The Air Force added the CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft to its list of 2007 unfunded priorities to try to answer a US Special Operations Command request that “this critical capability be fielded as soon as possible,” Maj. Gen. Stanley Gorenc told lawmakers yesterday at a Capitol Hill hearing. The upfront funds the Air Force is seeking would accelerate full operational capability by three years. Gorenc, USAF’s operational capabilities requirements chief, said the CV-22 Osprey would “greatly enhance SOF capabilities.” The Air Force version of the Osprey will replace 31 Air Force Special Operations Command MH-53s.
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.