F-35, A New Tanker, And UAVs Top The Year For The Armed Forces

The year in military aviation was highlighted by significant milestones for the 5th generation Joint Strike Fighter and the announcement that a U.S.-based company would build the replacement for the aging KC-135 tanker.

But there were also significant experiments in hypersonic aircraft, and a stealthy military spacecraft is, as far as we know, still in orbit. Here are the top stories in military aviation for 2011.

January

Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., Commander, United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), permanently relieved Capt. Owen Honors of his duties as commanding officer of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) for demonstrating poor judgment while serving as executive officer of that ship.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (pictured) announced a series of efficiencies decisions designed to save the Department of Defense more than $150 billion over the next five years primarily by reducing overhead costs, improving business practices and culling excess or troubled programs.  Most of the resulting savings will be used by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force to invest in high priority programs that strengthen warfighting capabilities.

The Chinese J-20 Black Eagle stealth fighter that is reportedly being developed as a rival to the F-22 Raptor flew for the first time, and the demonstration may have been planned to coincide with a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The Marine Corps performed a significant maneuver with the Corps’ short take-off and vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, the STOVL F-35B Lightning II.  The BF-2, a test version of the fighter jet, accomplished its first vertical landing and conversion back to normal flight. 

The German government reached an agreement with Airbus to buy 53 of the A400M airlifters, and plans to sell 13 to outside parties. The agreement reportedly removes the final hurdle to completing the long-overdue and over-budget transport aircraft.

The U.S. Navy announced the award of a $1.6 billion contract to Boeing for P-8A Poseidon aircraft Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of six aircraft. This first LRIP contract also includes spares, logistics and training devices. Production of the first LRIP aircraft was set to begin at Boeing's Renton, WA, facility.

February

In a statement spanning 15 pages, Capt. Owen Honors defended the practice of producing and showing a series of videos some have described as "vulgar" and "profane". Capt. Honors produced the videos while he was the XO of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise, and the controversy around them cost him his command of that ship.

Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Navy conducted a successful first flight of the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) aircraft. The first flight was conducted under hazy skies at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), CA, on February 4th, and began at 1409 PST and lasted 29 minutes.

After a series of extensive ground and simulator training events, Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus completed the first flight by a U.S. Navy test pilot in an F-35.

The Boeing Company's final proposal for the U.S. Air Force’s KC-X tanker competition was submitted to the U.S. Air Force. The proposal offers a fleet of Boeing NewGen Tankers -- multi-mission aircraft based on the 767 platform -- that Boeing says will deliver superior capabilities to U.S. warfighters.

The C-17 Globemaster III was certified for unlimited usage of hydroprocessed blended biofuels known as hydrotreated renewable jet fuels, Air Force officials said. "This certification marks the Air Force's first platform to be fully certified using an HRJ blend," said Dr. Kevin Geiss, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy.

In a technical milestone never before achieved, AeroVironment says it has demonstrated controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two-wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates may have gotten his wish about the more conservative GOP majority in the House, which voted to cancel the F136 engine program. A group of first-time legislators, many associated with the Tea Party, broke with the more mainstream Republicans led by House Speaker John Boehner to vote for $16 billion in defense spending cuts, including the F136 engine.

Boeing will continue to build tankers for the U.S. Air Force. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley announced that the $35 billion contract for the new tanker, designated KC-46A, would be awarded to the U.S. planemaker.

The first production model of the F-35 Lightning II made its inaugural flight in preparation for delivery to the U.S. Air Force this spring. The jet will head to Edwards Air Force Base, CA, to support developmental testing shortly after the Air Force takes delivery.

March

Air Force technicians launched the second X-37B March 5, officials said. The Orbital Test Vehicle-2 launch comes on the heels of the successful flight of OTV-1, which made an autonomous landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, Dec. 3 after 224 days in space. According to officials, post-flight analysis of OTV-1 revealed OTV-2 needed no significant changes, but detailed assessments of the first mission are ongoing.

