AFSOC Rebuilds Air Breathing Fleet Under New CO, Lt. Gen. Heithold « Breaking Defense - Defense industry news, analysis and commentary: Still in his first year as leader of Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold has lots of plans, but they no longer include replacing AFSOC’s U-28A manned surveillance aircraft with MC-12W Liberty spy planes.
“There was discussion about moving to the Liberty birds,” Heithold told an audience at the Air Force Association on March 18. “That discussion is over.”
Actually, there was more than just discussion. A recapitalization plan in place when Heithold took over AFSOC last July envisioned replacing the single-engine U-28A with twin-engine MC-12Ws transferred from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, headquartered at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.. But that plan met resistance when it reached Capitol Hill.
