First Ops Osprey Arrives at Kirtland: The commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, flew the first operational CV-22 Osprey (recently completed in Texas) to Kirtland AFB, N.M., today, according to the Air Force. Wooley flew the new tilt-rotor aircraft from Edwards AFB, Calif., to Kirtland, where it is the first of four Ospreys to be assigned to the 58th Special Operations Wing, the advanced training unit for AFSOC aircrews. USAF plans to purchase a total of 50 Ospreys by 2017, with the first combat squadron schedule for operation at Hurlburt Field, Fla., by 2009.
With upgrades, F-16s can serve as a numbers-builder in the combat air forces until the 2040s, and it’s not necessary to launch its successor yet, program officials said at an industry conference. “We anticipate hundreds of F-16s in active service for decades to come,” meaning into the 2040s, Col. Tim…