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.
Former AFCENT Commander Reflects on Lessons of Epic Fury
Sept. 13, 2026
Operation Epic Fury marked the U.S. military's largest air campaign in a generation, with strikes on 13,000 targets in Iran before the first in a series of shaky ceasefires began in April. Now, even as hostilities continue to flare up, Lt. Gen. Derek C. France sees several clear lessons that…
