The Air Force Reserve Command plan to accelerate movement of nine of the AFRC A-10s from New Orleans to Whiteman AFB, Mo., has played havoc with Whiteman’s timetable. The Reservists at the Missouri base are not complaining, but officials told the Sedalia Democrat that it normally would take three years to transition a fighter wing to a new base. “We’re cramming it into about eight months,” said Col. Patrick Cord, commander of AFRC’s 442nd Fighter Wing at Whiteman. The Missouri unit also gains some 200 new positions.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.