News Archive

The four-nation Eurofighter consortium on Tuesday offered to let NATO-member Norway join if Oslo chooses to buy Eurofighters instead of U.S.-built F-16s. Eurofighter and F-16 makers Lockheed Martin, the only rivals to supply Norway with 20 jets from 2003 to 2010 with an option for 10 more, presented formal bids on Tuesday....

A Taiwan F-16 fighter carrying one pilot went missing off eastern Taiwan during a routine training mission on Tuesday. ...

Even before "Spicoli, " a 555th Fighter Squadron pilot, brought his F-16CG aircraft to a complete stop in his unit's "Nickel Loop" May 27, he knew he couldn't escape the traditional hosing down after an aviation milestone. ...

On May 28, 1999, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems delivered the first aircraft in Egypt's fifth F-16 procurement program, known as Peace Vector V. ...

Yugoslav air defenders fired their most missiles to date against NATO warplanes in the latest alliance sorties, jolting a U.S. F-16 in a near-miss. Yesterday over 30 missiles were fired against NATO aircraft and anti-aircraft fire was very active. A U.S. pilot had to evade two missiles fired in a salvo against him and he told us yesterday night one passed so close to the aircraft that he heard and felt turbulence as it passed and exploded near his aircraft. In another attack, six missiles were fired at a package of aircraft attacking a single target. This trend to shoot more missiles is probably a kind of desperation. They are shooting unguided missiles, as many as they can, to try and hit an aircraft with a lucky shot. ...

The Air Force released its findings on the cause of an F-16 aircraft accident that occurred about 85 miles south of here, near the city of Kamaishi, Japan. The accident took place Jan. 21. ...

Orbital Sciences announced today its Fairchild Defense Division has been awarded a $16. 5 million contract to supply its Digital Terrain System (DTS) to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for its F-16 aircraft.

The DTS enhances the safety of combat aircraft operations by providing the pilot with predictive ground collision avoidance information through visual and aural commands....

Raytheon received more than $217 million under three separate contracts for production of and improvements to the AIM-120 AMRAAM. Already more than 10, 000 missiles have been produced for U.S. and international customers. ...

President Clinton signed the 1999 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act May 21. The bill includes more than $10 billion in new budget authority for the Department of Defense for costs resulting from ongoing contingency operations in Southwest Asia and Kosovo, as well as other urgent high-priority military readiness matters. Of few point from the bill, of interest to the F-16 community:

• $40 million for targeting drones that can be towed behind B-1 bombers andF-16 fighters;
• $35 million for more Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
• $2.3 billion "to rectify emerging readiness concerns. " This includes $1.1 billion for spare parts and associated logistical support needed to improve mission-capable rates of various weapons systems.

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On May 15, Operation Northern Watch aircraft were targeted by Iraqi radar posing a threat to coalition aircraft. ...

The Czech government has sent letters to five western countries expressing interest in purchasing advanced fighter aircraft, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The letters were sent by the Czech Defense Ministry to the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Sweden and Germany....

The U.S. Air Force recently extended the phase maintenance interval for its fleet of over 600 Block 25, 30 and 32 F-16C/Ds, indicating increasing reliability of the aircraft as the fleet matures. The F-16 phase maintenance interval has been extended from a two-phase, 200-flight hour interval to a single-phase, 300-flight hour interval. This essentially cuts the F-16 phase inspection requirements by a third. This means fewer aircraft out of service and more aircraft on the flight line available for operational training or combat missions. This change will reduce the total base level maintenance man hours required to support these aircraft by two percent. This savings could equate to over $1. 5 million per year for the current USAF fleet of Block 25/30/32 aircraft. ...

Turkey's mission at NATO headquarters confirmed on Monday that Turkish F-16s have been bombing targets in Yugoslavia, sharply increasing their involvement in the air war. Turkish jets previously had been patrolling Balkan airspace, providing protection for attacking planes. ...

Air Combat Command officials released the Aircraft Accident Investigation Report on the Nov. 19, 1998, crash of an F-16CJ from the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw AFB, S.C. ...

Israel is pressing Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. to lower price offers in last-minute haggling over a multibillion dollar fighter aircraft contract that could be awarded this week. ...

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter shot down a Yugoslav MiG-29 jet Mondaynight after the MiG rose to challenge the American warplane during NATO bombing raids The Russian-built fighter jet was downed near the border between Serbia and Bosnia. ...

NATO lost its second warplane in combat in five weeks of raids on Yugoslavia on Sunday but once again the pilot was picked up just hours later in a dramatic night-time rescue. ...