An Air Force Safety Investigation Board continues to review the circumstances that led to the failure of an Integrated Power Package (IPP) aboard AF-4, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant assigned to Edwards AFB, Calif., on August 2. The F-35 Integrated Power Package is a turbo-machine that provides power to start the engine and generates cooling for the aircraft.

The government and contractor engineering teams determined the program could resume developmental test flight operations while the investigation continues. This assessment was made after reviewing data from ground and flight tests which showed, with revised test monitoring procedures governing the IPP, the aircraft can be flown safely.

The root cause investigation indicates that an IPP valve did not function properly. Monitoring of valve position is a mitigating action to allow monitored operations. A permanent resolution is in work.

The return to flight has been authorized for all aircraft assigned to Edwards AFB and Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. This does not allow ground operations for Eglin AFB, Fla. delivered aircraft (AF-8, AF-9). The completion of the root cause investigation and any corrective actions are required to return to unmonitored operations.

Impact to System Development and Demonstration test flight execution and production operations continues to be assessed. The program, however, has built margin into the test schedule to accommodate incidents that occur in the development effort.

An Air Force Safety Investigation Board convened Aug. 4 and is reviewing the circumstances that led to the failure of the Integrated Power Package (IPP) aboard AF-4, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, assigned to Edwards AFB, Calif. The F-35's IPP is a turbo-machine that provides power to start the engine and generates cooling for the aircraft.

While the investigation continues, government and contractor engineering teams, after reviewing initial data, determined the fleet could safely resume DT ground operations. Preliminary root cause indicates that a control valve did not function properly which led to the IPP failure. Monitoring of this valve is the mitigating action to allow DT ground operations. The F-35 team is revising ground monitoring procedures to ensure testing involving the IPP takes place safely.

While initiating DT ground operations is a major step for the F-35 fleet returning to flight, further reviews are required prior to lifting the suspension of flight operations for the 20 F-35s currently in flying status. These aircraft are part of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) and Low Rate Initial Production fleet.

The determinations of root cause and potential mitigating actions have the highest priority of the F-35 Team. The impact to SDD execution and production operations is being assessed. The program has built margin into the test schedule to accommodate incidents that occur in the development effort.

Periodic updates concerning this situation will be released as warranted.

Air Force controllers detected a flight anomaly and terminated the flight for safety reasons. When terminated, the vehicle was in the broad ocean area, northeast of Roi-Namur.

"At all times public safety is paramount. We plan for situations like this and everything was executed according to the plan," said Col. Matthew Carroll, the 30th Space Wing chief of safety. "Established parameters were exceeded, and controllers sent destruct commands."

The launch was an operational test to determine the weapon system's reliability and accuracy.

An Air Force team will investigate the cause of the anomaly.

"The gigantic C-5 Galaxy, with its tremendous payload capability, provides the Air Mobility Command airlift in support of United States national defense," the fact sheet states. "The C-5 can carry fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice and then provide field support required to help sustain the fighting force."

C-5 facts
By its sheer size, the C-5 is immense. General characteristics show it has a wingspan of 222.9 feet, is 247.1 feet long, and stands 65.1 feet high. To move the C-5, its four General Electric TF-39 engines generate 43,000 pounds of thrust each which can carry the plane to a maximum speed of 518 miles per hour.

The plane comes in three variants - the C-5A, C-5B, and the latest version - the C-5M Super Galaxy. Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the first operational C-5 to the 437th Airlift Wing, at then-Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., (now Joint Base Charleston) in June l970. In March 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5As in the Air Force's airlift force structure.

The C-5B includes all C-5A improvements as well as more than 100 additional system modifications to improve reliability and maintainability. In 1998, the C-5 Avionics Modernization Program began and includes "upgrading avionics to communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management compliance, improving navigation, communication, and safety equipment, and installing a new autopilot system."

