Technicians at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., are adding steel straps and stronger fittings to the wings of some A-10s to keep them flying while USAF pursues a wing replacement program for 242 thin-skinned Warthogs. David Roe, a structural engineer with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan, said the work is “beefing up the structure” and should add another 8,000 flying hours. Boeing received a contract in 2007 to begin manufacturing the new wing assemblies, which USAF expects to begin installing in 2011. In late 2008, the service used the 3-D models Boeing developed to engineer the new wings to help resolve immediate wing cracking issues that temporarily grounded much of the fleet. The new work at the AMARG “is an interim fix to keep the A-10s flying while the new wings are being built,” explained Daryl Neel, 309th AMARG center wing shop supervisor. (DOD report by Randy Roughton)
Air Force Academy Keeps Majors Intact amid Faculty Cuts
Aug. 20, 2025
Twenty-five faculty members—about 5 percent—have left the U.S. Air Force Academy so far this year, including those who opted into the federal Deferred Resignation Program, retired, or were not renewed for another term. Nearly 10 percent of the academy’s 1,500 or so civilian jobs were identified for elimination in 2025,…