The Happy Hooligans of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Fighter Wing have received their first of eight C-21 aircraft. The Hooligans had to give up their F-16s, courtesy of BRAC 2005, and now will fly the C-21 until around 2010. At that time, they expect to get a few of the new Joint Cargo Aircraft. Meanwhile, the unit also picked up a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle mission.
The Air Force is about to start considering what may one day replace the venerable B-52 Stratofortress, and take a first step towards imagining its bomber force in the long-term future. The service said in documents accompanying its fiscal 2027 budget proposal that it plans to start a “Heavy Bomber…