Air National Guard officials have just received the first upgraded A-10s—now designated A-10C—but already are raving about the enhancements. ANG Lt. Col. Kevin Campbell, A-10C test pilot and program manager, told reporters Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference, “It’s now a digitized jet, which gives us the infrastructure to accommodate growth.” The Maryland’s ANG’s 175th Fighter Wing, which is the first unit to own the revamped hogs, has received six A-10Cs and expects two more next month. So far, USAF has trained more than 22 active, Guard, and Reserve pilots in the upgraded Warthog. (Read more about the enhancements in “Long Live the A-10.”)
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.