Members of the powerful Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee have decided to allot no money to preserve 18 attrition reserve B-52H bombers residing at Minot AFB, N.D. The Air Force has asked Congress to grant permission to put these 18 bombers in storage, along with another 20 BUFFs it wants to retire, but North Dakota politicians have fought back. The state’s Congressional delegation insists that the B-52 is the most cost-effective bomber in the force, and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) declared that he will pursue all avenues to secure enough funding to prevent the Air Force from retiring any B-52s. The panel’s decision is not final and could be overturned at several points before the appropriations bill becomes law.
Hawaii F-22s Wrap Up Deployment to Japan
April 9, 2021
F-22s and Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, forward deployed to Japan for almost one month to train with Japanese and U.S. Marine Corps aircraft as part of a “dynamic force employment” operation. The Raptors from the Active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron and Air National Guard 199th Fighter Squadron deployed…