R.I.P. - Capt. Francis D. Imlay

DOD Identifies Air Force Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Capt. Francis D. Imlay, 31, of Vacaville, Calif., died March 28 from injuries received in an accident involving an F-15 aircraft near a base in Southwest Asia.  He was assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

            For more information media may contact the Air Force 366th Fighter Wing public affairs office at 208-828-6800.

Capt. Francis Imlay, 391st Fighter Squadron pilot, does a pre-flight inspection on an F-15E Strike Eagle at Mountain Home Air Base in August 2001. (Courtesy U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Heather Hayward)

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The Idaho Statesman newspaper is reporting that the pilot died in a crash and that another crewman from the Idaho base suffered minor injuries in the incident.

In a press release this afternoon, his commander expressed deep sorrow for the loss of the pilot who was nicknamed "Piston."

"It is with a heavy heart I inform you we lost a valued member of the Gunfighter family yesterday," said Col. Ron Buckley, 366th Fighter Wing commander. "Today we mourn the loss of one of our warriors, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and coworkers during this time. He was a true professional and his dedication to the Gunfighter family will not soon be forgotten."

from thereporter.com

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F-35 Local Area Flights Could Start This Week

Image via Wikipedia

By DAVE MAJUMDAR - DefenseNews

F-35A Lightning II local area flights might start as early as this week at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Fla., an Air Force source said. Such flights would commence once the Air Force issues a military flight release (MFR).

The Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base might issue such a military flight release as early as this week, sources said.

According to Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) chief engineer Doug Ebersole, an Air Force airworthiness board declared the F-35A as being compliant with its Tailored Airworthiness Certification Criteria on Feb 23, which is a crucial step in granting a formal MFR.

The declaration means the Air Force is satisfied that its version of the aircraft, the F-35A, is safe to fly. It also means that the Air Force understands and accepts the risks where there are gaps in the jet’s compliance with service airworthiness regulations, Ebersole said.

A MFR would allow qualified F-35 test pilots to begin flying the stealthy fifth-generation fighter around the Florida base. Eglin currently has two test pilots who are qualified to fly the jet: Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Smith and Marine Maj. Joseph Bachmann.

Once those local area flights prove that the aircraft and maintenance procedures at Eglin are robust enough to sustain a full-scale training course for transitioning instructor pilots and students, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) will start the syllabus.

Smith and Bachmann will act as the initial instructors for the rest of the cadre at the 33rd Fighter Wing. The three services have selected some of the best, most experienced pilots to form the initial batch of instructors at Eglin.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has also cleared the Marines’ F-35B short take-off vertical landing jets to operate at Fort Worth, Texas, where the planes are built.

However, the sea service requires an additional independent safety audit before fleet pilots are allowed to fly the aircraft, Ebersole said.

“We expect that to happen in the mid-to-late March timeframe,” he said. “Probably late March.”

After the audit, Marine pilots, who fall under NAVAIR’s purview, will be able to start training along side their Air Force brethren in their F-35B model jets next month.

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R.I.P. - Lt. Col. John D. Loftis

DOD Identifies Air Force Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
          
Lt. Col. John D. Loftis, 44, of Paducah, Ky.,

died Feb. 25 from wounds received during an attack at the Interior Ministry, Kabul, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 866th Air Expeditionary Squadron, Kabul, Afghanistan.

            For more information media may contact the Air Force Special Operations Command public affairs office at 850-884-8900.

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He served as a space and missile officer who became a regional affairs strategist in 2008. He entered the Air Force in 1996, receiving his commission through Officer Training School.
Prior to deploying in March 2011, he had been assigned to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Air Force Special Operations Training Center, Hurlburt Field, Fla.
Loftis was deployed in support of OPERATION Enduring Freedom and working in the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of the Interior with the AfPak Hands program as the chief plans advisor. The AfPak Hands program stood up in September 2009 to develop a cadre of specially trained U.S. servicemembers skilled in Afghan and Pakistani culture and language.
Lt Col Loftis was previously awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and Army Achievement Medal.


