Four 
firefighters with the Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield last week responded to a civilian airplane crash at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, the wing’s home location. “They responded under the minimum time required by the Federal Aviation Administration and did a terrific job extinguishing the fire, securing the aircraft, and providing aid to those on board,” said Lt. Col. Chuck Coderko, the wing’s fire marshal. The aircraft came to rest off the runaway in the grass during the Jan. 6 incident. Two of the six persons on board were injured. When the 183rd FW relinquished its F-16 flying mission in 2008, it retained nearly 20 full-time firefighter positions. These Air Guardsmen serve as first responders at the airport and support local fire departments. That said, last we heard, the wing is scheduled to lose the firefighters in September. (Springfield report)
Northrop Grumman has broken ground on a major new production facility for the B-21 Raider, the company and the Air Force announced Oct. 6. The construction comes as a top service official said testing on the bomber is going well in the lead up to its planned introduction into the…
