122nd Fighter Wing F-16's to be phased out

[tigershark]

F-16's to be phased out
Fighter jets will be replaced by A-10
Thunderbolts

Updated: Saturday, 28 Feb 2009, 11:28 AM EST
Published : Friday, 27 Feb 2009, 9:28 AM EST

    * Janice Allen

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - F-16 fighter jets stationed at the 122nd Fighter Wing at the Indiana Air Guard base in Fort Wayne will be phased out and replaced with A-10 Thunderbolts.

Congressman Mark Souder made the announcement Friday morning. The phase out will take place over the course of several years.

Souder says the move is needed to keep up with the times.

"If we hadn't been able to get the A-10's transferred here we might have lost the 122nd Fighter Wing, we might have lost all our planes here."

One of the big reasons for the change is that F-16's are getting older, and there's less money to keep them going in the future. Base officials say the service life of the jets is ending earlier than expected.

"We were offered the opportunity first before other bases would have been, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this was a good deal," says Colonel Jeff Soldner, 122nd Fighter Wing Base Commander. "We're very flexible here at the base, our skills will easily translate into this next aircraft that we're flying, so I don't see any problems there."

The 122nd has flown F-16 fighters out of Fort Wayne to missions overseas in support of military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations around the world.

The A-10 Thunderbolt is also known as the "Warthog" or "Hog" and is used to provide close air support for troops on the ground. It is frequently used to combat tanks.

The A-10's are bigger and slower than the F-16's but they're just as capable.

"The A-10 is designed as a close air support aircraft, low flying, slower flying airplane," explains Lt. Col Michael Stohler, 163rd Fighter Squadron Commander. "The transition for the base and the pilots is actually going to be an exciting one. This gets us closer to the guys on the ground, supporting the coalition fight that's going on, where before we were a little further away."

Converting will take little changes as far as the facility goes out at the base, but it does mean the pilots have to be re-trained to fly the A-10's.

That training takes months, and the entire conversion will last several years.

Soldner tells NewsChannel 15 the training could begin as early as fall of this year. But, it's not clear how soon the A-10's will arrive, or when the F-16's will leave.


Below is the press released issued by the 122nd Fighter Wing:

Fort Wayne IAP, IN - A proposal in the recently approved fiscal year 2010 Program Objectives Memorandum means new airframes for the 122nd Fighter Wing in the next couple of years.

Due to the projected life-span of the F-16, as well as budget restraints, the A-10 Warthog is scheduled to replace the Wing's current Fighting Falcons.

"I am very pleased that the Fort Wayne Air Guard base is actively seeking this change to the A-10 for their flying mission," said U.S. Rep. Mark Souder. "The A-10 will play a unique role in the defense and safety duties that our brave Guardsmen perform. This change will be positive for those who are currently employed at our base and will advance the 122nd Fighter Wing as a leader in the future. This is good news for Fort Wayne and our base."

"The reason for the change," said Lt. Col. Michael D. Stohler, 163rd Fighter Squadron commander, "is that the F-16s are ending their service life earlier than anticipated, and there is not enough money to sustain them into the future."

The A-10 Warthog, on the other hand, has a much longer life span. "The benefit of the 122nd Fighter Wing receiving the A-10 is that it will fly well into the 2020 timeframe," said Col. James C. Luithly, 122nd Fighter Wing vice commander. "It covers the gap from when the F-16 is retired and when the F-35 becomes available to the Air National Guard"

If there is a gap there is potential that the Air Force may not have a mission for the 122nd Fighter Wing, said Stohler. "If there is no mission there would be a loss of jobs," said Stohler, "and in the worst case scenario, the 122nd Fighter Wing could close. The A-10s will keep us in a flying, fighting mission, well into when F-35s will be delivered to the Air National Guard and the Air Force."

Stohler also said that the A-10 aircraft is a highly capable aircraft that is highly sought after, which is why the Air Force is keeping it longer. It has been determined by the Department of Defense that the A-10 will be needed because there is no other air frame that can do that mission. There are more F-16s than A-10s, so it is more cost effective to maintain the A-10 fleet.

"Fort Wayne was chosen because we have a lot of air to ground ranges close by," said Stohler. "We also have one of the largest spin-up training centers close by at camp Atterbury. They know we are an outstanding unit and they want us to maintain a flying, fighting unit so that we can bridge that gap down the road."

"We are excited about this change," said Luithly, "because we know this mission will carry us through to the F-35. It will maintain our jobs."

Source
http://www.wane.com/dpp/mobile/local_wane_122nd_future_announcement_200902271927