The first flight of the 2nd prototype of the fifth generation Sukhoi aviation complex (PAK FA) took place in Komsomolsk - on - Amur Thursday. The plane was flown by Russian Federation test pilot Sergey Bogdan. The flight lasted about 44 minutes, and landed on the factory airfield runway.

The U.S. Air Force accepted MQ-1 Predator tail number 268, the last manufactured for the service, in a ceremony at General Atomics' Gray Butte Aeronautical Systems' Flight Ops Facility. Col. James Beissner, Air Combat Command's Chief Irregular Warfare Division, accepted the aircraft on behalf of the Air Force in front of a crowd of more than 800.

The Pentagon  grounded the entire fleet of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters after an "A" model developed an oil leak and suffered a double generator failure in flight. The setback comes despite good progress reportedly being made in the flight testing of the 5th generation fighter. Pentagon officials said the program was moving along well in congressional testimony.

Sustainable Oils said Monday that a jet fuel derived from its camelina powered the successful test flight of a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft. The aircraft was powered by a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina.

The Department of Defense  issued a "Stop Work" order to the GE/Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine team instructing them to stop efforts on the F136 for 2011 once the current funding runs out at the end of March.

April

EADS and Airbus concluded contract amendment negotiations with OCCAR and the seven A400M launch customer nations. The contract amendment was signed today in Seville by Patrick Bellouard, Director of OCCAR – Executive Agency, and Airbus Military CEO Domingo Ureña, in the presence of Spanish Minister of Defence Carme Chacón. National armament directors and other representatives from customer nations also attended the ceremony.

The Marine Corps completed an aviation first, April 8, by flying MV-22B Ospreys on the aircraft's longest movement to date. Six Ospreys with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 returned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit after a trek from Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, to Souda Bay, Greece, with the assistance of a pair of KC-130J Hercules from 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) who provided transport and aerial refueling support.

A special exhibit honoring the Centennial of Naval Aviation opened at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum on April 30. The exhibit features the Museum's reproduction of the 1911 Curtiss A-1 Triad, the U.S. Navy's first aircraft. Seated in this seaplane are realistic figures of aviation pioneer and Hammondsport native, Glenn Hammond Curtiss, with his student, Lt. Theodore Ellyson, who was to become U.S. Naval Aviator number 1.

May

Boeing's Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system (UAS) successfully completed its first flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The 17-minute flight took place following a series of high-speed taxi tests in March that validated ground guidance, navigation and control and verified mission planning, pilot interface and operational procedures.

The U.S. Air Force  accepted into its fleet the first of a planned 1,763 production-model Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. The signing of formal acceptance documents for the jet, known as AF-7, took place at Lockheed Martin's F-35 final assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, May 5. The jet flew to Edwards Air Force Base, CA, on Friday to begin its flight testing program.

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) voted Wednesday to allow GE and Rolls-Royce to continue the self-funded development of the F136 engine. The Pentagon formally canceled the alternative engine program last month. The 54-5 vote came on an amendment to the House version of the 2012 Pentagon spending bill.

The commanding officer of the Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron was relieved of command by chief of naval air training May 27. Cmdr. Dave Koss requested that Rear Adm. Bill Sizemore relieve him of his command following a lower-than-normal maneuver during the team's last performance at the Lynchburg Regional Air Show May 22.

June

A change of command ceremony for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center took place Friday, June 3. Lt. Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski became the first female commander of the 5,000 people assigned to SMC and responsible for executing the center's $10 billion annual budget to acquire and sustain most of the nation's military space capabilities. She will assume command from Lt. Gen. John T. "Tom" Sheridan, who has served as the commander since May 2008.

The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, resumed all previously scheduled performances for the 2011 season beginning with Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa. During the past two weeks, the Blue Angels completed rigorous training and air show demonstration practice to integrate Capt. Greg McWherter, the new commanding officer and flight leader, back into the flight demonstration team.

