Termy

I actually saw it in writing from a Senator (NJ, if I recall correctly) about three years ago. It was a memo regarding fighter iron flow in the Guard. The message of the memo was that the Guard (homeland defense/ASA specifically) needs a bridge for the bathtub. He mentioned that purchase of 4.5 gen fighters should not be off the table of discussion. It specifically mentioned the later block Vipers and Super Hornets as possibilities. I assume this is where the rumor came from.

When I spoke with one of the lucky few who got to fly both aircraft, he said, "The Tucano is the obvious choice." In his assesment, it was simply more capable, proven, and able to operate from unimproved surfaces. The basing situation wasn't even being discussed when he flew them.

To go buy $62 worth of stuff on post? Nice.

First time poster. I have done both: I flew UH-60's for the Army for seven years and have flown Vipers for eight. So I can't speak to flying helos for the USAF, but I have certainly seen both branches. I can sum it up easy for you: if you want to fly for the Army, become a Warrant. If you want to fly for the USAF, go Guard (or to a slightly lesser degree, Reserves.) Those are the two best ways to minimize the pain for you and maximize the opportunity to continue to go places and fight wars.