Air Forces Northern, headquartered at Tyndall AFB, Fla., has continued to conduct Operation Noble Eagle, despite the Air Force’s grounding of its F-15 A-D fleet. As we’ve reported earlier, units that fly other fighters are substituting for F-15 units normally tasked with ONE sorties. The latest data, covering the month of November, shows ONE crews racked up 50 more sorties in November than in October. (See chart for new stats.)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.