File Photo

The B-17 restored by The Liberty Foundation in Miami went down in a cornfield near Chicago. While all seven people on board the aircraft survived, the rare warbird was lost due to a post-crash fire.

A second test of the X-51A Waverider flew June 13, 2011, in the Point Mugu Naval Air Test Range over the Pacific Ocean, bringing significant hypersonic research data in a less than successful flight test. The hypersonic aircraft was successfully boosted to just over Mach 5, and the scramjet engine lit but failed to transition to full power.

The prototype of Evektor's new EV-55M made its first flight from Kunovice airport in the Czech Republic Friday. The airplane was flown by Evektor test pilot Josef Charvát and military pilot Major Jirí Hána. The EV-55M is a military variant of the multi-purpose EV-55 Outback airplane, a high-wing, twin-engine, turboprop airplane designed to carry  9 - 14 passengers or 4,000 pounds of cargo at a cruising speed of 220 knots.

July

The first production model F-35 Lightning II to be assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing arrived at Eglin AFB in Florida Thursday at 1318 CDT after its more than 90-minute ferry flight from Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft, known as AF-9, will be used for activities in concert with training F-35 pilots and maintainers who begin coursework at the base's new F-35 Integrated Training Center this fall.

Following the retirement of the Nimrod MR2 fleet last year, the final two Nimrods, in service with 51 Squadron, recently bowed out to a 700-strong audience of serving and retired RAF personnel at a ceremony held at RAF Waddington.

The first P-8A Poseidon production aircraft completed its first flight on July 7, taking off from Renton Field and landing three hours later at Boeing Field in Seattle. The P-8A is the first of six low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft Boeing is building for the U.S. Navy as part of a $1.6 billion contract awarded in January.

August

Flight testing was been suspended for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for a third time after an Integrated Power Package (IPP) failed on aircraft AF-4 during a ground maintenance test run. The failure occurred at about 0830 local time at Edwards AFB in California, according to a statement from the F-35 Program Office.

In one of the deadliest days in the history of recent Afghan military operations, a NATO CH-47 Chinook was shot down by hostile forces of the Taliban. The CH-47 went down in Afghanistan's Wardak province. Sources speaking on behalf of the Taliban claim that 'it fired a rocket at the helicopter during a battle' during which eight militants were killed in a raid on their hideout.

DARPA’s second flight test of the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 launched  aboard an Air Force Minotaur IV rocket. DARPA updates indicated that the launch appeared to go well, but monitoring stations lost contact with the Falcon during the glide phase of the flight.

The F-35 Joint Program Office authorized a return to ground operations for the F-35 developmental test (DT) aircraft. This was the first step in returning the F-35 fleet to full flight operations. A precautionary suspension of both ground and flight operations for the program was issued Aug. 3.

Civil Air Patrol National Vice Commander Brig. Gen. Charles L. “Chuck” Carr Jr. (pictured) of Columbus, Ohio, was elected national commander by the CAP National Board, one of the nonprofit organization’s governing bodies, and Middle East Region Commander Col. Joseph R. Vazquez of Richmond, Va., was elected national vice commander.

An RAF Red Arrows aircraft went down in the midst of a Saturday afternoon airshow at the Bournemouth (UK) Air Festival. The nine-ship military formation aerobatic team was in the midst of concluding a public demonstration flight when one aircraft apparently separated from the formation and impacted the ground close to the nearby Stour river.

The U.S. Air Force cleared the F35 JSF to return to flight testing following a two-week stand down. The program had been suspended following a problem that cropped up in a power system in one of the test airplanes stationed at Edwards Air Force Base.

September

The U.S. Air Force transferred the final sector of northern Iraq's airspace to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority on Aug. 25. With the assumption of this sector, the ICAA received control of airspace in Kirkuk from ground level to 15,000 feet.

