The service said on Wednesday that four air bases are shuffling around their aircraft to create two new "centers of excellence" for close air support and rescue missions and fifth-generation aircraft.

Davis-Monson Air Force Base in Arizona may soon retire its active A-10C Thunderbolt II combat squadron and become a new center for close air support and rescue testing and training. Similarly, this move will free up space at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to focus on supporting advanced aircraft such as the F-35A Lightning II.

According to the new plan, the Air Force will move the weapons schools and test squadrons of the A-10 and HH-60 combat search and rescue helicopters from Nellis to Davis-Monson starting in fiscal year 2022. This will integrate all testing, training, and weapon school activities for these platforms at one base, and slightly increase the workforce in facilities near Tucson.

The A-10 weapons instructor course and testing and evaluation work will be transferred first in 2022. The instructor course for HH-60, test and combat forces will begin in 2024. These include the 88th Test and Evaluation Squadron Air Force, the 66th Rescue Squadron, the 58th Rescue Squadron, the 34th Weapon Squadron, and the 855th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

Instead, Nellis will receive F-35s for operational testing requirements, plus an additional F-35A from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, as part of the restart of Nellis' 65th Aggressor Squadron. F-22 Raptor fighter jets will also arrive from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida for testing.

"The Air Force also proposes to improve the Nevada test and training range to further support the infrastructure needed for current and future testing and training," the service said. "This is the only place where you can train the fifth-generation system in a live environment."

It added that the Air Force will conduct the necessary environmental tests to give the green light to these operations.

"Our national and joint force commanders rely on us to control and use the air. To do this, we need Nellis' additional range and aircraft maintenance infrastructure capabilities to use our most advanced capabilities for comprehensive testing and training," Air Combat General Mark Kelly, the head of the command, said in a press release. "Our rescue squadron will continue to train and hone their key skills to support combat missions in new locations."

The execution of this plan depends on whether Congress allows the Air Force to retire 42 of its 281 A-10 attack aircraft in fiscal year 2022, including 35 in Davis-Monson. The others will be from the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard, and about two dozen from bases that have not yet been announced in 2023.

If Congress approves this idea, Davis-Monson will retain its largest aircraft company despite the loss of a combat unit. Martha McSally (Martha McSally) was the first woman to take part in the battle. She was a former Republican senator from Arizona. She was the first in Congress to prevent the Air Force from sealing the aging A-10 in favor of a more modern one. Technology.

The Air Force stated: "Retiring these aircraft will provide the financial and human flexibility needed to design and deploy future forces that meet the requirements of combat commanders."

Both the A-10 and HH-60 inventory are facing major upgrades, including updating the avionics and wing replacements for 218 Warthogs so that they can fly for at least another 10 years, and replacing the HH-60G Pave Eagle with the new HH -60W Jolly Green II.

The US Air Force hopes to reduce the number of A-10 squadrons in nine operations to seven, including three Air National Guard squadrons, two active squadrons, and one Air Force Reserve squadron. Another squadron will be located at Osan Air Base in South Korea. The Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for plans and projects, General David Nahom, told lawmakers on June 22.

Rachel Cohen joined the Air Force Times in March 2021 as a senior reporter. Her work has appeared in Air Force Magazine, Internal Defense, Internal Health Policy, Frederick News Post (Maryland), Washington Post, etc.