Air Force Us

As part of an effort to extend the military's "warrior culture" to unmanned planes, the Air Force is overhauling how it trains the crews that operate its rapidly growing fleet of Predators, Reapers and other remotely piloted aircraft. The changes in training will affect hundreds of personnel who fly the unmanned aircraft remotely over war zones from distant bases and control their powerful cameras and targeting systems. The effort is part of a move by the Air Force to put as much emphasis on drones as it does on traditional fighters and bombers, officials said.

As part of an effort to extend the military's "warrior culture" to unmanned planes, the Air Force is overhauling how it trains the crews that operate its rapidly growing fleet of Predators, Reapers and other remotely piloted aircraft. The changes in training will affect hundreds of personnel who fly the unmanned aircraft remotely over war zones from distant bases and control their powerful cameras and targeting systems. The effort is part of a move by the Air Force to put as much emphasis on drones as it does on traditional fighters and bombers, officials said.

Northrop Grumman Corp. has stepped up its threat to pull out of a $35-billion competition to build aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. In a letter to the Pentagon's top acquisition official Tuesday, Northrop President Wes Bush said the government's "request for proposal" that outlines requirements for the aircraft favors a bid by its rival, Boeing Co. If the terms are not changed, Northrop might not enter the competition to build 179 tankers, he said. "I must regrettably inform you that, absent a responsive set of changes in the final RFP, Northrop Grumman has determined that it cannot submit a bid," Bush said.

For more than half a century, the disappearance of two Air Force pilots headed from Los Angeles to Yuma, Ariz., remained a mystery. Then last May, a volunteer search team hunting for a long-lost World War II-era female pilot found the shattered remains of the Lockheed T-33 jet missing since Oct. 15, 1955, in about 100 feet of water 1 1/2 miles off Playa del Rey's Dockweiler State Beach. On Friday, descendants of Lts. Richard M. Theiler and Paul D. Smith gathered at the shoreline beneath the LAX flight path to memorialize the two men who vanished 55 years ago. About 40 members of the two families -- some from as far as Spain and Great Britain -- were among 90 or so who heard the pilots eulogized by relatives and by an Air Force chaplain who was accompanied by a pair of uniformed honor guards.

The multibillion-dollar competition to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force is expected to kick off this week as the Pentagon spells out its latest requirements to replace its aging fleet of Eisenhower-era aircraft. But there are already signs that the competition could be derailed once again. Century City-based Northrop Grumman Corp., one of the two contenders, has threatened to withdraw its bid, accusing the Air Force of writing specifications that favor its rival, Boeing Co. The latest specs for the tankers, which refuel warplanes in flight, are due out this week -- possibly as early as Tuesday.

For more than half a century, the disappearance of two Air Force pilots headed from Los Angeles to Yuma, Ariz., remained a mystery. Then last May, a volunteer search team hunting for a long-lost World War II-era female pilot found the shattered remains of the Lockheed T-33 jet missing since Oct. 15, 1955, in about 100 feet of water 1 1/2 miles off Playa del Rey's Dockweiler State Beach. On Friday, descendants of Lts. Richard M. Theiler and Paul D. Smith gathered at the shoreline beneath the LAX flight path to memorialize the two men who vanished 55 years ago. About 40 members of the two families -- some from as far as Spain and Great Britain -- were among 90 or so who heard the pilots eulogized by relatives and by an Air Force chaplain who was accompanied by a pair of uniformed honor guards.

Vice Adm. Paul D. Stroop, 90, the retired Navy vice admiral who commanded the Pacific Fleet for three years during the 1960s. Stroop, a 39-year Navy veteran, retired from the Navy in 1965 and worked until three years ago as a consultant to Ryan Aeronautical and Teledyne of San Diego. Stroop was chief of the Bureau of Weapons in Washington when he was selected in 1962 for promotion to vice admiral and assigned as commander of the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet at North Island.

The estranged husband of attorney Gloria Allred, his daughter and two other officers of his North Hollywood aircraft parts firm were ordered Friday by a federal magistrate to return to Texas to face an indictment charging them with selling counterfeit parts to the Air Force. U.S. Magistrate Ralph Geffen told the four to appear in U.S. District Court in San Antonio after attorneys for the defendants agreed to waive all proceedings here.

A voluminous report released to the public Thursday says jet fuel and solvents have contaminated soil and ground water along the main runway at Edwards Air Force Base, but that the pollution poses no immediate danger to employees or nearby residents. The 17-volume report, the most comprehensive measure to date of soil and ground-water contamination along one of the principal runways at the base, lays the groundwork for what procedures the Air Force can use to clean up the waste.

An enlisted man and woman stationed at Point Mugu Naval Air Station are under investigation for allegedly engaging in lewd acts during an after-hours party at the base, Navy officials said. A Navy spokeswoman said the reported incident occurred about 10 p.m. during a party at a small hut next to an airplane hangar.

The multibillion-dollar competition to build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force is expected to kick off this week as the Pentagon spells out its latest requirements to replace its aging fleet of Eisenhower-era aircraft. But there are already signs that the competition could be derailed once again. Century City-based Northrop Grumman Corp., one of the two contenders, has threatened to withdraw its bid, accusing the Air Force of writing specifications that favor its rival, Boeing Co. The latest specs for the tankers, which refuel warplanes in flight, are due out this week -- possibly as early as Tuesday.

Northrop Grumman Corp. has stepped up its threat to pull out of a $35-billion competition to build aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. In a letter to the Pentagon's top acquisition official Tuesday, Northrop President Wes Bush said the government's "request for proposal" that outlines requirements for the aircraft favors a bid by its rival, Boeing Co. If the terms are not changed, Northrop might not enter the competition to build 179 tankers, he said. "I must regrettably inform you that, absent a responsive set of changes in the final RFP, Northrop Grumman has determined that it cannot submit a bid," Bush said.

A military plane crashed in the woods during an air show Sunday at Willow Grove Naval Air Station, killing the two people aboard, authorities said. The F-14 Tomcat was taking part in one of the final performances at the Willow Grove 2000 Sounds of Freedom show when it went down at 4:43 p.m. in a wooded area near houses outside the base, which is 15 miles north of Philadelphia. The fighter, based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va.

The U.S. Navy has ended combat deployments for the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, the plane glamorized in the movie "Top Gun." The last of the jets will be flown into retirement in September. Six hundred and thirty-two of the twin-engine, swing-wing fighters were built for the Navy by Northrop Grumman Corp., according to the Century City company. The planes entered service in the early 1970s, and the latest version, the F-14D, began flying off Navy aircraft carriers in the early 1990s.