It won’t be Pope Air Force Base, N.C., anymore, but even the new Pope Army base (Ft. Pope?) will have an Air Force presence. Despite earlier reservations about destroying synergy between USAF airlifters at Pope AFB, N.C., and the troops they transport at Ft. Bragg, just next door, the BRAC commission accepted the Pentagon recommendations for Pope. The Army will own the facility and the Air force will maintain a 16-aircraft C-130H squadron, instead of its current 25-aircraft wing. It was unclear, from the Friday afternoon BRAC session, if the squadron would be a mixture of active and reserves forces, as USAF proposed, or all Air Force Reserve Command. Pope’s 36 A-10 Warthogs are slated for Moody AFB, Ga.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
