Moving Forward on Conventional Strike Missile

Moving Forward on Conventional Strike Missile: The Air Force issued a notice last month saying it intends to task Lockheed Martin with developing a “payload delivery vehicle” for its conventional strike missile concept. The PDV would essentially be the shroud that protects the CSM’s weapons payload while the missile is en route at hypersonic speeds to the target. The service said it wants the PDV to be ready for a 2012 flight demonstration. The notional CSM is a modified Minuteman III ICBM that carries a conventional weapons payload instead of a nuclear warhead. CSM is a leading contender to be the prompt global strike weapon that US Strategic Command wants at its disposal by 2015 to deal with extremely time-sensitive targets around the globe when there are little or no other military options. The Air Force has talked about basing CSMs at Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The Air Force’s notice states that the PDV would be based on Lockheed’s design for the hypersonic test vehicle-2 that the company is building for DARPA under the Falcon hypersonic research program, but “modified to accommodate a weapon.” DARPA plans to fly the first of two HTV-2 units before the end of the year over the Pacific Ocean; the second flight test will occur in 2010. Those flight tests are meant to validate that these unpowered air vehicles can withstand the rigors of high Mach speeds and execute some controlled lateral maneuvering.

7/6/2009

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.