The Niagara Military Affairs Council stopped in to see Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday ( July 29) in a continuing dialogue about the fate of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, according to a statement from the Senator’s office. The station is home to Air Force Reserve Command’s 914th Airlift Wing and the Air National Guard’s newly renamed 107th Airlift Wing. The Air Guard unit, as a result of BRAC 2005, now is to help fly and maintain the C-130s of the 914th AW in a reserve associate arrangement. According to Clinton, the station and its units are not out of the woods. “There is a lot more to do to provide the station with the resources, equipment, and support it needs to complete its important mission,” she said. During the Senate confirmation hearing July 22 for the prospective Air Force Secretary and Chief of Staff, Clinton told Michael Donley and Gen. Norton Schwartz, “Thus far, four C-130s have been identified for the 107th, but I’m eager to work with you to identify additional aircraft for the 107th or additional ways to keep the 107th viable going into the future.” The Air Force is switching and swapping C-130s, so the 914th and 107th will have a total of 12 of the same type Hercules transports, but it would appear New York is looking for more.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.