Air Force Reserve Command plans to bring more F-16 pilots to Shaw AFB, S.C., in Fiscal 2008 to boost its Reserve Associate program with Shaw’s 20th Fighter Wing. An AFRC news release mentions that Shaw is to be home to the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, so establishing an even stronger Reserve presence could be a build up for that new system. The release said only that the move was part of USAF’s Total Force Integration. AFRC commander, Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, said, “Associate units make good business sense because they capitalize on the experience and skills of Reservists, many of whom were on active duty before joining the Air Force Reserve.”
A new think tank analysis finds a hypothetical blended-wing body tanker could offer twice as much refueling performance as the KC-46A Pegasus and recommends the Air Force buy scores of them, as the service prepares to evaluate a BWB demonstrator next year and must juggle its future tanker plans with…