The Air Force has pushed back the transfer of a squadron of combat-ready F-22s from Holloman AFB, N.M., to Tyndall AFB, Fla., to the spring of 2014, about a one-year delay. “The timing of the move allows the approved actions to be synchronized in a way that minimizes disruption to airmen and their families, while optimizing combat capabilities and continuity in training for the units affected by the decision,” states a Jan. 9 Tyndall release. The northwest Florida base is already home to the F-22 schoolhouse. Under the Air Force’s F-22 fleet consolidation plan announced in July 2010, it stands to gain 21 Raptors and some 620 Active Duty and 230 Air Force Reserve manpower authorizations. Seven T-38s that fly as mock adversary aircraft against F-22s in training will also shift from Holloman to Tyndall, according to the release. The News Herald of Panama City, Fla., reported on Jan. 9 that elements of the Holloman squadron were originally scheduled to start arriving at Tyndall sometime this month.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…
