Air Force plans to exchange Arkansas base jets
By The Associated Press
This article was published February 4, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.
FORT SMITH — A plan by Air Force officials would remove the A-10 aircraft mission from a Fort Smith-based fighter wing in 2013 and possibly replace it with one involving remotely piloted aircraft.
The proposal released by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Friday would make the 188th Fighter Wing an MQ-1/9 Remote Split Operations Squadron that would be made up of unmanned aerial vehicles commonly referred to as drones.
The change would involve a ground control operation station from which the aircraft are operated, but the drones wouldn’t be assigned to the base.
Brig. Gen. Dwight Balch of the Arkansas National Guard said the Pentagon hasn’t released specifics about how the conversion will affect the workforce.
The 188th currently has about 1,000 airmen and 350 full-time staffers.
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