Additionally, another part of the C-5 modernization plan is a comprehensive re-engining and reliability program. The centerpiece of this program is the General Electric CF6-80C2 commercial engine which "delivers a 22 percent increase in thrust to the C-5, a 30 percent shorter take-off roll, has a 58 percent faster climb rate and will allow significantly more cargo to be carried over longer distances." With the new engine and upgrades, the C-5 was designated the C-5M Super Galaxy.

Hauling the 'big stuff'
With aerial refueling, a C-5 can carry more than 270,000 pounds of cargo to practically anywhere in the world. Because of that ability, Airmen who fly and maintain them have taken on some big loads.

For example, in August 2010, a C-5M and crew from Dover Air Force Base, Del., flew the $1 billion-plus Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer from the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Nobel Laureate, Dr. Samuel Ting, said in an AMC news report the particle detector was so large that without the C-5 to haul it, it would have required a certain level of disassembly.

"I'm very grateful the U.S. Air Force came to help us," Dr. Ting said about the use of the C-5.

As another example, from February to March 2011, two C-5Bs and two C-5Ms and crew and maintenance Airmen from Dover AFB were part of a U.S. Transportation Command "multi-modal" airlift effort in Western Europe.

That effort, according to officials at Scott AFB's Tanker Airlift Control Center, or TACC, included airlifting approximately 3,300 tons of cargo - mainly Army helicopters such as the CH-47, UH-60, OH-58, and AH-60. Overall, TACC officials said, the C-5s moved more than 170 helicopters in the operation.

Furthermore, a C-5 and crew made a delivery to Yokota Air Base, Japan, supporting Operation Tomodachi in Japan on April 3. They transported the Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force - a 155-person team comprised of Marines from Naval Support Facility, Indian Head, Md. The Marines supported Operation Tomodachi "by providing a rapid response capability, and if requested, can assist and advise Japanese authorities," one Air Force report shows.

Continuing support wherever needed
C-5s are located only at a few bases. They are currently operate from Dover AFB; Travis AFB, Calif.; Lackland AFB, Texas; Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; Martinsburg ANGB, W.V.; Memphis ANGB, Tenn.; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.

Wherever they are home-based, or deployed to places such as Western Europe or Southwest Asia, officials say they are a crucial piece to the global airlift puzzle.

"We've got C-5s coming in here and we're making sure they're getting out of here in tip-top shape," said Senior Airman Douglas Osman, an engine specialist with the 521st Air Mobility Operations Group at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, in a recent Air Force news report.

Airman Osman may have also summed it up best about the entire C-5 community when he said they (his group and C-5s) are "getting cargo to people who need it."

This is another step in continuing to strengthen the nuclear enterprise; under a previous move, these munitions squadrons were consolidated under AFMC's Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

With Air Force Global Strike Command now fully mission-capable, the time is right for a final realignment under the command that also has responsibility for daily nuclear deterrence operations, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said.

"The munitions squadrons were placed under Air Force Materiel Command at the outset of our effort to reinvigorate the nuclear enterprise," General Schwartz said. "AFMC and its leaders have done an outstanding job restoring excellence in munitions operations, and they, along with the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, will remain a key part of the nuclear munitions sustainment and integration process."

The re-alignment will allow for enhanced unity of command under a single major command responsible for most of the nuclear operational mission, he said.

"Most important, by doing this we are continuing to strengthen the nuclear enterprise while seeking constant improvement and doing things the best way possible for safe, secure and effective operations," General Schwartz said.

Squadrons will re-align in place as well as remain about the same size organizationally, so disruptions to operations and people at the units will be minimal.

"Almost two years after being established, Air Force Global Strike Command is now a mature organization capable of integrating the munitions function into the larger nuclear mission," General Schwartz said.

