Author militaryonline
The Air Force announced April 1 that it would seek to expand its fiscal 2016 budget by selling commercial sponsorships much in the way NASCAR operates. The plan — which outlines sponsorship prices ranging from $1 million for an aircraft to $250 for a bomb or missile — has garnered congressional support for the first time in years. Even airmen could find themselves wearing commercial logos. “We fully support the proposal,” one senator said. “Plus, we might get first crack at getting our names on a plane. Think about the campaigning possibilities; what says ‘I support the troops’ better then…
The U.S. government is disputing media reports that a coalition aircraft accidentally bombed an Iraqi unit’s headquarters near Ramadi on Wednesday. Reuters cited an unnamed Iraqi military source on Thursday, who said that a coalition aircraft accidentally attacked an Iraqi unit’s headquarters near Ramadi, killing 22 Iraqi troops. Reuters later updated its story with a quote from a U.S. military spokesman that no coalition aircraft were involved with the attack. Still, Iraqi media and Anti war.com continued to report that a U.S. airstrike killed the Iraqi troops, prompting the U.S. Embassy to issue a statement pushing back on “recent false…
A new handheld tool being developed will allow F-35 maintainers to check the aircraft’s paint for any damage in a fraction of the time it now takes. The handheld imaging tool consists of a 7-pound scanner and an 11-pound backpack; whereas the current piece of equipment weighs 1,200 pounds, according to the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Recent advances in materials and electronics have allowed the Air Force to miniaturize imaging systems, said Juan G. Calzada, of the laboratory .Because the tool is so portable, it eliminates much of the time needed to set up…
On Wednesday, it appeared that the daily tally of airstrikes in Iraq in Syria that is provided to reporters had been rechristened as the “Daily Strike.” That sounded like a pretty good name for a morning defense-related tip sheet, as in, “Start your day with the Daily Strike – We put warheads on foreheads.” But, after FlightLines contacted the combined joint task force in charge of the war against the Islamic State, it quickly became clear there is no “Daily Strike” morning roundup. Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve regularly sends emails to reporters listing which targets in…
