Great news on 21st back up and running! Its nice to have news of new aircraft coming to the UK - for the last few years all the news seems to have been aircraft being retired (i have to say at RIAT last year i never thought that would be the last time i'd see an RAF Harrier fly
).
A-10's on the other hand might be a pipe dream - during the F111 days Lakenheath was home to four squadrons as opposed to the current three, i believe the old 495th HAS area is now home to the 56th RQS (of course i'm sure they could move but with only two UK bases its hard to see where they'd go - there is only limited ramp space), has there also not been quite a bit of building work at Lakenheath recently with rumours of F22 operability?
Added to that Spag lost a third of its F16's last year and there are now only two sqadrons at Spang, 81st flying A-10s and the 480th flying F16s (though i believe this sqn is bigger than the avergae USAF FS - i'm sure someone will be able to confirm whether i'm right about that). So unless Spang goes i very much doubt we'll see the A10's back on a permenant basis (alas). Personally i have always wondered why only a single squadron of A10s was left in Europe after the dispandment of the 81st and 10th TFW's - they have proved to be such a useful and important aircraft in Afgan, Iraq, Balkans etc. just look at the NATO top brass practically begging for them to be used in Libya.
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