The New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing, which transitioned from the F-16 fighter to the MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer remotely piloted aircraft, conducting its first Reaper mission in Afghanistan in December 2009, will be converting to an attack wing, according to a New York National Guard release covering a visit to the unit last week by Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, NGB chief. (Note: USAF activated its first modern-day attack unit—a Reaper unit—at Creech AFB, Nev., in 2006.) The last of the 174th’s F-16s left Hancock Field in March. Last fall, Hancock also became home to the field training detachment that provides MQ-9 maintenance training for active and reserve airmen. (NYNG report by 1st Lt. Greta Lewis)
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…