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Army F-16s

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Alright, I have a 'friend' in Army ROTC who swears that the Army has some Guard unit that has F-16s. I keep telling him he's so full of sh!t his eyes are brown, but I'm too lazy to look it up. Just in case someone else has heard of these 'magical' Army F-16s, could you please post something? Or, better yet, could someone post a legal document that states the army can't have fixed wing aircraft for combat?

Thanks
 

46Driver

"It's a mother beautiful bridge, and it's gon
The AIR National Guard flies F-16's, not the Army Guard. Take the bet, wager the house, and then have him prove it. I want 10%.......
 

zab1001

Well-Known Member
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
Man, don't start that up again. I'm still picking scabs out of my ears from the aneurysm that damn thread gave me last time. That and the fact that the guy who started that NONSENSE is still on here, under a different name. (YES WE ALL KNOW IT'S YOU).

Oh yeah, there is NO Army National Guard unit flying F-16s, dammit.
 

SteveG75

Retired and starting that second career
None
The only fixed wing aircraft that the Army flys are the C-12 and C-23. The C-12 is a Beech twin that is used for small pax/cargo runs and as an EW platform in its Guardrail variant. The C-23 Sherpa is a small twin cargo aircraft.

All fixed wing "combat" aircraft support is supplied by the USAF. That said, the Army does have the largest fleet of "combat aircraft" of any service. They are just all rotary wing.
 
Sweet. I'm gonna milk this, because he'll spend several days researching it non-stop before he admits that I was right... and I'll get some money too. Two birds with one stone.

And in the future he'll probably make dangerous bets in poker to break even. It just keeps getting better and better.
 

46Driver

"It's a mother beautiful bridge, and it's gon
He is probably confused because some Air National Guard units are co-located with Army Guard unit. McEntire ANG base in South Carolina is that way: it has Army National Guard AH-64's, H-60's and Air National Guard F-16's.

However, this is probably what you want to see, beginning with the birth of the Air Force and the National Security Act of 1947.

When the Army and the Air Force became separate services after World War Two, one of the most contentious issues was defining a clear postwar identity for Army aviation. Although the institutional separation was authorized by the National Security Act in 1947 and the services agreed to a formal enumeration of their respective functions in the 1948 Key West Agreement, ten years later the Defense Department was still revisiting aviation in an attempt to clarify the Army's role.

The general thrust of departmental policy was to assign almost all missions for which fixed-wing aircraft were best suited to the Air Force, while encouraging Army aviators to rely on rotary-wing systems to accomplish the remaining missions. In 1957, Defense Secretary Charles Wilson directed that no Army fixed-wing aircraft could exceed an empty weight of 5,000 pounds, while the service's helicopters could weigh up to ten tons. Not surprisingly, Army aviation came to consist almost entirely of rotary-wing assets, a trend confirmed by the operational demands of the Vietnam War. By the late 1970s the Army had accumulated an inventory of 8,000 helicopters, the biggest and most capable such force ever assembled.
 

Grant

Registered User
I really hope your friend was just yanking your chain, and doesnt actually believe that. Thats really off the wall.
 

cricechex

Active Member
I am almost positive that the Army has corporate style jets for flying the big wigs. Not sure of the models off the top of my head though.
 

Grant

Registered User
cricechex said:
I am almost positive that the Army has corporate style jets for flying the big wigs. Not sure of the models off the top of my head though.

They have a few C-12's, which are twin props, and a variation of Raytheon/Beech King Airs.
 

contrail_dash

Registered User
Dont forget the C-26 aka Metro III. Several national guard units have em and use them for counter-drug stuff. I even fueled one from out west somewhere. Pilots said that they had to fly helos first before transitioning into fixed wing.

Among the most popular pieces of equipment are unmanned aerial vehicles, which recently flew in support of two South Texas U.S. Border Patrol sectors. These aircraft are equipped with day/night cameras and infrared sensors. “We were also able to assist the Border Patrol in integrating the Texas Army National Guard C-26 aircraft, a highly sophisticated counter-drug platform, into the overall effort,” said Carrasco.
link here

On the Active Army side, I've personally seen a C-37 (G-IV) that flew into my FBO. Had two warrant officers flying and some sergeant acting as a flight attendant. They have some older Gulfstreams as well.
 

Grant

Registered User
contrail_dash said:
Dont forget the C-26 aka Metro III. Several national guard units have em and use them for counter-drug stuff. I even fueled one from out west somewhere. Pilots said that they had to fly helos first before transitioning into fixed wing.

link here

On the Active Army side, I've personally seen a C-37 (G-IV) that flew into my FBO. Had two warrant officers flying and some sergeant acting as a flight attendant. They have some older Gulfstreams as well.

Wow, I didnt know that. I ran a search and was only able to come up with C-12's. Good to know. :D
 
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