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Scramble 467
With the USAF’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2019 in
mind it is certainly feasible that the new OA-X can fit in
there, or at least a part of the procurement. Further testing,
experimentation and evaluation of the Wolverine and
Super Tucano will be done during May to July 2018 at Davis-
Monthan AFB (AZ).
Although various stories have been told recently in the
media, with even a new competition with the participation
of a Bronco II, it is anticipated that once the results are
known, after the summer months, the preparations for the
procurements will start. In 2017, the USAF was recommended
the procure 300 OA-X light attack aircraft. This can be done
with some of the procurement aircraft being transferred to
Fiscal Year 2020.
The last one, that is a hard debate. Within the top ranks of
the USAF, there has been some struggling about the retire-
ment of the beloved A-10C Thunderbolt II. It seems that, with
a growing support for the OA-X, the much needed pilots for
the USAF (also for the new OA-X aircraft), the last days for the
A-10 may well be numbered.
Coming originally from Fiscal Year 1957, some of the USAF’s
KC-135R Stratotankers, are amongst the oldest aircraft in the
US Armed Forces inventory. There has been a lot of talking
about the readiness of the USAF’s aircraft fleet lately. At this
moment, and it already started some years ago, the USAF is
continuing its slow, steady downturn. This probably could
predict some hard times for the USAF’s effort, to hold on to
its pilots and its willingness and preparedness to use their
power around the globe.
The USAF themselves have stated recently that some 71.3
percent of their aircraft were flyable, or mission-capable,
at any given time during 2017. The given readiness exhibits
a drop from the 72.1 percent mission-capable rate as it was
during the year 2016. The relatively new F-35A Lightning-II,
saw a nearly 10 percentage point drop. The F-22A Raptor saw
a more than 11 percentage point reduction in mission-capa-
ble rates in 2017.
Within the USAF, it is not just only fighter aircraft. Transport
and mobility aircraft such as the C-5M Super-Galaxy and C-17A
Globemaster-III, surveillance aircraft such as the E-3 AWACS
and E-8C JSTARS, and the B-52H Stratofortress bombers are
some of the other critical aircraft that experienced a mission-
capable rate decline during 2017.It is believed that multiple circumstances over the past few
years have led the USAF to this crisis situation. With the
aircraft becoming older, the USAF has been flying its aircraft
very hard for years. Most of the flying has been done fighting
wars in and over Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, as well as
providing deterrence against North Korea, Russia, and China.
Because of recent media statements and events, the USAF felt
compelled to react with a guidance for commanders, public
affairs offices and military and civilian employees in general.
The USAF ordered a freeze on public outreach. In broad
terms this means that the USAF had (temporarily) stopped
most media events, base visits and interviews.
A-10C
79-0169/OT 422nd TES ex WA/66th WPS A10-0433 jan18
B767-2LKC (KC-46A)
(15-46007) Paine Field 15-46007 41855/1098 jul16
(17-46024) Paine Field 17-46024 34121/1129 oct17
C-130H
81-0629 164th AS OH ANG 382-4944 jan14
82-0055 164th AS OH ANG 382-4970 oct17
86-0410 154th TS AR ANG 382-5094 mar18
C-130J-30
07-8613/RS 19th AW 382-5624 nov17
08-5692/YJ 36th AS 382-5692 feb18
C-5A
70-0451 Travis to museum 500-65 mar18
E-3G
75-0559/ZZ 961st AACS 21209/913 mar18
EC-130H
65-0967/DM 55th Wing 382-4108 mar18
F-15D-35-MC
83-0048 114th FS OR ANG 886/D047 aug17
F-16CM-40-CF
88-0495/HO 56th FW ex HL/421st FS 1C-97 mar18
89-2119/WA 24th TASS ex HL/421st FS 1C-272 mar18Not only a great place to visit to witness fighter operations, helicopters are an integral part of exercises held at Nellis AFB. UH-1Y 168951/UV-02
of HMLA-267 was seen in March. (14 March 2018, Tim Wolfe)