12 Dec 97 AFNS

[AFNS]

Celebrating the Air Force's 50th Anniversary:
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Air Force News Service
This file contains 6 stories
AFNS electronic filename: 12dec97
971581. X-33 space plane to call Edwards home
971582. Negotiators agree on recovery of lost servicemen
971583. Air Force dedicates clinic to first fallen doctor
971584. Portuguese air detachment wraps up Aviano deployment
971585. Now showing: Dec. 15 edition of Air Force Television News
971586. Air Force releases senior, intermediate service school lists
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971581. X-33 space plane to call Edwards home
by 1st Lt. Chris Hemrick
Air Force Flight Test Center Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Imagine a future where there is
a space plane that lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base and flies to
Malmstrom AFB, Mont. -- a trip of 950 miles -- in approximately 20
minutes.

Now imagine that future is within two years.

Edwards AFB organizations are teamed up with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
to develop and test the X-33, which is a 53 percent scale model of the
future Reusable Launch Vehicle, called VentureStar.

Through flight and ground demonstrations, the X-33 will provide
information necessary to allow the Lockheed Martin Corporation to make a
decision on whether to proceed in the development of the full-scale,
commercial single stage to orbit RLV.

If created, the VentureStar would eventually replace the space shuttle
as the next generation space transportation system. "The goal is to
lower costs from approximately $10,000 per pound down to around $1,000
per pound to get into orbit," said Chuck Rogers, Air Force Flight Test
Center X-33 launch integration engineer/manager, 412th Test Wing 'Access
to Space' Office.

Members of Team Edwards who are assisting the Lockheed Martin Skunk
Works and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (the program head) with
this program include the AFFTC, the Air Force Research Laboratory
Propulsion Directorate (AFRL/PR) and the NASA - Dryden Flight Research
Center.

"It's a real paradigm shift that the industry pays the government for
products, services and facilities, as a subcontractor to the
contractor," said Rogers. "We actually prepared proposals and made
proposal presentations, in competition with White Sands, N.M. and the
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to be the X-33 launch site, like a
contractor competing for a contract.

"Edwards was selected to be the X-33 launch site because of the
excellent launch corridor available for launches toward the northeast,
and our extensive flight test infrastructure and experience, which makes
this an ideal place to test experimental vehicles," said Rogers.
"Between Edwards and Utah, and Edwards and Montana are some of the most
sparsely populated areas in the United States. That's very advantageous
for launching a vehicle like this, since we want the program to be as
safe as possible.

"We now have task agreements where we are actually a subcontractor to
the contractor through our launch site and flight planning task
agreements."

The X-33 will blast off from the site near Haystack Butte, located at
the eastern edge of Edwards. A 15-flight program is planned for the
X-33 from the launch site now under construction. The X-33 Team has
already defined the first seven flights that will, if successful,
provide the data needed to provide the confidence for a decision to
proceed with the full scale VentureStar.

Construction has already begun on the X-33 and major components are
already taking shape. The large tank that will contain the liquid
oxygen has been completed and will be delivered soon. The final
assembly jigs are already in place at the LMSW facility at Palmdale.

The X-33 is an unmanned, autonomous vehicle that uses differential
Global Positioning System with a radar altimeter for navigation and
landing. "The differential GPS will guide it through its flight and
down the runway for landing," said Rogers. "Some commands can be sent
up to the X-33 from the ground, but the X-33 will operate as an
autonomous vehicle during normal operations. The uplink to the X-33
would only be used if the vehicle deviates significantly from its
planned flight path."

The X-33 preflight and flight operations will be monitored and
controlled from a refurbished operations control center located in
Haystack Butte. There will also be range safety officers at the
downrange sites, according to Rogers.

The X-33 is designed to travel at a top speed of Mach 15 (15 times the
speed of sound), which is approximately three miles a second. The
prototype will not achieve orbit, which would require a speed of more
than Mach 25.

