the document to develop the next generation of competent and committed NCOs in their respective air forces.

Through a shared understanding of NCO and senior noncommissioned officer roles and responsibilities African air forces plan to increase interoperability and collective capability. The SEF plans on presenting their proposal during next year’s symposium.

“As enlisted members, we make up the larger portion of military service members,” said Chief Master Sgt. Randy Kwiatkowski, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa command chief. “While we must always stand beside our commissioned officers, we must be developed, and seek to develop ourselves to best serve them, and our nations. This is not a need unique to the U.S., but one shared by all military forces, and so it’s important to discuss development at every possible opportunity.”

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin delivered recorded remarks thanking air chiefs for their commitment to the future of African airpower.

“I want to thank all the air force chiefs and air force representatives who are attending this event,” Allvin said. “Your presence here matters to Africa’s future. The United States is committed to African-born, African-led, U.S.-enabled air power, and I’m very excited about the direction that we are headed together.”

To actualize the operationalization of the association, there are plans for a tabletop exercise in 2025 to solidify strategies, followed by a field training exercise in 2026. These exercises will primarily revolve around discussing and simulating response in a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief scenario.

The Zambian Air Force volunteered to host AACS 2025.

Source: United States Air Force

So, what is an autonomous collaborative platform?

“We broke it down according to how the warfighter sees these put together: autonomy, human systems integration, sensor and weapons payloads, networks and communications and the air vehicle,” Meador said.

“We’ve been evolving this class of systems since the start of the Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technologies initiative,” he added.

The major effort that initially explored the genus/species concept was the Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing, program, which fed technology and knowledge forward into the OBSS program that culminated with building and flying the XQ-67A, Meador said.

“The intention behind LCAAPS early on was these systems were to augment, not replace, manned aircraft,” said Trenton White, LCAAPS and OBSS program manager from AFRL’s Aerospace Systems Directorate.

In late 2014 and early 2015, the initial years of the LCAAT initiative, the team began with some in-house designs, for which Meador credits White, who led the studies early on that evolved into the requirements definition for the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator, or LCASD, Joint Capability Technology Demonstration. The LCASD team defined, designed, built and tested the XQ-58 for the first time in 2019.

“The first generation was XQ-58, and that was really about proving the concept that you could build relevant combat capability quickly and cheaply,” White said.

The OBSS program built upon the low-cost capability that LCASD proved by leveraging design and manufacturing technology research that had taken place since the first generation and was directed to reduce risk in the development of future generations, White added.

“We had always intended from the start of LCAAT to have multiple vehicle development spirals or threads of vehicle development,” White said. “Then once the vehicle is proven ready, you can start integrating stuff with it, such as sensors, autonomy, weapons, payloads and electronics.”

With the XQ-67A, the team is using the platform-sharing approach or drawing leverage from automotive industry practices.

“We are looking to leverage technology development that’s been done since XQ-58, since that first generation,” White added.

With advancements in manufacturing technology since the XQ-58, the team aimed to use that system and the technology advancements to create a system design with lower cost and faster build in mind.

“It’s all about low cost and responsiveness here,” White said.

The team began discussing LCAAPS in 2018, focusing on the notion of “can we provide the acquirer with a new way of buying aircraft that is different and better and quicker than the old traditional way of how we build manned aircraft,” Meador said. “Which means we pretty much start over from scratch every time.”

Instead, the team considered the same approach that a car manufacturer applies to building a line of vehicles, where the continuous development over time would work for aircraft, as well. 

“It’s really about leveraging this best practice that we’ve seen in the automotive and other industries where time to market has decreased, while the time to initial operating capability for military aircraft has increased at an alarming rate,” White said.

With this genus platform, White said a usable aircraft can be created faster at a lower cost with more opportunities for technology refresh and insertion if new models are being developed and rolled out every few years.

AFRL harnesses science and technology innovation for specific operational requirements to ensure meaningful military capabilities reach the hands of warfighters. The XQ-67 is the first variant to be designed and built from this shared platform, White said.

“The main objectives here are to validate an open aircraft system concept for hardware and software and to demonstrate rapid time-to-market and low development cost,” he added.

This project looked at incorporating aspects of the OBSS and the OBWS to different capability concepts. The OBSS was viewed as slower while carrying sensors but have longer endurance, while the OBWS was considered faster and more maneuverable, with less endurance but better range.

“We wanted to design both of those but figure out how much of the two you can make common so we could follow this chassis genus species type of approach,” Meador said.