Affected organizations are: 798th Munitions Maintenance Group at Minot Air Force Base, N.D.; 498th Munitions Maintenance Group at Whiteman AFB, Mo.; 15th Munitions Squadron at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; 16th Munitions Squadron at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; 17th Munitions Squadron at Minot AFB; 19th Munitions Squadron at Whiteman AFB; 498th Nuclear Systems Wing at Kirtland AFB, N.M.; and 798th Munitions Maintenance Group, Detachment 1, at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

Over the next several months, officials at the Air Force's Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration Directorate, as the Air Staff nuclear mission integrator, will lead the internal implementation process, including specifics regarding final manpower and unit realignments.

The Air Force secretary and chief of staff have directed that the service proceed with full and open competition for both the Common Vertical Lift Support Platform program and the HH-60 recapitalization program.

These two programs will hold separate competitions using their respective capability development documents approved by the joint requirements oversight council to meet warfighter requirements.

"The Air Force ultimately benefits from competition and allows industry to fully play in these acquisition programs," said Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart, the global reach programs capability director. "We anticipate, based on market research and industry response to requests for information, that a derivative of helicopters already in production will be able to meet warfighter requirements."

The CVLSP program fills identified capability gaps while replacing the current Air Force UH-1N Huey fleet, in which service officials noted deficiencies in carrying capacity, speed, range, endurance and survivability, General Fullhart said.

The fleet will consist of 93 aircraft spread among Air Force Global Strike Command, the Air Force District of Washington and other major commands, he added.

"For CVLSP we're anticipating a summer 2011 draft request for proposal release and the final RFP early fall," General Fullhart said. "We're proceeding toward an initial operating capability for common vertical lift support platform program in 2015."

HH-60 recapitalization, officials said, is the Air Force's program to replace the 112 aging HH-60G Pave Hawks. The HH-60G is used primarily to conduct combat search and rescue, but is also used for emergency aero-medical evacuation, homeland security, humanitarian relief, international aid, non-combatant evacuation operations and special operations forces support.

Air Force leaders noted that the current fleet is heavily tasked, with the Operation Enduring Freedom flying tempo being twice the standard utilization rate, and aircraft availability projected to be less than 50 percent by 2015.

The anticipated request for proposal release for this program will be in 2012, General Fullhart said.

While a long-term replacement remains critical, General Fullhart points out that 13 Pave Hawks have been lost to combat, training and civil rescue missions, and 54 of the remaining 99 HH-60G aircraft are currently undergoing repairs to correct major structural cracks.

In response, service officials have implemented a short-term solution, the operational loss replacement program, to maintain current CSAR capability.

Operational loss replacement, General Fullhart said, replaces lost aircraft and addresses the immediate need to maintain the operational availability of legacy HH-60Gs.

Originally, losses were not replaced due to the anticipation of CSAR-X, a program that was since canceled, he said.

This long- and short-term approach is the best way to deliver the required capabilities to the warfighter, General Fullhart explained.

The CVLSP and HH-60 recapitalization will help ensure that the service sustains the warfighter's capabilities across the full spectrum of military operations, according to senior leaders.

"As in the KC-X competition, the ability of offerors to meet requirements at best value to the taxpayer will be invaluable," General Fullhart said.

To date, the cyberattacks in East Asia have been relatively benign, said Christopher Bronk, author of "Blown to Bits: China's War in Cyberspace, August-September 2020," published this month in the U.S. Air Force journal Strategic Studies Quarterly.

Bronk is a fellow in information technology policy at the Baker Institute and a former U.S. State Department diplomat.

"Web pages are defaced, allegations of espionage are leveled and, generally, a status quo of sorts is maintained. The threat politics of the cyberdomain, however, do not stand still," Bronk said.

"China has been deeply impressed by U.S. information dominance since the 1991 Gulf War. China has produced a considerable literature of strategic studies for cyberoperations while developing a national firewall system that shields the country from a considerable portion of Web content.

"The United States, too, has made strategic moves in cyberspace and is in the process of building a Department of Defense cybercommand that will manage the efforts of thousands of civilian and military 'cyberwarriors,'" Bronk said.

