Most of the aircraft evacuated from several Air Force bases on the US East Coast, such as Dover AFB, Del., and JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to avoid Superstorm Sandy have since returned home, representatives from those installations told the Daily Report. For example, as of Oct. 31, six KC-135 tankers from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Wing had returned to McGuire, said a base spokesman on Nov. 1. They had flown to McConnell AFB, Kan., on Oct. 27 to avoid Sandy’s wrath. Similarly safely back at McGuire are KC-10s of the 305th Air Mobility Wing, said the spokesman. Seven of them had sought shelter at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., while one each went to Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., and Homestead ARB, Fla. McGuire officials had also dispatched five of the 305th AMW’s C-17s to MacDill AFB, Fla., while two moved to JB Charleston, S.C. Five of those C-17s returned home on Oct. 31, while the remaining two were conducting missions away from McGuire, said the spokesman.
Air Force Eyes New-Build F-16s to Boost Fighter Force
Sept. 16, 2026
The Air Force will consider acquiring new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to answer capacity shortfalls in its aging fighter fleet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These discussions are happening as the Air Force is building its proposed fiscal 2028 budget and the five-year spending plan that goes…
