The Air Force publicly announced Tuesday that the Ohio Air National Guard’s 178th Fighter Wing in Springfield will gain three missions over the next several years as it loses its F-16 training role per BRAC 2005. Springfield, located northeast of Dayton not far from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, will host a ground control station for operating MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft in combat zones and will serve as an interim site for F-16 bulkhead repair, service officials said. The wing’s Air Guardsmen will also support the operations of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson. “The overall manning at Springfield will remain the same,” said Maj. Gen. Patrick Moisio, ANG deputy director. According to local press reports the new missions will retain more than 860 jobs at the Air Guard base. (For more see Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) May 7 release; 178th FW May 11 release by Maj. Lindsay Logsdon; Tuesday’s Springfield News-Sun report, Monday’s WHIO TV report, and May 7 News-Sun report.)
Sticker Shock Drags Out USAF’s E-7 Negotiations with Boeing
April 18, 2024
While a deal on the E-7 Wedgetail airborne battle management jet may come soon, negotiations are stuck on the high price Boeing is asking for the development jets, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said recently.