The California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing, based at Fresno, once again has picked up the air defense mission that it flew for years out of March ARB, Calif., reports the Press-Enterprise. The Montana ANG’s 120th FW has been flying its F-16s out of March, fulfilling Operation Noble Eagle sorties, while the 144th awaited additional and newer F-16s to fly out of both Fresno and March. Those aircraft came this summer. Per BRAC 2005, the 120th FW is switching from the F-16 to the F-15, and some of its airmen plan to switch from the 120th to the 144th to continue operations at March. Meanwhile, the 144th would also like to replace its F-16s with F-15s.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.