Seven A-10 Warthogs arrived at Barksdale AFB, La., on Tuesday as part of Air Force Reserve Command’s plan to advance the move of A-10s from New Orleans to their new home with the 917th Wing at Barksdale, near Shreveport. The Shreveport Times reports that pilots traded in their old patches for the “Terrible Termite” patches of the 47th Fighter Squadron upon arrival. (The New Orleans A-10 airmen had only returned to their old home port in December after weathering Hurricane Katrina at Barksdale.) The move— part of BRAC 2005—permanently assigns nine A-10s and more than 60 personnel to Barksdale.
National Guard adjutants general from nearly two dozen states have signed a letter to Congress seeking multiyear funding for the Air Force to purchase between 72 and 100 new fighter jets per year to modernize the total force.The letter, sent to Congress last week, stresses the need for the Air…