Representatives of the Massachusetts Air National Guard apparently got an earful at the July 11 public meeting on its plan to lower the level at which fighter aircraft can fly training missions over western Maine. The Kennebec Journal reports that residents of Franklin County in Maine “expressed sound opposition” to the proposal. It still must pass muster with the FAA, too, after the Air Guard completes a required environmental assessment. The Massachusetts ANG’s 102nd Fighter Wing has the lead, but ANG units in New York and Vermont use the airspace, as well.
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.