The 41
st Airlift Squadron Blackcats on Feb. 16 became the first unit to officially “leave” Pope AFB, N.C., marking in a special ceremony the realignment of the 41st AS from Pope to Little Rock AFB, Ark. The “new” 41st will stand up on April 5 at Little Rock, where it will become USAF’s first active duty C-130J squadron. The unit’s E model Hercules are on their way to the boneyard. The 41st AS, one of the service’s oldest squadrons, has operated from Pope for 36 years. Under direction of BRAC 2005, USAF will turn Pope over to the Army.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
