The Air Force will save $12 million by relocating the 57th Weapons Squadron and its C-17 Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) to JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., according to a press release from Air Mobility Command. Both are currently located at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., which has no dedicated C-17s assigned to support the training. As a result, aircraft and man-hours had to be repurposed to support the two five-month long courses led by the Weapons Squadron every year. McChord was selected because it has long supported the course by supplying C-17s and maintainers. New facilities for the course will be constructed at a cost of about $800,000, and the first course at McChord is planned for July 2017.
The Air Force is spending heavily on F-22 improvements through the end of the decade, suggesting it may not retire the jet in 2030 as it previously planned. New sensors, fuel tanks, communications, and electronic warfare systems are among the upgrades that comprise the package.