The Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing in Baltimore inactivated its 135th Airlift Group as part of the changes following the wing’s loss of the C-27J flying mission. The inactivation ceremony took place on Sept. 27 at the wing’s home at Warfield ANG Base. Some of the group’s airmen will remain with the wing to be part of the wing’s newly forming network warfare squadron, said wing officials. Other members of the now-defunct group have relocated to different bases to continue their careers in other airlift squadrons, they said. The wing was one of the first Air Guard units to transition to the C-27J, but lost the airplanes after the Air Force decided to divest the C-27 fleet as a cost-saving move. (Baltimore video report by MSgt. Gareth Buckland and TSgt. Christopher Schepers)
The F-35 Joint Program Office has officially announced plans to issue multiple sole-source contracts to Pratt & Whitney to upgrade the fighter’s F135 engine—a widely expected move after Pentagon officials indicated they would do so earlier this year instead of developing an entirely new engine.