The two Air Force flying wings stationed at NAS Fort Worth JRB, Tex., will temporarily operate out of Fort Worth Alliance Airport while an aging runway at the joint installation undergoes repair, according to the units. Air Force Reserve Command’s 301st Fighter Wing began shifting its F-16s on Monday morning local time to nearby airport, wing spokesman Capt. Rodney Ellison told the Daily Report. Overall, he said 20 of the unit’s F-16s are relocating there—about 20 miles north of the joint base. All 20 are expected to be in place at their temporary home on Tuesday and flying operations are scheduled to start from the airport on Wednesday, said Ellison. The Texas Air National Guard’s 136th Airlift Wing is also shifting six of its C-130s to the airport starting on Tuesday, he said. The F-16s and C-130s, along with some 125 personnel, will likely stay through August. “The move allows much-needed runway repairs to take place,” states the 301st FW’s July 26 release.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…