Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) says the Air Force intends to send 18 F-15Cs with upgraded avionics—making them Golden Eagles—to the Air National Guard. It was unclear from his statement how many would go to the Montana ANG’s 120th Fighter Wing, but he said that getting this commitment has “helped guarantee a long term future for the 120th Fighter Wing.” (BRAC 2005 directed the Air Force to replace the 120th’s F-16s with 15 F-15s.) Burns also noted that the F-15s would get new active electronically scanned array radars, for which USAF reprogrammed $73 million.
Clearing jungle and laying asphalt in tropical heat may not sound like fun to most people, but it’s a way of life for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Airmen, who have spent the past year or so restoring World War II-era airfields on the Pacific…