AF Announces Combat Restructure Plan

What happens to the pilots who used to fly those planes? Do they get assigned to UAV's, desks, or other planes? How does this affect those of us trying out for pilot spots? I mean I don't have a real issue flying UAV's (my wife would be happier...) but my passion is to fly IN the airplane. I'm after flying heavies, so this isn't a huge concern for me.

If I read the regulations right, you are only guaranteed one flying assignment out of UPT, and you could ride a desk for the remainder of your time. In the F-16 world, this is definitely the case, because a lot of their guys are going to fly UAVs after one operational tour. With fewer seats opening up, it makes it difficult to look into the future.

Does that go for bombers, airlift and tankers too? I'm more interested in the heavies myself, and I've seen a lot of guys fly them for a long time. I would hope that I could get at least 10 years of fly time in. I'm not just looking to the AF to fly, I'll serve regardless. I just hope I can fly at the same time.

Here's another article on the same thing with some additional info on the planes selected:

AF Eyes Faster Retirement for Many Jets
May 22, 2009
Stars and Stripes|by Franklin Fisher and Kent Harris

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- The U.S. Air Force in the Pacific plans to speed the retirement of more than 40 combat aircraft, three of them from Osan Air Base, as part of a restructuring plan announced earlier this week, officials said Thursday.

The remaining aircraft will come from bases in Alaska and Hawaii.

That same restructuring will see the Air Force in Europe lose 18 F-16s and possibly one of its three fighter squadrons.

In all, the Air Force would get rid of about 250 fighter jets from its inventory worldwide under what’s called the Combat Air Forces restructuring plan.

Some of the losses would be offset by the addition of the newest generation of aircraft to the inventory and by upgrades to others.

The move is in line with the Air Force’s aim of freeing up money for next-generation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

It would save $355 million in fiscal 2010 and $3.5 billion over the next five years, according to an Air Force news release.

In the Pacific, the reduction will affect Osan Air Base, Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska and Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

"So this move is part of a larger effort to bridge our current force structure with a smaller, more capable future force composed mainly of fifth-generation aircraft," Pacific Air Forces spokesman Maj. Kenneth L. Hoffman said Thursday.

Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing would lose three A-10 Thunderbolt II jets, which are designed mainly for close air support missions, Hoffman said.

But it will retain 45 aircraft and receive upgrades to 24 of its F-16s.

Officials at Osan had no immediate details Thursday on the timetable for the change.

By next year, Elmendorf’s 3rd Wing will have retired the last of its 24 F-15 Eagles, but it has 36 F-22 Raptors that are being upgraded to the most modern, Block 35 variant.

Also by next year, Hickam will have lost its 15 Hawaii Air National Guard F-15s, but will receive 18 F-22s, with delivery starting in early 2011.

Within the time between the F-15 departure and F-22 arrival, Air National Guard units will deploy to Hawaii to maintain mission capability.

The Air Force will retire 112 F-15s, 134 F-16s and Osan’s three A-10s under the restructuring plan.

Five other aircraft had already been slated for retirement during the current fiscal year, which ends in October.

"We have a strategic window of opportunity to do some important things with fighter aircraft restructuring," the news release quoted Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley as saying.

"By accepting some short-term risk, we can convert our inventory of legacy fighters and F-22s into a smaller, more flexible and lethal bridge to fifth-generation fighters like the F-35."

And even another article, this has a little more to do with the future aircraft, which brings me to another question, which I'll ask below the story.

Schwartz Wish List: Boost F-35, Plan NGB
Aviation Week's DTI | John M. Doyle | May 20, 2009
This article first appeared in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz said increasing production rates for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and developing the next-generation bomber are at the top of his wish list of projects to fund if the service had more money.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on the Air Force's $160.5 billion fiscal 2010 budget request May 19, Schwartz said service leaders felt they had enough tactical aircraft capability despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plans to halt F-22 Raptor procurement at 187 aircraft.

The Air Force chief said the service's leadership believed it was a "prudent opportunity to accelerate the retirement of older aircraft." The FY '10 budget calls for retiring 250 F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, enabling the Air Force to redistribute more than $3.5 billion over the next six years to modernize combat air forces into a "smaller but more capable force," Schwartz and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told lawmakers in joint written testimony.

Schwartz did say more money would make it easier and faster to upgrade remaining legacy aircraft and make modifications to the F-22 until the F-35 starts rolling off the line in large numbers.

Schwartz said the Air Force would like to see F-35 production boosted to at least 80 aircraft and perhaps as many as 110 per year before the F-16s start retiring in large numbers.

Committee members, including Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Rep. John McHugh (N.Y.), the senior Republican on the panel, worried about producing and flying an aircraft while it was still being tested.

Donley conceded budget constraints compelled the Air Force to make some difficult calls. If there was more money "we might have made some different choices," Schwartz added. But both leaders insisted the Air Force was not short-changing itself.

The chief of staff said his wish list also included developing plans for the future long-range strike capability. "We need, through the QDR [Quadrennial Defense Review] and the NPR [Nuclear Posture Review] to get our secretary of defense comfortable with the parameters of what we propose for that platform."

Gates canceled funding for a next-generation bomber study, which Schwartz said was of concern to the Air Force "Once we get him comfortable with the parameters -- range, payload, manned, unmanned, nuclear, non-nuclear, low observable, very low observable -- then we need to proceed aggressively with that program."

Schwartz said the Air Force also needs to explore using additional automation in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to reduce manpower. He noted that currently one crew operates a single UAS.
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My questions is this, for aircraft like the KC-135 and KC-10 which will be replaced one day by the KC-X, and the F-16 and F-15 which will be replaced by the F-35... What happens to the pilots of those planes when they retire? Say I go through UPT and get an F-16 drop, but (for example only) 5 years later all F-16s are phased out and replaced by the 35, what happens to me? Do I get re-trained into the 35? Just don't know how that kind of thing works.

Chris to answer your question you would probally be sent to the F-35 B course in that senerio. Typically when you transition to another aircraft or leave your current a/c for a given amount of time (say to do a tour as a T-6 I.P.) you go through a B course or a Spin up course respectively. Really no big deal and happens often from my understanding.

The name you're looking for is a "TX" course.

Pilots who have been out of a fighter aircraft for greater than 5 years (or haven't been in a fighter at all) go through the B Course ("Basic" course).

If you're coming from another fighter, or coming back to your airframe after a tour in a different aircraft, pilots go through a "TX" (transition) course.

OK, great. Thanks for the info. My brother got picked up to fly the KC-135 which I know will be phased out sometime during his career. It just got me to thinking what all happens with a situation like that.

Another important thing to note is that the replacement for these aircraft (at least the fighters) isn't going to be a 1:1 ratio. That means that there will be less cockpits available once the transition is complete. Therefore, you need to be in the top half of your career field to ensure you stay in a cockpit. The guys and gals that are lower performers will probably get pushed into UAVs, NSA, or flying a desk.

I'd fly UAV's if it meant my desk stayed grounded.