Air Force Maj. Gen. Harry M. “Bud” Wyatt III, currently serving as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, was confirmed last evening to his appointment as the Director of the Air National Guard.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Loren M. Reno, serving as commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Air Force Material Command at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, was confirmed to his appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support.Both officers will be promoted to the grade of Lieutenant General in their new roles.
Boeing has been awarded a $28.8 million sole-source U.S. Navy contract to upgrade the service's fleet of 16 E-6B airborne command, control and communications aircraft.
In support of ongoing E6-B spiral development activities, the first phase of the Internet Protocol Bandwidth Expansion program will use commercial-off-the-shelf technology to increase the aircraft's wideband communications capabilities, allowing for real-time data transmission on the jet. Work on the first aircraft will be completed in 2010.
"This is an important upgrade for the E-6 fleet that will provide our warfighters with much greater situational awareness and allow them to more effectively comply with increasingly complex global airspace requirements," said John Fraser, Boeing E-6B program manager.
The E-6B is a modified Boeing 707 that provides survivable, durable and reliable airborne command, control and communications in support of the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command.
"The Navy's E-6B is a key component of our nation's strategic nuclear forces. As the original aircraft manufacturer, Boeing plays an essential role in support of this critical national asset," said Fraser.
"We have worked closely with our Navy customer to understand their needs and provide them with the solutions they need to keep the E-6B a viable platform well into the future."
The E-6B program reports to Integrated Defense Systems Support Systems' Special Air Mission (SAM) organization, which modifies executive transport aircraft for U.S. government and military customers.
"The E-6B contract fits perfectly into the SAM portfolio of aircraft," said Leanne Caret, director of SAM programs for Boeing. "The SAM team will continue to provide the products and services our customers need to perform their very critical mission of command and control for the U.S. government and military."
The E-6B program office is located in Oklahoma City, Okla.; however, much of the initial non-recurring effort for both engineering and installation will be conducted at the Boeing Support Systems facility in Wichita, Kan.
Recent financial reports from U.S. aircraft manufacturer Northrop Grumman showed $2 billion in mystery money ("restricted programs", or secret stuff.)
This means an unnamed "black project," and one of the likely ones is a prototype of the U.S. Air Force's next generation heavy bomber. The air force has been openly discussing building their next heavy bomber as pilotless, or as a "crew optional" aircraft.
Meanwhile, over the past few years, considerable work has been done on smaller UAV bombers, that appear to be small scale versions of larger aircraft. The prime suspect is the X47B, a 15 ton, 36 feet long UAV, with a wingspan of 47 feet. It has a two ton payload and able to stay in the air for twelve hours. This is actually a navy project, a scaled up model of the X47A.
The Department of Defense wants the air force and navy to agree on a single design, although the navy version will need stronger landing gear and better corrosion protection (from the salt water exposure) for carrier operations.
Nevertheless, the X47B has "scale model prototype of UAV heavy bomber" written all over it. The $2 billion that Northrop Grumman had to show in its mandatory (as a corporation whose stock is publicly traded) financial reports would cover the costs for that.
The state Senate dedicated another original painting Tuesday morning. “Tinker Field”, by Midwest City artist R.T. Foster, is sponsored by Senator Cliff and DeeAnn Aldridge and commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund.
“DeeAnn and I are so honored to sponsor this beautiful piece of art,” said Aldridge, R-Midwest City. “Tinker has played a tremendous role not only in our state’s economy being the largest employer, but over the years and even today it continues to be a strong link in our country’s military system.”
The history of Tinker Air Force Base began in 1940 when a group of Oklahoma City businessmen learned that the War Department was considering the central United States as a location for a maintenance and supply depot. City leaders offered a 480 acre site with an option of 960 additional acres of land. On April 8, 1941, the order was officially signed awarding the depot to Oklahoma City.
“I love this painting because it memorializes an incredible American, Major Tinker and at the same time honors all of those Oklahomans who work or have worked at Tinker and helped make it the outstanding Air Force Base that it is today,” said Ford, President of the Senate Art Fund.
During World War II, Tinker’s industrial plant repaired B-24 and B-17 bombers and fitted B-29s for combat. In 1946, Tinker was expanded to include the Douglas Aircraft plant, which produced approximately half of the C-47 Skytrains used in WWII. The site also produced a number of A-20 Havocs.
Throughout the Korean conflict, Tinker continued with aircraft and supply support to the Far East. During Vietnam, Tinker supplied logistics and communications aid to Air Force units in Southeast Asia. In the 1990’s, Tinker provided front-line support to the forces engaged in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Today, the base has more than 26,000 military and civilian employees and is the largest single-site employer in Oklahoma. It is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics components.
Among its distinctions, Tinker Air Force Base was the site of the first successful tornado forecast in history, which was issued on March 25, 1948 about three hours before a tornado hit the southeast corner of the base. A granite marker in the Heritage Airpark on the base commemorates the event.
Tinker Air Force Base was named in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker, a native of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. General Tinker lost his life while leading a flight of LB-30 Liberators on a long-range strike against Japanese forces on Wake Island during the early months of World War II.
The base lies within Senate District 42, Senator Aldridge’s district. His wife and he married in 1984 and bought a home in Midwest City. There he began his career as an agent with Farmers Insurance Agency where he has been for 23 years. The Aldridge’s have three daughters, Cara, Courtney and Chloe. Cliff is an active member in the Choctaw Kiwanis, Midwest City Rotary and the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce. The family attends Del City Church of Christ.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Harry M. “Bud” Wyatt III, currently serving as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma, was confirmed last evening to his appointment as the Director of the Air National Guard.
Air Force Maj. Gen. Loren M. Reno, serving as commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Air Force Material Command at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, was confirmed to his appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support.