XQ-67A has been just over two years in the making, moving quickly through the design, build and fly process. While the team initially worked with five industry vendors, AFRL decided at the end of 2021 to exercise the opportunity to build the General Atomics design.

This successful flight is initial proof that the genus approach works, and aircraft can be built from a chassis.

“This is all part of a bigger plan and it’s all about this affordable mass,” Meador added. “This has to be done affordably and this program — even though there’s an aircraft at the end that we’re going to get a lot of use out of — the purpose of this program was the journey of rapid, low-cost production as much as it was the destination of a relevant combat aircraft.”

This signals to other companies that there is a new approach to constructing an aircraft, moving away from the conventional method of starting from scratch, Meador said.

“We don’t have the time and resources to do that,” Meador said. “We have to move quicker now.”

Source: United States Air Force

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. (AFNS) —  

The 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin held an all call during a visit to Joint Base Langley-Eustis Feb. 29, to officiate the Air Combat Command change of command.

During the all call, Allvin spoke to ACC and Langley AFB Airmen about Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition and what the force can expect.

“We need to make the force that we have right now as ready as possible,” Allvin said. “Then make sure the way we’re developing our people and developing the force in the future can keep us ahead.”

Allvin referenced and recommended all Airmen read, “The Case for Change,” a document published by the Department of the Air Force that helps define the path forward and outlines four focus areas for reoptimization: develop people, generate readiness, project power and develop capabilities.

Throughout the all call, Allvin provided insight into each focus area, to include his expectations for the pace of change as Langley AFB Airmen prepare to meet the challenges of the current strategic environment. He said the Air Force cannot afford to waste time, emphasizing that leaders must focus on developing a force that is ready for deployment now.

“We need to be able to take the force we have, and make sure it can most effectively fight and win today, if asked,” he said.

He said the Air Force is moving away from the term “multi-capable Airmen” to “mission-ready Airmen,” which more accurately describes how Airmen must think in the future.

“We have to be able to move beyond just our technical specialties,” Allvin said. “We have to be able to say, ‘what’s the mission? It might be outside of what I normally do, but I know that’s what the mission requires.’ If we want to execute [Agile Combat Employment], we have to minimize our footprint. So, how do we adapt that to the mission? That’s what we mean by mission ready.”

Allvin also explained the DAF is analyzing the way the force optimizes between readiness and modernization.

“What we’re doing is taking the expertise that is resident here at [Air Mobility Command] and looking at what the requirements are to build up the future force design,” he said. “That dialogue will happen in one command, the Integrated Capabilities Command. We have to make sure we retain the deep mission expertise that resides in each of the major commands right now and bring those together to make a single force. And we [must] make sure that every modernization dollar we spend is going to be effective. We’re optimizing for one Air Force.”

According to Allvin, ACC-led, mission-ready representative exercises like Red Flag and Bamboo Eagle demonstrate Agile Combat Employment concepts; however, as the Air Force moves toward conducting more large-scale exercises in preparation for GPC, ACC will play an increased role in ensuring the combat readiness of the entire Air Force.

As the DAF redesigns the way the force cultivates mission-ready Airmen, Allvin encourages leadership to deliberately guide and empower their Airmen for an operationally changing strategic environment, and to “sustain a workforce equipped with deep expertise and the skills essential for maintaining competitiveness.”

Following the GPC discussion, Allvin answered questions from the audience and presented coins to Airmen from the 192nd Maintenance Group, 71st Fighter Squadron, 36th Intelligence Squadron, 45th Intelligence Squadron and 633rd Security Forces Squadron in recognition of various recent accomplishments.

 

Source: United States Air Force

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia (AFNS) —  

U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza on March 2, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. (Gaza time), to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.

The combined operation included U.S. Air Force and RJAF C-130 aircraft and respective U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of supplies. Soldiers ensured the safe drop of food aid and built bundles. U.S. C-130s dropped over 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza allowing for civilian access to the critical aid.

The Department of Defense humanitarian airdrops contributes to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza. The DoD is conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions.

These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes.

Source: United States Air Force

UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Southwest Asia (AFNS) —  

U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza on March 2, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. (Gaza time), to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.

The combined operation included U.S. Air Force and RJAF C-130 aircraft and respective U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of supplies. Soldiers ensured the safe drop of food aid and built bundles. U.S. C-130s dropped over 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza allowing for civilian access to the critical aid.

The Department of Defense humanitarian airdrops contributes to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza. The DoD is conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions.

These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes.