T?he New York National Guard recently inaugurated a combat-veteran F-16A, now on display outside the state’s Guard joint forces headquarters in Latham, N. Y. The former 174th Fighter Wing jet, serial number 80-0504, flew combat in Operation Desert Storm, as one of only two ANG F-16 units flying close air support, according to a release. The aircraft is displayed alongside an Army National Guard AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter and M-1A1 Abrams tank. “Now it’s going to sit on display where people can see it every day and it serves as a signature symbol of the Air National Guard here at the headquarters,” said CMSgt. Mark Shearer. The “Boys from Syracuse” flew their last F-16 sortie from Hancock Field in March 2010, when the wing became the 174th Attack Wing and converted to MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. The unit retained the airframe as a weapons-load trainer even after upgrading to the F-16C in the early 1990s.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
