More than 50 years of dependable service is a lot to ask, especially from a tool used to train thousands of people in a critical and sometimes dangerous business.
But as men and women in the U.S. Air Force said farewell to the T-37 Tweet July 31, they did so knowing they got all they asked for and more from the venerable training aircraft.
Among those who came to Sheppard to usher out the end of an era and welcome in a new technological advancement in undergraduate pilot training was Gen. Donald J. Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command. His story, like many of those who came before and after him, includes the Tweet, a durable and rugged training platform that provided the foundation of more than 78,000 Air Force, NATO and other international pilots since it became operational in 1957.
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The Air Force continues to closely monitor suicide trends and heighten awareness with modern preventative tools that address the total psychological health of Airmen and civilians, the Air Force's second-highest ranking military officer said on Capitol Hill July 29.
Alongside his sister service counterparts, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. William Fraser testified before the House Armed Services Committee about current Air Force suicide statistics and the total force approach to counter those numbers through the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program.
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Officials from the 601st Air and Space Operations Center here responded to a call from Federal Aviation Administration officials at approximately 8 p.m. Eastern time July 30 when radio calls to a civilian pilot went unanswered.
F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots flying under the command and control of North American Aerospace Defense Command officials and its geographical component, Continental U.S. NORAD Region, scrambled to make airborne contact with the Cirrus SR-22 aircraft that was bound for Eagle Creek, Ind., from York, Neb.
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With the Post-9/11 GI Bill's option to transfer unused educational benefits to eligible family members taking effect Aug. 1, it's no surprise that more than 25,000 servicemembers have pre-applied, a Pentagon official here said July 31.
The wave of applicants has far exceeded the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments' expectations, said Bob Clark, the Pentagon's assistant director for accessions policy.
What's even more impressive is that the Defense Department's Web site for requesting the benefit has been live only since June 29, he added.
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Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations July 30, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
In Sangin, an Air Force MQ-9A Reaper responded to an enemy threat by firing a precision guided munition on the enemy position. The enemy threat was eliminated.
Coalition aircraft and Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs at Asmar provided support for friendly forces that received small-arms fire from enemy forces. After several shows of force, a precision guided munition was employed and the small-arms fire ceased.
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Electronic Systems Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory personnel demonstrated the powerful capabilities of a small antenna during a flight test conducted earlier this summer here.
The 7-inch-high-by-14-inch-wide antenna performed so well that only one flight test was needed to determine its effectiveness, said Capt. Jeff Zhu, the Air Force program manager.
This first iteration of the Advanced Multiband Communications Antenna System was designed to enable crewmembers aboard various Air Force platforms to receive satellite transmissions from the Military Strategic and Tactical Relay satellite, known as MILSTAR, in the extremely high frequency mode, or EHF.
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Air Force officials have awarded a multi-year performance-based contract to CH2M HILL, Inc. to perform environmental activities at the former Castle Air Force Base near Atwater, Calif., and the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, Calif. This $8.18 million contract runs through 2015.
The objective is completion of as many environmental cleanup sites as possible and process optimization of the few remaining sites at both former bases.
Air Force cleanup has been ongoing at both Castle and Norton since the 1980s. Norton closed in 1994 and Castle closed in 1995. While all major decisions have been made for these sites, some remaining activities require long-term operation and maintenance.
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Airmen at Osan Air Base, South Korea are making preparations for Ulchi Freedom Guardian, a joint bilateral exercise set to start in August. More than 550 military members will participate in the exercise. UFG is a regularly scheduled summer exercise involving forces from both South Korea and the U.S.
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A Wright-Patterson Air Force Base civilian employee living in Beavercreek, Ohio, will receive a complete home redo and be featured on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" television program tentatively planned to air this fall.
Show producers selected James Terpenning, who is confined to a wheelchair due to polio, and his wife, Sharon, have four children under the age of 6.
An avid wheelchair athlete, Mr. Terpenning also has an adopted brother living with him who has cerebral palsy.
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Last month's award of three $30-million concept development contracts for the Space Fence program will yield an outcropping of risk reduction activities designed to improve the overall space surveillance network.
"This is truly a classic multi-contractor, prototyping risk-reduction effort, and a return on the investment of the program to gather data to improve the follow-on phases," said Linda Haines, Space Fence program manager.
The 850th Electronic Systems Group, the Electronic Systems Center organization responsible for the Space Fence's acquisition and development, awarded the three contracts to Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon on June 11.
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