So far, so good, says Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, Air National Guard boss, when asked about the prospects that the Air Guard will field F-35 strike fighters at the same time as the active duty force and in suitable numbers. “When you look at where we were a year ago and [then] where we are today, I think the Air Force has made great progress and has been very supportive in the concurrent beddown of the F-35,” Wyatt told the Daily Report Tuesday. Much still needs to happen before final basing decisions are rendered. “But right now, I am very satisfied with the progress,” he said. Last year, Wyatt expressed deep concern over the Air Guard’s paltry initial F-35 role. Subsequently, in a seemingly positive development, the Air Force issued the short list of initial 11 F-35 candidate bases with five Guard sites included.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.