On average, maintainers at Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah performing the precision engagement modification for the A-10 fleet are turning out a C-model Hog in less than 90 days. They just completed work on the 100th aircraft. Some of the first upgraded A-10s entered combat last fall in Southwest Asia to rave reviews. And, that, says Greg Hoffman, director of Ogden’s 571st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, is “proof that what you have done matters.” He said the upgrade program has been a “challenge,” but that the combined efforts of Ogden and prime contractor Lockheed Martin has resulted in reduced overall modification time. Shortly before his retirement, then-Air Combat Command boss Gen. Ron Keys noted how difficult it had been to sustain funding for the A-10 mod program, which he said was good but hadn’t produced the “Super Hog” the Air Force wanted, complete with upgraded engines. Some funding had to go to new wings to keep those A-10s with “thin-skin” wings flying. (309th Mx Wing report by Bill Orndorff)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.