Speculators in the F-35 basing game believe a statement by the BRAC commission heralds Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, as a prime candidate for the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Under the BRAC plan, USAF will strip the Idaho base of its present complement of 18 F-15s and 18 F-16s. However, the BRAC panel noted that the Air Force is considering the base as a “potential location” for an operational JSF unit and as a “training ground for international squadrons.” That might carry more weight, though, if lawmakers weren’t taking such a dim view of the program—cutting it by $270 million in Fiscal 2006—and Pentagon budget cutters weren’t sharpening their axes. Still, Republican Sen. Larry Craig told the Associated Press news service that Mountain Home has a “bright future” that includes a JSF unit. Is that why he voted for the 2006 cut
Boeing has only delivered two KC-46 tankers to the Air Force so far in 2021, despite USAF officials saying they expect that total per month, as the service has slowed the delivery pace of the aircraft. Though there are more aircraft ready at Boeing’s facilities, Air Mobility Command is slowing…