Two Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons set out from Hill Air Force Base on April 27 for a new home. They were reassigned to the South Dakota Air National Guard at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls.
The F-16s are the first of 24 jets currently assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing scheduled to be transferred or retired from the base in fiscal year 2010 to comply with the Air Force's combat air force restructure plan announced last June.
Under the Air Force plan a total of 259 aircraft will be retired including 138 F-16s, 112 F-15 Eagles and nine A-10 Thunderbolt IIs. Also under the same provision were five F-16s from planned FY '09 and FY '10 reductions. The resulting cost savings of $355 million in FYSTnS'10 and $3.5 billion over the next five fiscal years will be used to modernize Air Force fighters and bombers, procure the munitions favored by joint warfighters and fund critical intelligence and other enabling technology.
"This restructure plan will allow the Air Force to convert our inventory of legacy fighters into a smaller, but flexible and more lethal fifth-generation of fighters," said Col. Scott Zobrist, 388th Fighter Wing commander.
At Hill, the plan calls for a decrease of 24 F-16 aircraft in FY '10 while retaining 48 across two squadrons. As a result, the 34th Fighter Squadron -- known as the "Rude Rams" -- will be inactivated this summer.
The restructure will also realign 617 military positions from the 388th FW across the Air Force through planned reassignments and retraining. The 419th Fighter Wing will realign 35 traditional reservist (part-time) and 10 Air Reserve Technician (full-time) positions.
Zobrist said, "The 388th Fighter Wing, 419th Fighter Wing and Hill Air Force Base will continue to be mission ready, supporting both homeland and overseas contingency operations."
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