Releated articles:

• 2 U.S. Advisers shot dead inside the Afghan interior ministry (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)
• R.I.P. - Maj. Robert J. Marchanti II (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)
• Hurlburt Field Airman killed in Kabul shooting at GIRoA Ministry of Interior  (AirForce Special Operations Command)

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F-15E reaches 10K flying hour milestone

1/14/2012 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- In the early hours of the day, the aircraft parking ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was alive with activity. Checklists were run, hatches checked, bombs loaded and missions briefed, as the crew chiefs, support units, and flyers of F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 achieved a milestone 10,000 flying hours Jan. 13

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan-- F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 is specially painted to celebrate its multiple achievements at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Jan. 13, 2012. #89-0487 is the only F-15 to have had a successful air-to-air kill and is now the only F-15 to have logged 10,000 hours of flying time. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom) hi-res

1/14/2012 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- In the early hours of the day, the aircraft parking ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was alive with activity. Checklists were run, hatches checked, bombs loaded and missions briefed, as the crew chiefs, support units, and flyers of F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487 achieved a milestone 10,000 flying hours Jan. 13.


by Tech Sgt. Vernon Cunningham
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
 
F-15E Strike Eagle #89-0487, or "#487" for short, was commissioned Nov. 13, 1990. It's the first F-15 of any type to reach 10,000 hours, despite being younger than many F-15A and F-15C models. During its service, the aircraft participated in operations Desert Storm, Deliberate Guard, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom.

The accomplishment of flying more than 10,000 hours was shared by the entire 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The 455th EAMXS includes the 335th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit and supporting units.

"It has taken more than 21 years of qualified maintenance technicians performing more than one million hours of inspections and repairs in all types of environments at home station, depot facilities, TDY and AEF locations to ensure aircraft #89-0487 was available to deploy on numerous TDYs and AEFs," Chief Master Sgt. John Parrott, 335th EAMU superintendent said. "It also took careful, timely loading and maintenance by hundreds of weapons technicians in conjunction with countless hours of repairs and inspections performed by avionics, electrical and environmental, engine, fuels, egress, and structural Airmen."

The current crew chiefs for #487 are all deployed from Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. They agreed that good maintenance and support were critical.

Senior Airman Eric Rock, 455th EAMS crew chief assigned to #487, said," This is the squadron flag ship. This accomplishment definitely shows the caliber of those before us and those who are crewing it now. They are putting the best and most motivated on the team."

The #487 crew chiefs have been working with the same aircraft for the past year. Since arriving at Bagram, the high demand for the flag ship helped highlight the team cohesion needed to keep the aircraft mission ready.

"When we got here, it was at 8,800 hours," Staff Sgt. Ryan Forsse, 455th EAMS crew chief assigned to #487, said. "We put 1,200 hours on it in the past three months. During that time, this aircraft dropped 15 percent of all bombs deployed in our fleet. To keep it flying at that pace, it was very important to keep the same crew on it to get to know the aircraft."

Rock said each plane has a specific personality.

"Keeping the same crew working on it allows for the technician to see trends," Rock said. "You get to know what is going on with it, what sounds normal and what works."

The crew chiefs specifically acknowledged that all of the support units were integral in reaching the 10,000 flying hours milestone.

"When we have a problem that needs to be fixed by another shop, they come out quickly for this jet," Forsse said. "This is the squadron flag ship, so all the shops push to get this aircraft fixed, armed up and back in the air. Any time we need something, they are on it."

Lt. Col. David Moeller, 335th Expeditionary Flying Squadron commander, is the current weapons systems officer for #487. Moeller fully appreciated the impact of the work done by the F-15E #487 team.

"It's not just about the hours in the sky," Moeller said. "The maintenance ability to keep this jet flying so it may support the current fight is amazing. This is 24-hour, all-weather, ops throughout the OEF battlespace. Maintenance, weapons, and all support by the 455th makes this possible. It was a total team effort."