Once the X-33 is readied for flight, the engines will be fired two times
on the launch pad, with the second firing having a duration of 20
seconds. The longest flight will be approximately 20 minutes at an
altitude of about 55 miles. The plan is to demonstrate a 2-day
turnaround for the vehicle, said Rogers.

On Nov. 14, ground was broken for the launch site near Haystack Butte.
Maj. Gen. Richard L. Engel, Edwards AFB commander, predicted that the
X-33 would be a world-class vehicle that researchers will use to learn
incredibly important lessons.

If the venture is a success, a permanent launch facility could be built
in the Edwards area. From here, vehicles could be launched in nearly
any direction except south, with some launches going to equatorial
orbits and some to polar orbits, returning to the central site (Edwards)
to be launched again. This would allow a fleet of RLVs to be based at
one site, according to Rogers.

The X-33 is expected to affirm new technology, such as the linear
aerospace engine, a large composite liquid hydrogen tank and the
spacecraft's lifting body design. The engines compensate for altitude
and are believed to be more efficient and a better fit for the
wedged-shaped aircraft than conventional bell nozzle rocket engines,
according to NASA officials.

Landing sites include Michael Army Air Field at Dugway Proving Ground in
Utah, and Malmstrom AFB near Great Falls, Montana. One of NASA's 747s
will be used to carry the X-33 from its landing destinations back to
Edwards, said Rogers.

The projected date for the X-33 rollout is May, 1999, with its first
flight planned for that July. The program is scheduled to be completed
by the year 2000.

Once the X-33 demonstrates the technology, the contractor will look for
private investors for the RLV, said Rogers.

"If the X-33 program proves successful, there's going to be a
competition for the RLV launch site. The Edwards area will definitely
be a competitor," said Rogers.

"The selection of Edwards for the X-33 launch site is a win-win for both
the program and Edwards, as well as the Antelope Valley," said Johnny
Armstrong, acting chief of the AFFTC Access to Space Office. "AFFTC
participation in the X-33 program provides the opportunity for our
personnel to hone their skills toward support of space-related programs
that could provide valuable payoffs in the future, as the Air Force
transitions into a Space and Air Force.
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971582. Negotiators agree on recovery of lost servicemen

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- U.S. and North Korean negotiators reached agreement
Dec. 7 in New York to expand joint operations to recover the remains of
American servicemen lost during the Korean War.

The negotiating teams also set a date for another joint archival review,
and will consider expanding this area to a second review with a date to
be determined. The U.S. side continued to press for access to the known
American soldiers who defected to North Korea in the 1960s through
1980s, but no agreement was reached on interviewing them.

The joint recoveries were expanded to five separate operations, the
first of which begins April 21. The final operation will end on Oct.
15. These five sites are about 30-40 miles south of Unsan County, where
1996 and 1997 joint excavations were conducted.

The 1998 sites are in Kujang County of North Pyongan Province and near
Kaechon City of the South Pyongan Province. In November and December of
1950, American troops from the 2nd Infantry Division and other units
were withdrawing southward, and approximately 1,700 soldiers were lost.

The U.S. and North Korean sides believe that more remains can be
recovered from this area than from the operations in 1996 and 1997.

Each side agreed to many technical arrangements in support of the
operations and the archival review. For example, a meeting will be held
before the first joint operation in which archival documents, including
maps, will be exchanged to more precisely identify suspected burial
sites.

This meeting will assist Army Central Identification Laboratory Hawaii
forensic anthropologists and help maximize the productive time available
to them on each site.

The New York talks are a continuation of similar negotiations of 1996
and 1997. Earlier agreements led to four joint excavations and a joint
archival review. As a result of these earlier excavations, the remains
of seven servicemen have been repatriated, and one has been identified
and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. The
remaining six are undergoing forensic identification at Army Central
Identification Laboratory Hawaii.

The U.S. team was led by J. Alan Liotta, acting deputy assistant
secretary of defense for POW/missing personnel affairs. Senior Colonel
Pak Rim-su of the Korean Peoples' Army represented North Korea.

