The 524th Fighter Squadron recently became the second F-16 unit to cease operations at Cannon AFB, N.M., where the 27th Fighter Wing is transforming from a Viper wing into a special operations wing next month. The 27th FW inactivated the 523rd FS in May. The wing’s third operations unit, the 522nd FS, will be last to shut down; it took one more Air Expeditionary Force rotation, deploying to Andersen AFB, Guam, in late May for four months.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
