USAF plans to reduce 500 planes 2015-2019

[Piet Luijken]

From War is boring:

The five-year scheme retires all of the roughly 340 A-10 Warthog attack jets in the active Air Force, Air Force Reserve and state-controlled Air National Guard, disappear from their main active-duty strongholds in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and South Korea in 2015 and 2016. Reserve and Guard squadrons in Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Maryland surrender their A-10s more gradually between 2015 and 2019. Under the plan, only the Guard and Reserve get any fresh fighters to compensate for the grounded A-10s. Squadrons in Arizona, Indiana and Missouri receive F-16s in 2018 and 2019.

The plane-reduction scheme cuts around 70 of the Air Force’s roughly 250 remaining F-15C Eagle air-to-air fighters. Guard squadrons in Massachusetts, Florida, Louisiana and California each give up a few of their twin-engine F-15s in 2015 and 2016—and one of the Oregon Guard’s two Eagle squadrons shuts down entirely. the plan also shutters an overseas, active-duty F-15 squadron, probably Lakenheath.

Active and Guard squadrons in North Dakota, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and California give up 119 MQ-1 Predator drones between 2015 and 2017, replacing them with just 36 new MQ-9 Reapers, which are bigger and carry more weapons. By 2019, the Air Force wants to be able to maintain 55 continuous drone combat air patrols, each with three Reapers.

All 33 U-2 manned spy jets will disappear from California in 2016 and most of the flying branch’s MC-12 surveillance turboprops, also in California, will transfer to the Army. Six of the 16 Georgia-based E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System planes decommission in 2015 and 2016.

The scheme removes seven of the active Air Force’s 33 E-3 Sentry radar planes in Oklahoma in 2015 and seven of the 14 EC-130 Compass Call radar-jammers in Arizona in 2016.

[Le Addeur noir]

I'm sure Vladimir Putin will be celebrating this as he and his ex KGB clique mull plans to push the borders of the Soviet Uni, er sorry, Russia westwards.

[Alpha Kilo One]

So the Heath will only keep its Strike Eagles then?

[Nilson]

I'm sure Vladimir Putin will be celebrating this as he and his ex KGB clique mull plans to push the borders of the Soviet Uni, er sorry, Russia westwards.

As did NATO, only eastwards !

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Arjan]

They have to get those plans through congress first or not? If so I think they'll face a serious struggle and I wonder what will remain of this plan.

[wamovements]

Difference with the previous plan is that all the ANG/AFRC will get other aircraft, instead of none. Therefor I think that this plan is more realistic and congressman will deal with most parts of it.

[PNegri]

It says the old A 10 units are getting F-16s But doesn't say where there getting them? I guess its from Luke as they transition to the F 35 but I heard some are going to Holloman?

[PilotoRico]

Interesting because Indiana ANG were earmarked to receive the MC-12W! So.... which units will get F-16's and which ones the MC-12?

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[wamovements]

If the current fy15 budget proposal is agreed, the following ANG A-10 units will get the following planes:
IN ANG--> F-16CM
ID ANG--> F-15E (as associate unit at Mountain Home)
MD ANG--> C-130J-30
MI ANG--> KC-135R

Most of the MC-12Ws will transfer to the US Army, thirteen will go to the OK ANG.

Regards
Dennis

[PilotoRico]

If the current fy15 budget proposal is agreed, the following ANG A-10 units will get the following planes:
IN ANG--> F-16CM
ID ANG--> F-15E (as associate unit at Mountain Home)
MD ANG--> C-130J-30
MI ANG--> KC-135R

Most of the MC-12Ws will transfer to the US Army, thirteen will go to the OK ANG.

Regards
Dennis

Okay, thanks. According to a very reliable source, eight MC-12 will also go to the Connecticut ANG!

Cheerzzz

Rico

[wamovements]

Latest news is that only 13 MC-12Ws go to the OK ANG:
Air Force Special Operations Command—not the Army—will take over the bulk of the MC-12 Liberty intelligence gathering fleet, AFSOC spokeswoman Lt. Col. Kristi Beckman told the Daily Report. The 51-strong MC-12W fleet is currently divided between Air Combat Command, which operates 41 aircraft, and US Special Operations Command, which operates 10 airframes—dubbed "Javaman," Beckman said. The Fiscal 2014 defense authorization called on the Air Force to draft a plan to "potentially transfer" its MC-12s to the Army. The plan now is for the Army to get eight airframes. USSOCOM will take the rest of the Liberty fleet, as well as its Javamen, and pass them on to AFSOC. "AFSOC will get those 33, plus an additional 10 MC-12s from USSOCOM that they currently own," explained Beckman. "That's a total of 43 aircraft for AFSOC," she said. The bulk of those aircraft will be assigned to Active Duty units at Cannon AFB, N.M., and Hurlburt Field, Fla., replacing the U-28A special operations surveillance aircraft. A total of 13 will be assigned to the Air National Guard to create a new special operations mission at Will Rogers ANGB, Okla. "We will begin about a three-year transition to the MC-12 in FY '15 starting with the ANG Wing and finishing with the Active Duty units," said Beckman.

[Le Addeur noir]

The future of Beale AFB does not look good with the loss of the U-2s to storage and the dispersal of the MC-12W fleet?.

[Richard from Rotterdam]

Apparently several congressmen have been pushing for killing the U-2 in favour of RQ-4 Global Hawks and the drones have won...

[sp00k]

First no more F-4`s, now no more A-10`s i need to pick new favorites..