The marriage of Air Force Reserve Command’s 919th Special Operations Wing with Air Force Special Operations Command’s 1st SOW will unfold during several phases, including the flight training duties reported earlier. An AFRC release explains that, over the next five years, the 919th SOW “will become a fully integrated partner” with the 1st SOW. The Reservists will give up their MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft in the next year or two and retire its MC-130E Combat Talon 1 aircraft in 2011 or 2012. AFSOC is retiring its Shadows and older Talons in favor of new CV-22 Ospreys and newer Hercules aircraft. Some 919th Reservists also may undertake a new unmanned aerial vehicle mission, augmenting AFSOC’s MQ-1 Predator force in Nevada.
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…