Officials with the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman AFB, N.M., on Dec. 4 marked another milestone in the unit’s transition to operating F-22 fighters with the appointment of 18 members of the 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as F-22 dedicated crew chiefs. Each DCC is now responsible for maintenance on a particular F-22 in the wing. SSgt. Sanjay Allen, 49th FW spokesman, told the Daily Report Tuesday that this was the first major appointment ceremony for F-22 DCCs at Holloman. (But he said it was not the first, per se, as six maintainers became the wing’s inaugural F-22 DCCs back in November 2008.) One of the new DCCs is an airman with Air Force Reserve Command’s 44th Fighter Group, which is partnered with the active duty 49th Fighter Wing in operating the new stealth fighters, said Allen. (Holloman report by A1C Sondra Escutia, including full list of crew chiefs)
The Next-Generation Air Dominance Fighter is Air Combat Command’s top priority, because without it, the Air Force can’t provide the control of the air the whole military depends on to operate, Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mark D. Kelly said. He also named a replacement for the E-3 AWACS, new…