Maj. Bob Battema with the 522nd Fighter Squadron flew the unit’s last F-16 Viper flight at Cannon AFB, N.M., on Dec. 21, preceding the formal inactivation of the squadron, reports the Clovis News-Journal. Cannon formally became an Air Force Special Operations Command base in October, and the 522nd FS was the last Air Combat Command fighter unit at Cannon to furl its colors. The conversion to an AFSOC facility is in full swing.
An F-16 Air National Guard unit’s six-month deployment to Kadena Air Base, Japan, this year illustrated the capabilities the Guard’s oldest fighter units can still offer—but also the challenges they face, officials told reporters this week.
