AFCEA - Los Angeles

The final flight of the X-51A Waverider test program has accomplished a breakthrough in the development of flight reaching Mach 5.1 over the Pacific Ocean May 1.

"It was a full mission success," said Charlie Brink, the X-51A program manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate.

The cruiser traveled more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif. It was the longest of the four X-51A test flights and the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever.
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The final flight of the X-51A Waverider test program has accomplished a breakthrough in the development of flight reaching Mach 5.1 over the Pacific Ocean May 1.

"It was a full mission success," said Charlie Brink, the X-51A program manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate.

The cruiser traveled more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif. It was the longest of the four X-51A test flights and the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever.
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An Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed May 3 in northern Kyrgyzstan. Emergency response crews are on scene. The status of the crew is unknown.

The crew and aircraft are assigned to the Transit Center at Manas near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

(Courtesy 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs)
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Airmen from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing loaded pallets of humanitarian aid on to a C-17 Globemaster III early April 30 at an undisclosed air base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The cargo was bound for Syrian refugees displaced from their homes during the ongoing fighting in their country.

The Airmen, deployed to a U.S. ally nation, loaded the Air Mobility Command C-17, based out Dover Air Force Base, Del., with Halal meals and medical aid. The mission demonstrated the flexibility and range of the C-17, which is capable of rapid delivery of all types of cargo in support of missions worldwide.
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Warrior Games, a spirited competition that pits wounded , ill or injured service members and veterans against their representative services continues into its fourth year as teams converge on Colorado Springs, Colo., beginning May 11.

This year, 50 Airmen or former Airmen will compete in individual and team sports that include archery, cycling, shooting, swimming, track and field, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
Over the next two weeks you'll get a close-up look at these warriors and the long road they've travelled from, in some cases death's door, to becoming some of the premier wounded athletes in the country.
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This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

View the slideshow.
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Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m.

Did you ever have a question about a specific personnel function and needed to be pointed in the right direction?

The myPers website provides all Air Force members a source to search for information regarding personnel programs, to complete personnel transactions, and to chat live with a subject matter expert.

The Air Force Personnel Center and Air Reserve Personnel Center celebrate the one-year anniversary of its myPers website renaming May 21. MyPers has provided the Total Force a unified product to accomplish online personnel services which can be accessed 24/7 from a military or personal computer using a common access card or login identification and password.
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A new, lighter, mobile 30 mm ammo linker system is set for delivery to Air Force Special Operations Command units here in May.

The 89-pound apparatus can feed 15 unattached 30 mm rounds into MK-15 links via a crank system and was created and designed by Eglin Air Force Base's munitions materiel handling equipment Airmen. The MMHE Focal Point, a section under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's armament directorate, specializes in developing locally manufactured equipment for the Air Force ammo and weapons communities.
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A new, lighter, mobile 30 mm ammo linker system is set for delivery to Air Force Special Operations Command units here in May.

The 89-pound apparatus can feed 15 unattached 30 mm rounds into MK-15 links via a crank system and was created and designed by Eglin Air Force Base's munitions materiel handling equipment Airmen. The MMHE Focal Point, a section under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's armament directorate, specializes in developing locally manufactured equipment for the Air Force ammo and weapons communities.
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An F-16 Fighting Falcon's radar warning emits an eerie, distinct pattern as the jet soars over the Northern Pacific Ocean, moving closer and closer toward hostile territory. The warning tone means one thing -- missiles are inbound.

This can end one of two ways: a surface-to-air missile, or SAM, rips through the jet, or the enemy radar SAM site is rendered useless.

This intense training scenario is the new norm for 35th Fighter Wing pilots here as it provides the most effective real-life training they have encountered in more than 50 years here.
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The Air Force awarded a contract to FlightSafety Services Corporation on May 1, taking a major step forward in achieving the service's top acquisition priority - delivering a new aerial refueling capability to the warfighter.

The contract, a Fixed Price Incentive Firm (FPIF) and Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract of $78,369,818 which includes an initial obligation of $1 million, is for engineering, manufacturing, and development of the KC-46A Aircrew Training System (ATS).

The remaining amount will be incrementally funded. The contract contains options for production, training, operations and sustainment that if exercised will increase the value of the contract.
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The Air Force awarded a contract to FlightSafety Services Corporation on May 1, taking a major step forward in achieving the service's top acquisition priority - delivering a new aerial refueling capability to the warfighter.

The contract, a Fixed Price Incentive Firm (FPIF) and Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract of $78,369,818 which includes an initial obligation of $1 million, is for engineering, manufacturing, and development of the KC-46A Aircrew Training System (ATS).

The remaining amount will be incrementally funded. The contract contains options for production, training, operations and sustainment that if exercised will increase the value of the contract.
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Contracts valued at $5 million or more are announced each business day at 5 p.m.

A memorial service was held May 1, at Fort Lesley J. McNair for a general and his wife who recently passed away.

Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown, IV, who served as the commandant for the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, and his wife, Sue, died April 19 when their plane accidentally crashed near a small airport in Williamsburg, Va.

As people talked at the ceremony, a common theme came to light - friendship.
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Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will make a decision soon on the scope of civilian furloughs in response to sequestration spending cuts, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Hagel is reviewing analysis on the budget "and he'll reach a decision in the near future," Little told reporters.

Little acknowledged news reports that some services contend they do not need to use furloughs to make their sequestration goals.

"There are different pockets of money in different places for each of the services," he said. "To be totally straightforward, the math does work for some services to avoid some furloughs, at a minimum. For other services, it is harder."
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In the quiet darkness surrounding the flightline here, the awaiting aircraft roars to life with an escalated screech, and cool air rushes to fill the newly-lit cabin.

As the chill meets the lingering humid air within the aircraft, a smoke-like fog diffuses into the nooks and crevices around the computer stations and throughout the cockpit.

While it sounds like a mysterious and menacing science fiction movie, this is a commonplace occurrence for the E-3 Sentry crew from the 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron.
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I recently read an article that cited a number of studies on the benefits of preschool. As the father of three school-aged children, it was interesting to me because it validated a number of beliefs that I had on the advantages of starting learning early in a young brain. What I didn't expect though, were the lessons and benefits that were shown to carry forward into adulthood, and the rewards of challenging ourselves over a lifetime.

In a nutshell, the preschool studies that began in the early 1970s reversed the previous thinking that infants and toddlers needed nothing more than their basic needs of food, clothing and shelter to be met for them to thrive.
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"Since I didn't bow, he took the bottle and busted my teeth out," he said.

A Japanese sergeant dropped a bottle of Coke where John was supposed to walk, so he picked it up and gave it to him. Afterwards, he was punished for his lack of "respect."

John Mims, a Bataan Death March survivor, and approximately 70,000 other Filipino and American prisoners of war endured the torturous march in April, 1942. During the march, POWs were forced to walk 80 miles through the Philippines to the captured Camp O'Donnell. The prisoners were stabbed if they could not keep up, and those who were not bayoneted would most likely die from disease or decapitation before the end of the war.
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It's important for children to learn financial life skills early on to maintain financial security and avoid woes in adulthood, a Defense Department official said.

Barbara Thompson, the director of DOD's office of family policy and children and youth, said in an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel that the department continues to encourage military families to sidestep debt by creating a feasible spending plan and using resources that are available to them for achieving financial stability.
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