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(Bloomberg) -- The US Air Force's top hypersonic weapon completed thesecond consecutive successful test of its booster motor in less than twomonths, the service said, a turnround after three failures. The three previous failures derailed plans for the missile to go intoproduction this year so that the Pentagon could declare by Sept. 30 thatthe air-launched weapon known as ARRW would be the US's firstcombat-capable hypersonic weapon. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on the refusal of the U.S. Congress to retire the B-52 bomber of the Air Force. The Congress warned that the Department of Defense could create shortage of planes for long-range missions by deactivating the B-52 for a new plane. Those who favor the deactivation argued that the B-52 as well as the B-1B and B-2 cannot perform the force's hardest long-range missions. It cites defense budgets as one of the potential problems in building new weapons systems.

The article reports on the plan of the U.S. Department of Defense to stretch out the production of Boeing B-52 heavy jet bomber.

The article reports that the U.S. Senate tacked on 960 million dollars to the Defense Department appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1957. It says that around 800 million dollars of the budget is intended for the production of roughly 100 additional Boeing B-52 heavy bombers and the rest is for additional U.S. Air Force research and development. It states that the appropriation hike was the first Congressional blow at U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower on a key defense issue.

The article reports that the estimated costs of the nuclear modernization plans in the U.S. needs an expensive recapitalization and will affect the U.S. Department of Defense's Budget. Topics discussed include maintenance and upgrade costs of the nuclear plans; expected increase in the funding for conventional and nuclear weapon programs; the U.S. Air Force to replace its B-1 and B-52 fleets; and the Department to replace the supporting infrastructure such as the command structure.

The article reports on the possibility for the U.S. Air Force to use the B-52 bomber for its operations. The Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force officials killed the B-52 Stand-Off Jammer (SOJ) program last December 2005. The Air Force previously committed to provide an SOJ aircraft to fill the capability gap that will occur when the Prowlers are retired around 2012 and the Navy acquires a smaller number of EA-18G Growlers to replace them.

The article offers information on the new mission of the B-52 Stratofortress in the U.S. According to the National Defense, the aircraft is one of those military jetplanes tasked in providing homeland security. Moreover, it will be deployed to locate and to take photograph of suspicious ships approaching the country's waters.

The article reports on the approval of an amendment that prevents a U.S. Department of Defense strategy to reduce the B-52H bomber force of the Air Force by the Senate. Under the amendment, the reduction would be limited to 76 aircraft at Barksdale and Minot. It notes that 44 B-52s are considered by some people as insufficient to mean requirements for conventional long-range sorties.

The article reports on the U.S. Department of Defense's internal investigation and a congressional legislation that requires a review of the U.S. nuclear custody policies in response to the transfer of six nuclear warheads aboard strategic U.S. bomber B-52 Stratofortress on August 30,2007. According to the article, a military personnel inadvertently attached the nuclear version of the AGM-129A Advanced Cruise Missile to the bomber before it took off for its 2,500 kilometer journey from North Dakota to Louisiana.

The article reports on an experiment of the U.S. Department of Defense on the use of synthetic fuel made from natural gas by B-52 bombers. The experiment was compelled by an increasing concern over the rising cost of fuel and U.S. dependence on foreign sources. U.S. Air Force officials have been enthusiastic about the future of synthetic jet fuel.

Reports on the plan of the United States Department of Defense to change the military personnel system as of July 9, 2001. Case of a B-52 Stratofortress navigator who was forced to leave the Air Force; Fundamental problem in the officer corps.

Focuses on the United States Department of Defense's plan to dispatch Air Force B-52 bombers to Europe to strengthen North Atlantic Treaty Organization's air campaign against Yugoslavia.

The article focuses on competition among manufacturers of fighter/defense aircraft systems for major procurement programs of the U.S. Department of Defense. Topics discussed are the Air Force's long-range strike bomber program, manufacturers' apprehensions about the program, and age of the Cold-War era B-52 bomber. Other topics discussed are the Navy's SSBN-X submarine/Ford-class carriers, Air Force's B-2 bomber program, and fiscal realities that could put Defense Department programs in danger.

The article reports that the B-52 Core Component Jammer (CCJ) program of the U.S. Air Force is seeking for the approval of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The Deputy Advisors Working Group (DAWG) will be oriented by the Office of Program Analysis & Evaluation (PA&E) regarding the CCJ program. The Air Force is hoping for the approval to fund the project for fiscal year 2009 or 2010.