Air Force Special Operations Command plans to stand up a squadron of CV-22 Ospreys at RAF Mildenhall, England, said AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel. “Probably June or July [2013], we’ll be standing up our third CV-22 squadron when the first CV-22s land at Mildenhall,” he said at the four-star forum of AFA’s Air and Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Sept. 19. Next summer, AFSOC also plans to replace its legacy MC-130 covert operations aircraft at Mildenhall. Shortly after the Ospreys arrive, “we’ll begin to recap our ageing MC-130 fleet, both our Talon IIs and our Combat Shadows,” by replacing them with the MC-130J Commando II, said Fiel. AFSOC hopes to introduce CV-22s into the Pacific region as well, in 2014, he added. The command originally planned to deploy CV-22s to England this year.
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.