The West Virginia Air National Guard will be impacted by Air National Guard cuts in aircraft but not to the degree of some other states, according to Sgt. Anna-Marie Hizer, a public affairs officer with the West Virginia Guard.
The Air Force announced structure plans to retire, not acquire or transfer 191 Air National Guard aircraft and add 65 aircraft to the Guard fleet.
The changes were announced Friday, and they will affect units in 27 states and territories through the next few years.
West Virginia's 167th Airlift Wing will retire all 11 of its C-5A Galaxy aircraft and will transition into eight C-17 Globemaster aircraft in Fiscal Year 2015.
Charleston's 130th Airlift Wing will lose one of its nine C-130 Hercules aircraft as well as its RC-26 aircraft.
The 167th Airlift Wing conducts cargo and personnel transport missions throughout the U.S. and the world.
"We are very excited that we will continue to have flying missions at both the 130th and 167th Airlift Wings," Maj. Gen. James A. Hoyer, West Virginia Adjutant General, said in a news release. "We will strive to take any challenges that are presented to us and turn them into opportunities."
Hoyer said the airlift wings will continue to prove they can perform the same missions as their counterparts on active duty "at a fraction of the cost while maintaining our ability to respond to state emergencies and homeland defense.
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