Realignment to affect 12K airmen, 650 planes

[unhappycamper]

Two F-22 Raptors fly over the Pacific Ocean during a theater security mission. Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., is losing its two F-22 squadrons; one will be deactivated, and the other will move to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.


Realignment to affect 12K airmen, 650 planes
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Aug 22, 2010 9:52:45 EDT

At least 12,000 airmen will see their jobs shift in a wide-scale shakeup of bases that gives new missions to 14 installations and reassigns or retires 650 planes.

The shuffle consolidates F-22 Raptor units, assigns up to 350 F-35 Lightning IIs to four bases, retires F-16 Fighting Falcons as F-35s replace them, establishes a home base for the service’s fleet of 37 MC-12W Liberty reconnaissance planes and names the Air National Guard wings that will be home to 38 C-27J cargo aircraft.

The big winners are Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., two of the largest F-16 Fighting Falcon bases. The installations will get F-35s to replace the F-16s they’re set to lose.

The only loser is Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., which has to send its F-22s to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., which also flies the stealth jet.

Air Force officials announced the realignment July 29 after months of study and lobbying by lawmakers and communities looking to save or expand their local bases.



unhappycamper comment: Good luck with those 350 ($85 billion dollars) F-35s.