Page 2 - Aerotech News and Review, August 21, 2020

AF announces F-35/F-15EX Guard locations
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The Air Force plans to replace the Air National Guard’s aging F-15C Eagles in Florida and Oregon with the service’s newest air superiority aircraft.
Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, Fla., will begin receiving F-35 Lightning IIs in 2024; King- sley Field, Ore., will host the Air Force’s first F-15EX formal training mission beginning in 2022; and the unit at Portland Air National Guard Base will become the first operational F-15EX squadron in 2023.
The Air Force’s F-15Cs are aging and expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s.
The Air Force also plans to replace the remain- ing Air National Guard operational F-15C/D bases (Barnes Airport, Mass., Fresno Yosemite Airport, Calif., and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans) with either F-35As or F-15EXs. Na- val Air Station Lemoore, Calif., is also being con- sidered for F-35As.
“The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” said Lt. Gen. Mike Loh, Air National Guard director. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the To- tal Air Force into the future.”
The Air Force will now conduct on-the-ground site surveys at each of these locations to assess operational requirements, potential impacts to ex- isting missions, infrastructure and manpower, and costs before deciding which aircraft will replace the F-15C mission.
The Air Force will complete the required Envi- ronmental Impact Analysis Process before making
COLLIER, from 1
of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said. “Most Ameri- cans use space daily for navigation, information, and communication. Sophisticated and uncrewed, the X-37B advances reusable spaceplane technolo- gies and operates experiments in space that are re- turned for further examination on earth.”
Boeing also facilitates the integration of experi- ments into the X-37B system and helps identify future reusable-platform experiment opportunities for each mission. X-37B is the 33rd Boeing effort to receive a Collier.
“We are truly honored that the women and men of the X-37B team are being recognized with the Collier Trophy,” said Boeing Defense, Space & Se- curity President and CEO Leanne Caret. “Not only have they earned a place among our industry’s leg- ends through their commitment to innovation and performance, but their accomplishments will influ- ence the next generation of space and aerospace development for the benefit of all humanity.”
The X-37B prevailed over a diverse group of nine finalists that included the latest iteration of the Airborne Collision Avoidance System team, or ACAS, credited with “reducing the risk of midair aircraft collisions and close calls.”
Other nominees included the updated Hubble Space Telescope that allows scientists “to explore the universe in ways that no single mission could ever accomplish alone,” and Project Heaviside, “a high-performance electric vertical-takeoff-and- landing vehicle” that could eventually “free people from traffic.”
Technologies and products also considered for the 2019 Collier included the Bombardier Global 7500 and the Gulfstream G500 and G600 business jets offering range, seating capacity and perfor- mance that “transformed business aviation.” Still another finalist was the magni500 electric propul- sion system, a series of high-power-density elec- tric motors designed to move aircraft cleanly and efficiently.
While the trophy reflects the work and innovation of teams across the Department of the Air Force, it is especially significant for the nascent U.S. Space Force, the first new branch of the military since
a final decision.
Currently, four active duty operational locations
— Hill Air Force Base, Utah; RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; Eielson AFB, Alaska; and Tyn- dall AFB, Fla. — have been identified to host the F-35A.
Additionally, three Air National Guard loca- tions — Burlington ANGB, Vt.; Dannelly Field, Ala.; and Truax Field, Wisc.; and one Air Force Reserve location – Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas — have been identified as F-35 locations.
Capt. Kristin Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot, performs the “dedication pass” maneuver during practice at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, June 16, 2020. The maneuver is intended to provide an aerial salute to service members past and present.
Air Force photograph
The Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission 5 successfully landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility, Fla., Oct. 27, 2019.
Air Force photograph by Capt. Kip Sumner
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Aerotech News and Review
August 21, 2020
1947, that was created in December 2019.
The X-37B provides the Department of the Air Force the ability to conduct experiments and per-
form other functions in earth orbit.
“The X-37B team win of the 2019 National
Aeronautic Association Robert J. Collier Trophy exemplifies the kind of lean, agile and innovative technological development our nation needs to se- cure its interests,” said Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations.
“The ability to test new systems in space and return them to Earth is unique to the X-37B and enables the U.S. to more efficiently and effectively develop space power to maintain superiority in the space domain,” Raymond said.
Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., also praised the selection.
“The X-37 is a successful example of integrated operations between the Air Force, Space Force, and government-industry partnerships,” Brown said. “Reusable space vehicle technologies are a signifi-
cant contributor to accelerating capabilities for the Department of Defense and the nation.”
In all, the spaceplane has flown six missions since being launched for the first time on April 22, 2010.
In 2019 the X-37B set a new 780-day on-orbit endurance record and completed an overflight of the United States, using Federal Aviation Administra- tion airspace, before landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. That mission broke the previous on- orbit record of 718 days that also was held by the X-37B.
In all, the program has logged more than 2,865 days and travelled more than 1 billion miles on or- bit.
This is the ninth Collier Trophy shared by the U.S Department of the Air Force and its forerun- ners, and Boeing and its legacy companies. Prior shared wins include iconic air and space achieve- ments like the B-52, X-15, Global Positioning Sys- tem and the C-17 Globemaster III.
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