Mixing and Matching A-10s:
We reported yesterday that airmen of Air Force Reserve Command’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo., were deploying to Afghanistan with their A-10s. What we didn’t know at the time was that they were forming up with active duty airmen from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany. This Air Expeditionary Force rotation marks the third time the Spang A-10 airmen have deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, and the second time they have teamed with an AFRC unit. It is at least the second time for the Whiteman airmen. The Warthog mission is the same: Provide close air support, air strikes, and reconnaissance for Operation Enduring Freedom.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
