AFA mag: Space—The Next 50 Years

Posted on: Feb. 5th, 2005 || Source: afa.org | E-mail Article | Print Article

We look at space support like oxygen. If you have it, you take it for granted. If you don’t have it, it’s the only thing you want.”

So said James G. Roche, then Secretary of the Air Force, at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Los Angeles National Symposium, which commemorated the Air Force’s 50 years of involvement in military space and missile activities.

Speakers noted that the service has come a long, long way from the days when it was racing to counter the Soviets early in the Cold War. Space is no longer a mysterious entity whose value has to be sold to top Air Force and Pentagon officials.

Secretary James G. Roche

As Roche’s comment made plain, space systems are now so interwoven in US military operations that all forces might grind to a halt without them.

Read the full article

• Lockheed Demonstrates Intelligent Autonomous Control of Multiple UAVs
• Russian Navy aircraft test new equipment over the Arctic
• Russia may push forward with S-300 sales to Iran
• Boeing, US Navy Offer Super Hornet for Denmark Fighter Competition
• Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
• The Netherlands shows interest in Gripen
• 4th F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out As Production Line Fills Up At Lockheed
• Lockheed Martin C-5m Super Galaxy Completes Flight Test
• Air Guard Predator pilots increase combat air patrols
• Predator passes 400,000 hours
• Future Predator/Reaper Formal Training Unit announced
• Saab/Gripen team completes Hungarian offset contract
• South African Gripen deliveries on track
• Boeing Delivers Super Hornet Proposal to Brazil For F-X2 Competition
• Northrop to Support NASA's Global Hawk Earth Science Research Aircraft