With an increasing number of countries around the globe developing military cybercapabilities, Bronk chose to consider how a conflict with major cybercomponents might appear.

"Basically, many in the information-security community have been saying either, 'We're in a cyberwar with China' or 'It's time to prepare for a cyberwar with China.'

The points I'm trying to make are, first, that cyberwar is not a substitute for real warfare but instead may be a component of conventional or unconventional military action, and second, that there's a great deal of very conventional thinking on this very unconventional topic."

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A friendly competition was a highlight that provided a training experience for members of the U.S. Air Force and Navy, the Royal Jordanian Air Force, the United Arab Emirates air force and the Pakistan air force.

"Falcon Air Meet exercises modern warfare tactics and enforces international relationships," said RJAF Brig. Gen. Yousef Al-Hnaity, the Azraq Air Base commander. "The competition simply provides a framework for this and helps to inspire excellence. Through the Falcon Air Meet, I have seen the sharing of knowledge and the formation of many valuable relationships. This warms my heart and gives me great hope for the future. Thank you very much for coming to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with peace in your heart."

Jordanian officials have invited the U.S. and other partners to this location for several years, but about four years ago, the event became a more formal exercise and competition, with more nations participating each year.

The event previously was an F-16 flying competition, but recently has evolved into an exercise with a concentration on modern warfare tactics and close-air support operations. This involves deploying not just the aircraft and aviators to fly them, but a larger contingent of those on the ground to support the jets.

"One thing I can tell you as a wing commander is it's all about maintenance," said Col. Bob Bolton, the commander of Air Force forces during the exercise. "You've got to have strong areas everywhere, but if you don't have strong maintenance, you don't meet your taskings. When you're in a strange environment, it's that much more stressful if things aren't working right. But the airplanes have been pretty much perfect here, and that's made it easier for us to just concentrate on getting our mission done and getting the training done. Strong maintenance is a critical part of that."

The maintainers involved said it was a "dream come true" to hear such kudos for their work on the flightline.

"To hear everyone involved, including (Jordan's Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein), recognize us at an event like FAM is just a dream come true," said Senior Master Sgt. Richard Barbee, the maintenance superintendent for the 80 maintainers deployed to the event. "It's definitely something us 'behind-the-scene guys' will be taking back and spreading the word about."

The event's grand finale included a special forces hostage rescue demonstration and bombing competition featuring jets from all involved countries and two B-52 Stratofortresses from the U.S. Air Force.

The closing ceremonies Nov. 2 were the culmination of the entire exercise, with the presentation of awards and comments from senior leaders.

RJAF officials earned the overall FAM award and overall maintenance award, after securing a first place finish in the air-to-air intercept and air-to-ground competition categories. UAE officials took first place in the weapons load competition.

Colonel Bolton said the air meet should be renamed the 'Brothers for Life' competition because it seemed to be more about building relationships with those that had been so kind and generous in their hospitality.

And "the key to peace" is getting those people together face-to-face, working side-by-side, he said.

This agreement follows the request submitted by the GoI to purchase 18 new Block 52 F-16 airplanes.

If this foreign military sale is approved by the U.S. Congress and the two governments can reach agreement on the terms of the deal, the F-16 program would not only significantly enhance Iraq’s air sovereignty capability, but can also enable a long-term partnership between the two countries.

“It has been a pleasure to work with our Iraqi partners to put this program together,” said Brig. Gen. Scott Jansson, director of the Iraq Security Assistance Mission. “Through this and other security cooperation programs, we have developed a strong environment of mutual trust and friendship.”

The pilot training agreement covers the training of 10 selected Iraqi Air Force pilots who are projected to begin training in the U.S. this fall and will be the cadre for future training. Upon graduation, these pilots will have completed all prerequisite flight training necessary to move immediately into F-16 flying training.

