Air Force Reserve Command’s 911th Airlift Wing christened a new $8.5 million base lodging facility in conjunction with a wing change-of-command at Pittsburgh ARS, Pa. The 50-room, three-story dormitory will house Reservists coming from across the region for drill, in addition to visiting contractors and Defense Department civilians, said wing officials. Targeted for closure as part of Air Force cost cutting next fiscal year, Pittsburgh faces stiff “headwinds,” Col. Craig Peters told Reservists after assuming command of the wing on May 6, reported the Pittsburgh Tribune. “The big thing is to try to keep morale going strong” as Congress and the Air Force hammer out the installation’s eventual fate, added Peters. Unit officials hope that the new energy-efficient lodging will help tip the scales in favor of keeping the base open, according to the newspaper. (Pittsburgh photo caption by TSgt. Ralph Van Houtem)
The Air Force trimmed 120 airplanes from its fleet in fiscal 2021, gaining the most aircraft among its F-35 fighter squadrons and giving up the most from its B-1 bomber units, according to data provided by the Air Force. With puts and takes, the Air Force’s kinetic shooter fleet, not…