Air Force Reserve Command issued a news release last week that recaps some of the rewickering of units and aircraft, specifically those continuing to—or not to—fly the KC-135. AFRC’s 927th Air Refueling Wing leaves Selfridge ANGB, Mich., to form a classic associate unit —operational next summer—with the active 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill AFB, Fla. (We noted recently that Reserve elements are included in a MacDill construction boom.) At Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., AFRC’s 916th ARW will share flying and maintenance of its KC-135s with an active unit, while the 916th retains ownership of the aircraft. AFRC’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March ARB, Calif., expanded its tanker fleet, taking some of the KC-135s from the deactivating 939th ARW at Portland, Ore. The 452nd also will be flying the new C-17 airlifter. Another unit that took 939th tankers is AFRC’s 507th ARW at Tinker AFB, Okla. Oklahoma Air National Guardsmen are forming an air reserve component associate unit at Tinker with the 507th.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…