Daily Report | Air and Space Force Magazine

Biden says US will not supply weapons to Israel to attack Rafah

The Associated Press

President Joe Biden said on May 8 that he would not provide offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out attack on Rafah – the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza – due to concerns about the well-being of more than 1 million citizens sheltering Israel. over there.

The Air Force’s ULTRA Long-Endurance Glider-style drone is now operating in the Middle East

The war zone

The U.S. Air Force now operates its Unmanned Long-endurance Tactical Reconnaissance Aircraft, or ULTRA, from Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. The drone was developed as a low-cost, ultra-long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, one of a number of efforts to close critical gaps in the Air Force’s reconnaissance capabilities.

OPINION: Congress should approve the Pentagon’s latest multi-year procurement pitch

Defense news

“The Pentagon recently sent Congress a draft bill to consider this year that reads like an advertisement for a Costco-like approach to hardware purchasing. In their proposal, Pentagon leaders tout the power of long-term consistent demand and the benefits of buying enough products to achieve economies of scale,” wrote Mackenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank .

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AFSOC focuses on V-22 replacement and plans ‘marginal’ solutions

Aviation week

The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is exploring short-term solutions to keep the Bell Boeing CV-22 fleet healthy when it returns to flight, but is looking more closely at the rapid vertical take-off and landing (HSVTOL) capability past the Osprey.

Police who shot Florida Airman six times in his home may have entered the wrong apartment, family says

Military.com

An attorney for the family of a Florida special operations airman who was shot in his home by local police said May 8 that officers responding to a reported disturbance may have entered the wrong apartment.

Air Force Takeover of Tsar Delays Major Milestone for Ground-Moving Target Satellites

Break defense

The Department of the Air Force has postponed certification of a design baseline for the Space Force’s program at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to develop a new satellite system to track moving targets on the ground — with Space Acquisition Czar Frank Calvelli authorized the review at Time to identify the likely costs of the program, a spokesman for his office said.

Pentagon issues new guidelines to address industry complaints about ATO process

DefenseScoop

In direct response to recent complaints from industry officials about how the Authority to Operate (ATO) process is hindering rapid technology and software innovation, Defense Department leadership has issued new guidance aimed at resolving reciprocity issues in risk management and cybersecurity.

C-130 Floatplane program put on pause by Special Operations Command

The war zone

The US military is pumping the brakes on a high-profile program intended to convert an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport aircraft into a seaplane. The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has largely attributed this decision to budget pressures. At the same time, SOCOM is also actively exploring alternative ways to provide additional air mobility, especially in the event of a potential conflict in the Pacific against China.

Key appropriators in the Senate signal a push for a higher defense top line for FY25

Break defense

The two leaders of the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee indicated they will push for the Pentagon’s 2025 budget to eclipse the roughly $850 billion requested by the Biden administration. Sens. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat who chairs the subcommittee, and Susan Collins, the ranking Republican from Maine, said they believe the military needs more money despite a budget cap imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The National Space Council will examine the roles and responsibilities of military space and intelligence services

Space News

The National Space Council will delve into the issue of national security space roles and responsibilities, Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the council, said on May 8 at the GEOINT Symposium 2024. In discussions with various departments, agencies, services and combatant commanders, the National Space Council examines the ongoing tug-of-war between military leaders concerned about rapid access to images and data, and intelligence leaders who emphasize the need to verify information. and gather insights.

One more thing

Space Force finds a Cold War satellite that has been missing for 25 years

Popular science

The US Space Force has located a small experimental satellite after it remained in orbit for two and a half decades. Hopefully they can keep an eye on it forever, unlike last time. The S73-7 infrared calibration balloon (IRCB) was dead on arrival after ejecting from one of the Air Force’s largest orbital spy camera systems of the Cold War. Although it successfully left the KH-9 Hexagon reconnaissance satellite about 500 miles above Earth in 1974, the S73-7 failed to inflate to its full 26-inch diameter. The glitch prevented the device from helping ground-based equipment triangulate remote sensing arrays, turning it into yet another pile of space junk.