DefenceTalkThe US Air Force said Thursday it sacked nine nuclear missile officers and will discipline dozens of others over an exam cheating scandal that has sparked concerns about lax ethics. The officers, including chiefs of four squadrons, were all working at Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana, which has been rocked by cheating allegations that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-fires-nine-in-nuclear-missile-cheating-scandal-59157/

DefenceTalkThe first Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing was officially delivered during a ceremony attended by dignitaries and hundreds of local civic leaders, wing military and civilian members here today. The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variant, known as LF 5030, is the first of 144 F-35As scheduled for delivery […]https://www.defencetalk.com/luke-air-force-base-receives-first-f-35a-lightning-ii-59051/

DefenceTalkTRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan: The Transit Center’s final aerial refueling mission over Afghanistan landed here Feb. 24, completing the end of an era. After six hours of traveling, refueling A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, and F-16 Fighting Falcons, the KC-135 Stratotanker touched down to a fanfare of saluting Airmen. Col. Mike Seiler, the 376th Expeditionary Operations […]https://www.defencetalk.com/manas-kc-135s-complete-final-mission-leave-kyrgyzstan-58895/

DefenceTalkPentagon chief Chuck Hagel on Friday praised a decision by Japanese officials to allow the relocation of a US air base in Okinawa, calling it a “milestone” for relations with Tokyo. Hagel welcomed the approval of the long-delayed move of the US Marine Corps base, which he said would permit a redeployment of American forces […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-welcomes-deal-on-relocating-air-base-in-japan-49992/

DefenceTalkLong disliked by the US Air Force, the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack jet may finally be heading for the chopping block due to budget constraints. The “Warthog,” first designed as a tank buster to target Soviet armored vehicles in the middle of the Cold War in the early 1970s, is shunned by many aviators. Although […]https://www.defencetalk.com/end-looms-for-us-air-forces-a-10-ground-attack-jet-49929/

DefenceTalkThe US Air Force has secretly developed a new stealth drone for long-range reconnaissance missions that could be operational by 2015, according to a report Friday in an industry magazine. The unmanned drone, dubbed RQ-180, is currently in the testing phase at the top secret Groom Lake air base in Nevada — the infamous “Area […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-has-secretly-built-a-new-stealth-drone-49864/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. Air Force participated in the first Israeli Blue Flag exercise at Uvda Air Force Base, Israel, Nov. 24-28. Blue Flag is the largest multinational aerial warfare training exercise hosted by the Israeli air force. The exercise included forces from the U.S., Israel, Italy, and Greece. Its objectives were to improve operational capabilities and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-participates-in-first-ever-israeli-blue-flag-exercise-49817/

DefenceTalkBoeing and the U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) have entered into an overarching public-private partnership that will streamline supply chain contracting, saving money and speeding up execution by as much as 10 months. The partnership – the first of its kind – allows the three Air Force logistics complexes that are under the AFSC […]https://www.defencetalk.com/boeing-partners-with-us-air-force-to-reduce-supply-chain-costs-49620/

DefenceTalkBoeing will continue to increase the B-52 bomber’s effectiveness and versatility under a new U.S. Air Force contract that calls for the aircraft’s smart weapons capacity to expand by 50 percent. Under the $24.6 million agreement, Boeing will develop a modification to existing weapon launchers so the aircraft can carry smart weapons in the bomb […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-boeing-b-52-upgrade-to-increase-smart-weapons-capacity-by-half-49600/

DefenceTalkThe F-35 Lightning II executed its first live-fire launch of a guided air-to-air missile over a military test range off the California coast on Oct. 30. The AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) was fired from an F-35A (AF-6) conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant fighter operating from the F-35 Integrated Test Facility at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/f-35a-conducts-first-live-fire-with-amraam-49554/