Air Force Reserve Command on Thursday inactivated the 917th Fighter Group, an A-10 unit, during a ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La. The group’s inactivation is the result of the force structure changes that Congress approved for the Air Force in Fiscal 2013. The Sept. 26 ceremony marked the end of 50 years of the group’s operations at the base. “What a glorious day to honor 50 years of the 917th’s service to our nation,” said Col. John Breazeale, 917th FG commander, at the event. “We wrap up 50 years of 917th service to our nation by honoring the thousands of 917th airmen for their service, and the proud heritage and legacy they built,” he said. The group traces its lineage to the 917th Troop Carrier Group that formed at Barksdale in January 1963, operating C-124s. In June, the group’s last several A-10s departed Barksdale for good. The group fell under the organizational oversight of AFRC’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo. (Barksdale report by SSgt. Katherine Holt)
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.