Tuesday’s announcement that the Air Force plans to ground about a third of its active-duty force of combat aircraft likely will not affect operations at Eglin Air Force Base. It was unknown late Tuesday whether it would impact Hurlburt Field.
The announcement was made by the commander of Air Combat Command in Virginia.
Read more about the groundings. >>
There are no combat aircraft at Eglin, and only the 53rd Wing falls under Air Combat Command. The wing houses aircraft used in operational testing and evaluation, not in combat.
“At this time we are continuing flight operations by optimizing our resources to continue our mission of test and evaluation,” Col. David Hicks, commander of the 53rd Wing, said Tuesday.
Air Force Special Operations Command officials at Hurlburt could not provide information about whether the grounding would affect any operations there.
Hurlburt does house some combat aircraft, but falls under Special Operations Command, which is separate from the Air Combat Command.
“We are currently analyzing which effects, if any, this decision will have on Air Force Special Operations Command,” said Capt. Belena S. Marquez, a spokeswoman for the command. “However, AFSOC is known for its flexibility and resiliency. We will remain the best Special Operations aviation unit in the world.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or lreinlie@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.