ADVERTISEMENT

A Final Ceremony for All:

March 26, 2007

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The commander of the 389th Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, Lt. Col. Phillip Hoover, did fly the last flight in his lead F-16CJ, ceremonially marking the end of the unit’s role as a Viper squadron. The ceremony didn’t end there, though. The lead Viper’s dedicated crew chief, SSgt. David Lang, passed his dated chocks to the “new” guy, represented by SrA. Jaime Montano, who will maintain the unit’s next fighter, the F-15E. About 40 of the 107 maintainers with the 389th Aircraft Maintenance Unit will remain at Mountain Home and retrain into F-15 maintenance, reports journalist MSgt. Brian Orban. Eventually, Mountain Home’s 366th Fighter Wing will shed its F-15Cs as well as the F-16s, becoming an all F-15E Strike Eagle unit by 2011.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

What Experts Will Watch as the Pentagon Implements Acquisition Reform

F-35 Dropped Inert Nukes in Flight Tests

Pratt & Whitney Gets More Than $1.2 Billion for F100 Engine Sustainment

Wilsbach Says Air Force Needs ‘Constant Focus on Readiness’ in First Speech as Chief

Related

Saltzman’s ‘Vector’ Charts Space Force’s Progress and Next Steps

Nov. 19, 2025
As the Space Force prepares to mark its sixth birthday—and Gen. Chance Saltzman embarks on his last year as Chief of Space Operations—the service has released a new document meant to sum up its current status and all of Saltzman’s efforts to solidify the Space Force’s identity as a warfighting…

Pentagon Research Chief Tightens List of Top Technology Priorities

Nov. 18, 2025
The Pentagon's list of 14 top technology priorities has been slimmed to six, to ensure they get the attention they need, Defense Research and Engineering director Emil Michael announced. Changes may be coming in authorities for funding them, as well.

What Experts Will Watch as the Pentagon Implements Acquisition Reform

Nov. 18, 2025
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rolled out an expansive acquisition reform agenda earlier this month, he promised aggressive implementation and reorganization aimed at transforming the way the Pentagon develops and fields weapons and platforms. The plan appears to have been well-received by past administration officials and lawmakers from both parties who…

F-35 Dropped Inert Nukes in Flight Tests

Nov. 18, 2025
An Air Force F-35A successfully carried and dropped inert B61-12 nuclear gravity bombs in flight tests in August, a rare disclosure about the state of U.S. nuclear testing.