The Blue Angels' F/A-18 Hornet aircraft used a biofuel blend during their performances at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Air Expo over the Labor Day weekend. All six Hornets were powered by a 50/50 blend of conventional JP-5 jet fuel and a camelina-based biofuel.

Just weeks after the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter got back to flight testing, a new design problem has cropped up. An aluminum beam in the wing structure has been found to be "defective," an issue that could lower the aircraft's wing life from 8,000 hours, or about 25 operational years, to just 1,200 hours, which equates to about five years of flying.

In a brief statement, the U.S. Air Force announced that the Air Combat Command had canceled the remaining 2011 schedule of air show appearances for the F-22 Raptor. The action is intended to permit F-22 wings to focus all flying activity toward returning the F-22 to mission-ready status.

The KC-46 Tanker program successfully completed its Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) with the U.S. Air Force at Boeing program headquarters in Mukilteo, WA. The assessment, attended by senior Air Force program officials, validated the program’s technical scope and finalized key milestones for the design and development phase of the Air Force's next-generation aerial refueling tanker.

October

The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration aircraft reached a major milestone when it retracted its landing gear and flew in its cruise configuration for the first time.

File Photo

The official investigation into the downing of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan on August 6th indicates that the aircrew was not at fault for the accident. The aircraft was brought down by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) fired by Taliban militants with 38 people fatally injured.

The FAA completed final certification for Embraer's 314 Super Tucano aircraft, paving the way for the airplane to be placed on contract with Tactical Air Defense Services (TADF). The company had acquired the airplane through a joint-venture Services Agreement with Tactical Air Support ("TacAir").

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) headed back to its homeport after spending three weeks at sea hosting the initial sea trials of the F-35B Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The first F-35B landed on Wasp's flight deck October 3, beginning an 18-day test period for the aircraft.

CAP operations are being severely restricted by the nation's budget issues. The CAP said "To ensure Civil Air Patrol's continued support for critical U.S. Air Force-assigned missions, some aspects of the organization's operations are being temporarily paused during the continuing federal budget uncertainty."

November

F-35 integrated test force personnel and F-35C test aircraft CF-3 returned to NAS Patuxent River after completing two major catapult test events. Starting this past summer, the test team put the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter through its first set of catapult launches.

Some 436 captains and majors in the United States Air Force are finding that joining the military was not necessarily a guarantee against losing their jobs. The Air Force plans to lay off that number of mid-grade officers as part of a staffing level adjustment due the services' highest retention rate in 16 years.

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command conducted the first test flight of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) concept Thursday.  A first-of-its-kind glide vehicle, designed to fly within the earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic speed and long range, was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii to the Reagan Test Site, U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll.

Hawker Beechcraft received official notification from the United States Air Force that the Beechcraft AT-6 has been excluded from continuing in the Light Air Support (LAS) bidding process. As a result they have requested a review of the USAF Light Air Support Bidding decision.

December

GE and Rolls announced they'll discontinue further development of the F-136 alternate engine for the F-35. The decision has implications for employment in Ohio and other states, and means the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which won the original competition years ago, will remain the sole engine used in the Joint Strike Fighter.

The USAF released its official report on an accident which occurred November 16th of last year in Alaska in which a pilot was lost and an F-22 Raptor was destroyed. The report suggests that the distraction caused by the pilots' attempt to activate the emergency oxygen system was the primary cause of the accident.

The Japan Ministry of Defense announced its selection of the F-35 Lightning II as the Japan Air Self Defense Force's (JASDF) next generation fighter aircraft, following the F-X competitive bid process.

US government threw the book at a southern-Oregon company it claims has sold "nonconforming, defective and counterfeit products" to the Department of Defense on at least 392 separate occasions.

Hawker Beechcraft confirmed that they will file a suit with the Court of Federal Claims following notification late last week that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has declined to review its protest of the decision by the U.S. Air Force to exclude the company's Beechcraft AT-6 from the Light Air Support (LAS) competition.

FMI: www.aero-news.net