AFMC Command News

  • Chain of successes leads to Reaper operations

    The new MQ-9 Reaper has flown daily missions over Afghanistan since late September. The 658th Aeronautical Systems Squadron, in the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Wing, comprises the team of program managers, functional supporters, testers and logisticians who were behind the team effort of getting the

  • Air Force invests $9.5 million in research program

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced Oct. 19 it will award $9.5 million in grants to 29 scientists and engineers who submitted winning research proposals through the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program. The program is open to scientists and engineers at research

  • EOD sergeant receives Bronze Star Medal

    An explosive ordnance division sergeant received a Bronze Star Medal for his performance during his deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Master Sgt. David Larriva, 95th Civil Engineering and Transportation Directorate Explosive Ordnance Division chief, received the medal during an award

  • Global Hawk passes fuel test

    The 452nd Flight Test Squadron pushed the RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 20 to its fuel system limits during a weeklong starvation test here in October. The testing involved tilting the aircraft to a 20-degree angle while running the aircraft out of fuel inside the weight and balance hangar. "The testing is

  • AFMC bases participate in DOD safety initiatives

    When the Secretary of Defense called for a 75 percent reduction in mishaps throughout the DOD in May, two Air Force Materiel Command bases answered the call.Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is serving as lead installation for the Department of Defense Safety and Occupational Health Council, or DSOC,

  • Creation of high-power airborne laser systems could destroy missiles

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research is funding research at the University of Notre Dame to advance the knowledge of near-field aero-optic deviations and their effect on directed energy. Aerodynamic flows around aircraft structures induce density variations in the boundary layer flows and

  • AFMC helps develop hybrid truck technology

    When it comes to heavy-duty, special purpose vehicles, most Americans imagine a gas guzzling engine and tons of unfriendly emissions taking their toll on the environment.But the Air Force's Advanced Power Technology Office, or APTO, here is working to change the stereotype and prove heavy-duty

  • Researchers fine-tune F-35 pilot-aircraft speech system

    When the first F-35 Lightning II rolls out in 2008, communications between pilot and aircraft will enter a new era thanks in part to testing and analysis conducted at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Human Effectiveness Directorate. The F-35 will be the first U. S. fighter aircraft with a speech

  • Hanscom applies AFSO21 principles to improve patient access

    "What is better for the patient?" was the question that was asked repeatedly during the 66th Medical Group's three-day Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century workshop held here Oct. 3-5. The event focused on the flow of primary care patients through the Hanscom Clinic, a process that has

  • AFMC captures 10 Presidential Rank Awards

    White House officials recently announced the 2007 Presidential Rank Awards and 10 civilians assigned to various Air Force Materiel Command agencies were among the Air Force's 16 recipients. These awards recognize career civilian senior executive service and senior professional individuals. The

  • Robins officer makes a splash with Air Force swim team

    While not crunching numbers as a budget analyst for the 78th Comptroller Squadron, one Robins first lieutenant is busy making a splash in the pool. Ryan Fitzgerald, former team captain for the Air Force Academy swim team who specialized in long distance events, was recently selected for the Air

  • Air Force Heritage Week wraps up in Columbus

    Approximately 250,000 spectators gathered at Rickenbacker International Airport Sept. 29-30 as the Columbus airport hosted the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show in conjunction with Air Force Heritage week. Visitors saw aircraft ranging from vintage P-51 Mustangs to state-of-the-art F-22s

  • Hypersonic vehicle completes inaugural flight

    A hypersonic vehicle comprised of five innovative payloads accomplished a successful, six-minute flight during its initial mission Sept. 20. Launched on a U.S. Navy-supplied rocket, the Re-Entry Structures Experiment, or RESE, reached an altitude of 95,000 feet at Mach 5 (five times the speed of