Otis to Get Intel Mission: The Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Fighter Wing will trade in its F-15s for a new intelligence-gathering mission, slated to begin late next year, according to several news reports. It appears that the head of the Mass ANG, Brig. Gen. Michael Akey had it right when he said last fall that intel headed the list of possible missions, once the BRAC-cut Fighters leave the base. However, according to the Cape Cod Times, there is a bad news side to this story: The new mission only requires some 200 airmen—less than half the Air Guardsmen currently attached to the wing.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.