According to Florida news reports, Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) was successful in adding a provision to the 2010 defense spending bill that just passed the House that would delay the start of F-15 removal from Tyndall Air Force Base until April 1. The Air Force had wanted to start the process on Jan. 1. Boyd and members of the Bay Defense Alliance met with service leaders last month to discuss the base’s shift from F-15 training to F-22 training—and, in the process, loss of one squadron. Many lawmakers in both houses of Congress have chided the Air Force over its planned early retirement of some 250 legacy fighters and want a detailed report on how it intends to cover, in particular, the air sovereignty alert mission. (Also read News Herald report; TV 7 report)
PHOTOS: Air Force Shows Off Second B-21 in New Images
Sept. 12, 2025
On Sept. 12, the Air Force released half a dozen new photos of the second B-21 bomber to fly, giving observers and aviation enthusiasts another glimpse of the secretive Raider.