The governor of Montana and his National Guard leadership want to convince the Air Force to give the 120th Fighter Wing another mission in addition to the F-15s it now flies and suggest new cargo aircraft or perhaps remotely piloted vehicles, reports Associated Press (via Helena Independent Record). Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Adjutant General Army Brig. Gen. John Walsh, and assistant AG for Air Brig. Gen. Bradley Livingston, who have enlisted the help of Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in Washington, say the wing’s F-15s (BRAC 2005 directed a swap now completed of F-16s for F-15s) are getting long in the tooth. According to AP, Schweitzer said, “You want to be prepared for what could come next.”
As with previous stealth aircraft unveilings, the Air Force’s imagery of the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter has been doctored to keep adversaries guessing about its true shaping and design philosophy.