The District of Columbia Air National Guard retired its C-38A Courier light airlift fleet, handing the aircraft off to the Navy for use as chase planes this week, unit spokesman MSgt. Craig Clapper told Air Force Magazine on July 28. Two C-38s augmented the 201st Airlift Squadron’s larger C-40C Clipper aircraft, which provide executive airlift for the First Lady, members of Congress, and Pentagon officials from JB Andrews, Md. The 201st AS was the sole Air Force operator of the modified Israeli-built business jets, which were delivered to the Guard in 1998. The D.C. ANG will continue flying its three C-40s, but won’t immediately replace the C-38 due to budgetary constraints, said Clapper. The squadron also will lose five pilot slots as a result of the fleet-downsize, he added. The last C-38 departed Andrews for NAS Jacksonville, Fla., July 27.
The Air Force has tapped sites in Oregon to build its first two new Over-the-Horizon Radars, capable of detecting inbound missile threats from up to 4,000 nautical miles away. The service is hoping to start construction by the end of 2028.