Posted on 03/30/25
| News Source: WBAL
Maryland will now be the only state in the country without a flying mission, according to a new report from the Washington Post.
A White House official on Friday said Maryland will not be getting a squadron of fighter jets from the District of Columbia Air National Guard, as previously promised. The Trump administration will keep them in D.C. to “continue to prioritize readiness and warfighting to achieve peace through strength for the United States.”
This comes as the Maryland Air National Guard A-10 unit is being dismantled. The first 21 A-10 fighter jets were retired from Martin State Airport in Middle River earlier this week, with the rest to be gone by September.
The A-10s have been based at Martin State Airport for more than 40 years, piloted by the 175th Wing of the Maryland National Guard. The planes are built for combat.
The Maryland Air National Guard began flying as a part of the 104th Observation Squadron, one of the oldest units in the U.S. Air Force, and was federally recognized on June 29, 1921.
The aircraft will be retired at an aircraft boneyard in Arizona.