Both sides agreed that preliminary meetings of archivists and
anthropologists during the winter months of 1997-98 would assist the
on-site teams in their scientific work at each location, and would also
help determine the fate of other servicemen about which the United
States has questions.
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971583. Air Force dedicates clinic to first fallen doctor

HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFNS) -- The 15th Medical Group clinic
was dedicated Dec. 7 in honor of 1st Lt. William R. Schick, the first
Army Air Corps doctor killed during the onset of World War II. The
Chicago native was a 1935 graduate of the University of Illinois at
Champaign-Urbana, and 1940 graduate of the University of Illinois
College of Medicine.

The 31-year-old flight surgeon was aboard one of 12 B-17 Flying Fortress
bombers flying from California to Oahu for fuel before heading to Clark
Field in the Philippines to bolster Gen. Douglas MacArthur's defenses.

It was during the descent to Hickam that the B-17 formation flew
literally into the main Japanese attack on the island's military
installations. None of the B-17s were shot down, but many were forced
to land in pineapple fields or smaller airfields to escape their
attackers. The B-17 Schick was aboard was able to land on Hickam, but
broke in two almost immediately because of an amidships magnesium flare
fire caused by Japanese incendiary shells.

According to historical accounts, the crew jumped from the wrecked plane
and found themselves in the middle of the airfield, hundreds of yards
from shelter, with a fierce battle raging. The men split up. One group
ran towards Hangar Row, where planes and buildings were exploding and
burning. The other group, which included Schick, sprinted for the grass
on the other side of the runway, where the crew of another B-17 was
hugging the ground as Japanese bullets thudded around.

As Schick's group dashed across the runway, a Zero pilot who was
strafing the airfield spotted them. Sweeping down from the sky, the
pilot aimed his guns at the men and fired, missing all of them except
the flight surgeon, who was hit in the face by a ricocheting bullet.

Then-Hickam hospital commander, Capt. (Dr.) Frank Lane, remembered
coming across Schick in the middle of the death and confusion of the
attack: "He was a young medical officer who had arrived with the B-17
bombers from the States during the raid. When I first noticed him, he
was sitting on the stairs to the second story of the hospital. I
suppose the reason that my attention was called to him was that he was
dressed in a winter uniform, which we never wore in the islands, and had
the insignia of a medical officer on his lapels. He had a wound in the
face, and when I went to take care of him, he said he was all right and
pointed to the casualties on litters about the floor and said, 'take
care of them.' I told him I would get him on the next ambulance going
to Tripler General Hospital, which I did. The next day I heard that he
had died after arriving at Tripler."

Guest speaking at the dedication ceremony was the doctor's son and
namesake, William R. Schick, of Chicago, who was born eight months after
the death of his father, Aug. 17, 1942, the same day his father would
have been 32 years old.

Every Dec. 7, a commemoration ceremony is held at the base flagpole to
remember and honor those that fought and fell that Sunday morning 56
years ago. The Japanese surprise attack on Hawaii was devastating by
all accounts. Six aircraft carriers launched almost 360 fighters,
dive-bombers and torpedo planes. Their primary target was the Pacific
Fleet at anchor at nearby Pearl Harbor, but to accomplish their goal,
they had to destroy the Hawaiian Air Force to prevent counterattacks on
their own carriers. When it was all over, nearly 700 airmen had been
killed or wounded at Hickam, Wheeler and Bellows Fields, and of the 234
aircraft assigned, only 83 survived the attack. At Hickam alone, 189
killed and 303 were wounded. (Courtesy of Pacific Air Forces News
Service)
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971584. Portuguese air detachment wraps up Aviano deployment
by Staff Sgt. Dan Neely
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFNS) -- Portuguese F-16 air force pilots,
maintainers and support personnel trained alongside their U.S. Air Force
counterparts here recently.

