The 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard on Monday began its air sovereignty alert mission, sitting on 24-hour alert with its new force of F-15 fighters. The unit, based at Barnes Municipal Airport, switched from the A-10 to the F-15, courtesy of BRAC 2005. The 104th FW replaces the Vermont ANG’s 158th FW, which has flown ASA missions since late 2007. Previously, another Massachusetts Air Guard unit—the 102nd FW at Otis ANGB—had the ASA mission for the northeast sector, but it has switched to an intelligence mission. (Also read, The Republican report; Associated Press report, via Boston Herald)
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…