ANG Unit Makes Training “Real”: The Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing, which serves as an F-16 flying training unit for Air Education and Training Command, recently uprooted its students, instructor pilots, and ground support from Lackland AFB, Tex., transferring them to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where the training included the use of Joint Direct Attack Munition “smart” bombs. According to wing officials, using the 2,000-pound JDAMs provided a more realistic environment, since the fighter accelerates more slowly with the bomb load. The 149th FW has improved its nine-month Viper course every year since it became an FTU. For example, in 2001, it was the first unit to incorporate night vision goggles in the basic F-16 curriculum, and in 2003 it added the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night targeting pods, saving money and months of follow-on training.
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.