The 15-member team, part of the 201st Squadron based at Monte Reale Air
Base, Portugal, descended on Aviano Nov. 29 to gain insight on
air-to-ground operations. The deployed package of four modified F-16 A
and B model fighters served as an advance team for a larger-scale
deployment anticipated early next year.

The team's goal was to familiarize members with the kinds of
air-to-ground support missions fighter squadrons from Aviano's 31st
Fighter Wing continue to perform for Operation Deliberate Guard,
according to Maj. Mario Barreto, the Portuguese unit's operations
officer.

"We've had some excellent experiences," Barreto said. "The flying has
been great and we have gone through some very realistic (training)
scenarios here."

The one-week deployment is the Portuguese unit's third such visit to
Aviano in its nearly 40-year history.

Since its inception in 1958, the 201 Squadron "Falcoes" (Portuguese for
Falcons) has flown solely air defense missions over its native soil.
Portuguese unit leaders said the opportunity to train alongside Aviano's
510th Fighter Squadron is helping them transition to air-to-ground
roles.

"We are trying to increase our capabilities. From what we have learned
this week, we know we are pushing in the right direction," Barreto said.
"We are trying to switch to a CAS (close-air support) role and we have
had very good missions to help us accomplish this." (Courtesy of U.S.
Air Forces Europe News Service)
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971585. Now showing: Dec. 15 edition of Air Force Television News

KELLY AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- Fighting the battle on the
computer screen? This innovation is featured in the latest edition of
Air Force Television News. The program profiles the Force Protection
Battlelab at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and how it is helping shape
the Air Force of the 21st century.

The Living Heritage segment of the program spotlights the invaluable
contribution made to the active duty Air Force by the Air Force Reserve
and Air National Guard. Also featured are stories about the largest air
drop in the history of the Reserve; humanitarian aid to a former Soviet
Union country; and the contribution of one Texas woman to the Air
Force's 50th anniversary.

Air Force Television News is a bi-weekly production of Air Force
Internal Information. It is distributed on video tape to more than
3,000 military and civilian outlets worldwide, as well as being seen on
some 700 cable access outlets nationwide. Viewers can comment on the
program by using the E-Mail address: af...@master.pa.af.mil.
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971586. Air Force releases senior, intermediate service school lists

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force selected 235
lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonel-selects for senior service
school (SSS) for the 1998-1999 academic school year and added 475 majors
and major-selects to attend intermediate service school (ISS) next year.

The officers were selected by the 97A SSS/ISS board that met at the Air
Force Personnel Center here Nov. 10-24. The complete list of those
selected is available on AFPC's World Wide Web Page at noon Thursday.
The Web address is http://www.afpc.af.mil.

By announcing the SSS and ISS lists now, students currently in school
have a bigger pool of jobs earlier to select from, since many of those
jobs will be vacated by the new school selectees. Most of the officers
selected for school will begin their next step of professional military
education during the summer of 1998.

"We feel it's critically important to let officers know as early as
possible what their follow-on assignment from school will be," said Lt.
Col. Trellis V. Young, chief of AFPC's officer professional military
education branch. "It gives the officers and their families more time
to plan their next move, thus enhancing their quality of life. Also, by
having a quick release of the ISS/SSS selectee list, it allows selectees
to begin planning for their PCS move next summer."

Three year groups of ISS candidates met the calendar 1997 ISS selection
board. The board considered 987 officers for the board and selected 475
for a 48 percent select rate.

For the calendar 1997 SSS board, 342 officers were considered with 235
selected for a 69 percent select rate.

To comply with recent SSS policy changes, the board revalidated the
previous selection of 13 officers who had been operationally deferred
from attendance in academic year 1997-1998.

The policy change, announced earlier this year, stated that if an
individual was selected, then subsequently operationally deferred from
SSS attendance, they remained a school designee until they attended
school. The board simply reconfirmed their original selection and the
officers remain designated to the school they were originally selected
to attend.

In addition to the web site list, local military personnel flights have
a list of all officers chosen for the schools. (Courtesy of AFPC News
Service)