s: The Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing at Fort Wayne will replace its F-16s with A-10s over the course of several years, reports News Channel 15. Rep. Mark Souder (R), who announced the news Friday, said the change from Vipers to Hogs would keep the 122nd FW alive. The wing has been converting from Block 25 F-16s to Block 30 (flying its last Block 25 last week, according to a unit release), but the A-10s the unit will receive have a longer life span. Col. Jeff Soldner, 122nd FW commander, told News Channel 15, “It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this was a good deal.” According to a wing release (appended to the TV online report), the shift in aircraft is part of the 2010 program objective memorandum.
Lockheed Martin plans to enter the Advanced Tactical Trainer fray to supply the Air Force with a new jet to bridge undergraduate flight instruction and fighter training units, but the company declined to say whether it will offer a T-50A derivative, a different non-developmental airplane, or a clean-sheet design. Its…