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Air Force formally retired the T-37 Tweet April 3 as the platform it uses for specialized undergraduate pilot training after some 50 years of service. The T-6 Texan II is replacing it in that role. That same day, airmen held a ceremony at Columbus AFB, MS, the last base to use the T-37 for SUPT, and culminated the event with a four-ship T-37 flyover by members of the base’s 37th Flying Training Squadron. Four days prior, the last T-37 training sortie took place there. “The T-37 has been a symbol of Air Force pilot training for half a century,” said Lt. Col. David Johnson, commander of the 37th FTS. “While getting newer aircraft is always a good thing, the Tweet was a living, breathing piece of pilot training heritage being used on a daily basis to train our young men and women.” The Air Force phased out the T-37 from pilot training programs at Laughlin AFB, Tex., and Vance AFB, Okla., in 2007. T-37s will continue to fly for the near term out of Sheppard AFB, Tex., as part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program. (Columbus report by SrA. John Parie)
The Pentagon wants to rapidly acquire new technology for downing hostile drones over military bases in the U.S. without endangering nearby civilians or infrastructure. However, experts maintain that engaging drones near civilian areas will always present challenges that technology alone cannot solve.