The program will include all necessary components of T-6A Texan II and T-38 Talon training including a course called Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals. The intensive flight training will be complemented with specialized English language training for aviation. The training for each student will last from 12 to 17 months depending on the pilot’s level of experience.

“This agreement is the most significant commitment to date by the Ministry of Defense for an F-16 program that will prove to be a key element for an enduring partnership between Iraq and the United States,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, USF-I Deputy Commanding General for Advising and Training.

The man charged with providing independent, objective scientific advice to Air Force leadership was at the Air Force Association Technology Symposium Aug. 26 to make a presentation titled 'Technology Horizons: A Vision for Air Force Science & Technology During 2010-2030.'

The report gives an informed analysis of how the world of science and technology will develop during the next 20 years and indentifies candidate technologies that offer the greatest potential return for limited investment dollars.

"I would argue that the Air Force, perhaps more than any other service, is absolutely critically dependant on science and technology and, as a consequence, the broad set of debates that occur to help us make the best investment choices and the best programming decisions to advance those technologies is also absolutely critical," Dr. Dahm said.

More than a year in the making, this report follows in the legacy of Dr. Theodore Von Karman's 1945 report to Gen. Hap Arnold, 'Toward New Horizons: Science, the Key to Air Supremacy,' that laid the foundation for the post-World War II Air Force. It has been 15 years since the Air Force last made a concerted effort to chart the future of science and technology.

One of the initial challenges, Dr. Dahm said, was that to field a desired capability in 2030, the programming and acquisition processes must start years earlier. The report identifies new technologies that could be developed during the first 10 year step, and then from those technologies, asks what new capabilities could be fielded in the second 10 year step.

"Out of that set of possible capabilities, we have to hold those up against the likely strategic environment the Air Force is going to be facing in 2030, as well as the fiscal constraints the Air Force is going to be operating under," Dr. Dahm said.

Choosing from that list of possible capabilities and targeting technology investment dollars is the true challenge.

"The effort here is to take a visionary, but credible, approach to identifying those science and technology areas that are disproportionately valuable," Dr. Dahm said. "If those 30 (potential capability areas) actually span a broad enough set across the service core functions, then we could be fairly sure that the technology areas that underlay those 30 (potential capability areas) are good candidates for investment."

From this process, Dr. Dahm briefly covered three of the report's major findings.

The first, he cited, is a greater use of highly adaptable, autonomous systems to achieve both improved capability and the benefit of reducing manpower costs.

"We are not talking about simply more or better remotely piloted aircraft, although that is certainly part of it, but we are talking autonomy writ large," he said.

However, the influx of autonomy will bring along the challenge of proving that autonomous systems are not only effective in the lab but will perform the way they should under every imaginable scenario.

The second finding Dr. Dahm presented spoke to the rapid evolution of technology to a state beyond natural human capacities.

"In our lifetimes, we are going to cross through that point where the human will increasingly become the weakest link, and so we will move to having the human be augmented in some ways with technology," he said.

It is not just a matter of building better interfaces between humans and machines, he said. In fact by 2030, man and machine will be coupled in such a way where it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends.

Lastly, Dr. Dahm stated the Air Force must focus a greater fraction of science and technology investments on research to support increased freedom of operations in contested environments.

"Today, we generally operate in permissive environments, but that will not be the case in 2030," he said. "Technologies that can support the Air Force's ability to operate in those kinds of contested environments can be absolutely critical."

The types of environments he cited warranting particular emphasis in terms of research are resilient cyber domains, operations in GPS-denied environments and electromagnetic spectrum warfare.

The first volume of the Technology Horizons report has been cleared for public release.

"This is meant to have an enduring value to the Air Force," Dr. Dahm said in closing. "This report has, I believe, a balanced, very credible science and technology vision for the Air Force. It is not just about a bunch of technologies that can be opportunities. It goes much, much further to map out those opportunities to the strategic and fiscal environment we will face."