Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) says the Air Force intends to send 18 F-15Cs with upgraded avionics—making them Golden Eagles—to the Air National Guard. It was unclear from his statement how many would go to the Montana ANG’s 120th Fighter Wing, but he said that getting this commitment has “helped guarantee a long term future for the 120th Fighter Wing.” (BRAC 2005 directed the Air Force to replace the 120th’s F-16s with 15 F-15s.) Burns also noted that the F-15s would get new active electronically scanned array radars, for which USAF reprogrammed $73 million.
Fiscal 2027 will be the “year of restoring our foundational readiness accounts,” Air Force Undersecretary Matthew Lohmeier promised Feb. 24, with billions of dollars going to spare parts, flying hours, facility maintenance, and more.
