W.Va. National Guard retires beloved aircraft
W.Va. National Guard retires beloved aircraft from service
By WDTV News Staff
Published: Jan. 19, 2023
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – Five members of the West Virginia National Guard’s Counter Drug Program boarded a beloved aircraft in Bridgeport for its final retirement flight.
The beloved RC-26 Condor has been a primary fixed wing asset for multiple Air National Guard units around the nation, including West Virginia.
The Condor is a twin turboprop surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, and up until its last flight performed a multitude of important roles including domestic counter drug missions, warzone counter-insurgency flights overseas, domestic homeland security missions, and disaster relief efforts both at home and abroad.
The majority of flight hours for aircraft 94-0260 were spent helping law enforcement agencies in the ongoing battle against the illegal drug trade.
Since 2002, 94-0260 flew more than 6,200 flight hours in support of all its various missions.
In West Virginia, the aircraft helped the Counter Drug program seize more than one billion dollars in drugs and weapons in the past five years alone, helping to stem the tide of the illicit drug trade throughout the Mountain State.
“The loss of this capable and integral platform marks a sad day for counter drug efforts here in West Virginia,” stated Col. William “Bill” Annie, program director. “The RC-26 was a critical asset for us and for law enforcement agencies across the state. While we still have rotary wing assets to maintain operational tempos and mission requirements for support efforts, we will truly miss our Condor in the sky helping to keep us safe.”
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Story credit: WDTV Channel 5; https://www.wdtv.com/2023/01/19/wva-national-guard-retires-beloved-aircraft-service/