In addition to the ground support, a lot of work was done in the air for #487.

"This milestone also required skilled, proficient pilots and weapons systems officers flying more than 3,500 sorties," Parrott said. "Like the crew that dropped a GBU-10 on an Iraqi Mi24 helicopter during Operation Desert Storm. "

F-15E #487 is the only one of its kind to record an air-to-air kill.

As a personal tribute to history, Moeller chose to pass the honor of flying over 10,000 hours to Capt. Ryan Bodenheimer, 335th F-15E EFS pilot, and Capt. Erin Short, 335th EFS weapons systems officer. Both are deployed from Seymour-Johnson AFB.

"It just seemed appropriate that the longest flying F-15E be flown by the youngest flyers in the unit," he said.

Perrot summed up the significance of #487's sustained mission capability.

"It has taken 21 years of two things: pride and passion," he said. "Pride in the work completed with fellow Airmen, ultimately for the excellence of the Air Force. And passion - regardless of the weather, obstacle or task faced, successful completion is the only goal".


source and more hi-res photos here:  http://www.bagram.afcent.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123286330

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US killer spy drone controls switch to Linux

The control of US military spy drones appears to have shifted from Windows to Linux following an embarrassing malware infection.
Ground control systems at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, which commands the killer unmanned aircraft, became infected with a virus last September. In a statement at the time the Air Force dismissed the electronic nasty as a nuisance and said it posed no threat to the operation of Reaper drones, but the intrusion was nonetheless treated seriously.

all photos reduced to 640x480, available in hi-res without watermark, just leave a comment here

By John Leyden from theregister.co.uk
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The control of US military spy drones appears to have shifted from Windows to Linux following an embarrassing malware infection.

Ground control systems at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, which commands the killer unmanned aircraft, became infected with a virus last September. In a statement at the time the Air Force dismissed the electronic nasty as a nuisance and said it posed no threat to the operation of Reaper drones, but the intrusion was nonetheless treated seriously.

"The ground system is separate from the flight control system Air Force pilots use to fly the aircraft remotely; the ability of the pilots to safely fly these aircraft remained secure throughout the incident," it said.

The discovery of the virus was nonetheless hugely embarrassing for the Air Force. The credential-stealing malware, first reported by Wired, made its way from a portable hard drive onto ground systems, which control the drones' weapons and surveillance functions. Portable disks are used to load map updates and transfer mission videos from one computer to another, Defense News added.

"The malware was detected on a standalone mission support network using a Windows-based operating system," a US Air Force statement at the time explained. "The malware in question is a credential stealer, not a keylogger, found routinely on computer networks and is considered more of a nuisance than an operational threat. It is not designed to transmit data or video, nor is it designed to corrupt data, files or programs on the infected computer. Our tools and processes detect this type of malware as soon as it appears on the system, preventing further reach."

Drone units were advised to stop using the removable drives to prevent another outbreak. Behind the scenes other changes appear to have been made: screenshots of drone control computers uploaded by security researcher Mikko Hypponen suggest that at least some of the consoles have been migrated from Microsoft Windows to open source Linux.

Photos of US drone control systems taken in 2009 (here):

and another one old from my collection:

 











and 2011 (here):

provide evidence of the change - in the earlier picture the Windows desktop GUI can be easily discerned whereas the latter slide indicates the new systems are Linux-based and have "improved displays".

The 2009 photo originally came from the air force base's website but the image has since been removed. A cropped copy can be found here. The 2010 slide came from an unclassified presentation on the US's unmanned drone operations.

Hypponen told The Reg: "If I would need to select between Windows XP and a Linux based system while building a military system, I wouldn't doubt a second which one I would take." 

Related articles

• Air Force Drone Controllers Embrace Linux, But Why? (informationweek.com)
• imabonehead: US killer spy drone controls switch to Linux - The Register (theregister.co.uk)

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