The Air Force has issued its draft environmental impact statement for changes it would like to make to the pilot training conducted out of Shaw AFB, S.C. The training areas in questions overlay part of both South Carolina and Georgia. What the Air Force wants to do is to fly more realistic missions. To do so, it wants to install more electronic training transmitters, use more chaff and flares, and change the configuration of the airspace it uses—giving some of the existing space back to civil use but adding different space to its range. All of which should go over real well during the public comment period. Just say the magic word: BRAC. That should wipe out any opposition. (Read our article here on the growing problem with training ranges.)
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.