News Archive

June 2006


30 June 2006 US to sell 18 new F-16 jets to Pakistan
The US State Department decided to sell Pakistan 18 new F-16s with an option for 18 more. The US also offers to acquire and upgrade 26 used F-16A/B aircraft from U.S. inventories and to upgrade Pakistan's current fleet of 34 F-16s. ...
30 June 2006 Second flight test F135 Engine for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
Pratt & Whitney has delivered the second F135 flight test engine on schedule to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Texas, facility. The engine is the second of three that will support the first flights of the F-35 JSF beginning this fall. ...
29 June 2006 188th Fighter Wing gets new commander
According to news reports from the "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette" and "NEWS3 channel", during a change-of-command ceremony already on May 7, Col. Kevin Wear assumed command of the 188th Fighter Wing "Flying Razorbacks" (Arkansas ANG), Forth Smith Regional Airport, which includes the 184th Fighter Squadron with F-16s....
28 June 2006 Four additional F-16s arrive in Chile
Four F-16 block 50s purchased from the United States arrived Tuesday at the Los Cóndores Air Base in Iquique. Two jets arrived earlier this year and another four will join the fleet by the end of 2006 as part of a large-scale renovation of Chile's Air Force. ...
28 June 2006 366th Fighter Wing gets new commander
According to "The Gunfighter", official base newspaper for Mountain Home AFB, near Boise, Idaho, during a change-of-command ceremony on May 31 afternoon Col. Anthony J. "Tony" Rock assumed command of the 366th Fighter Wing "Gunfighters" (ACC), beginning an anticipated two-year tour of duty....
27 June 2006 Israel planning to purchase 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters
Recently, Israeli Air Force chief procurement officer Brigadier-General Ze'ev Snir announced that Israel intends to purchase 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a cost of at least $5 Billion over several years....
25 June 2006 52nd Fighter Wing gets new commander
According to "Stars and Stripes", Col. Darryl Roberson officially assumed command of the 52nd Fighter Wing (USAFE), Spangdahlem AB, Germany, from Col. David L. Goldfein during a change-of-command ceremony in the morning hours on June 23....
24 June 2006 Dry ice to remove sealant from F-16 wings
To remove sealant from the wings of F-16 Fighting Falcons, Airmen at Hill AFB are replacing elbow grease and plastic scrapers with dry ice. ...
24 June 2006 Dutch F-16s scramble for stray Boeing 737
When Air traffic controllers failed to establish radio contact with a Boeing 737 on its way from Bulgaria to Belfast, two F-16s from Leeuwarden AB were scrambled....
23 June 2006 Block 40 aircraft reaches 6,000 hours
A block 40 F-16 with serial number 87-0359 surpassed 6,000 flying hours on 20 June 2006. ...
22 June 2006 U.S. F-16s to visit Serbia
Two USAFE F-16 jets are to visit a Serbian army airport later this week as part of increased military cooperation, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday....
22 June 2006 PAF F-16s participate in Anatolian Eagle
Pakistan has again sent six of its F-16s to Konya Air Base, Turkey to participate in a joint military exercise codenamed "Anatolian Eagle" which is held from June 12th untill June 23rd....
21 June 2006 Pratt & Whitney F135 completes first engine runs at joint reserve base in support of JSF flight tests
The first flight test F135 engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has completed successful runs at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base facility in Fort Worth, Texas. ...
20 June 2006 Indian companies (HAL, TAT) to build F-16s?
Lockheed Martin, in the race to sell 126 F-16 jets to the Indian Air Force, is in talks with companies like HAL and the Tata group for the outsourcing of aircraft components. ...
19 June 2006 Danish F-16 sucessfully tests the enhanced Paveway II
The Royal Danish air force recently conducted a series of tests of the Raytheon Enhanced Paveway II precision guided weapon. ...
19 June 2006 Taiwan F-5F crash prompts call for purchase of F-16s
The fatal crash of a Taiwanese air force twin-seat fighter has sparked concern about the safety of the ageing jets and calls for the island to purchase advanced F-16s from the U.S. ...
18 June 2006 Undergrads taken for stomach-churning training flight in an F-16D
They're American college students enjoying a hiatus from the rigors of academia. But, unlike most of their peers on summer break, they're glimpsing their future 500 feet above the earth....
17 June 2006 Raptors getting hot under the collar
With temperatures on the rise as summer heats up, the U.S. Air Force is working on a solution to a minor problem with its new F-22 Raptor fighter jets....
17 June 2006 56th Fighter Wing gets new commander
According to "The Arizona Republic", Col. Noel Jones took command of the 56th Fighter Wing (ACC), Luke AFB, Glendale, Arizona, on June 13. ...
17 June 2006 Lockheed working to ensure materials availibility for future F-35 production
Things just aren't what they used to be when it comes to building fighter jets these days....
16 June 2006 Confusion on Norway's possible purchase of F-35 fighter jets
Will Norway buy 48 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in 2008? Well, that depends on who you ask. ...
15 June 2006 Portugal to sell 12 of its 40 F-16s
The Portuguese government will sell 12 F-16's, and some other defense equipment like Puma and Alouette II helicopters....
14 June 2006 BAE systems delivers first production F-22 Digital Electronic Warfare System to Lockheed Martin
BAE Systems has delivered the first production digital electronic warfare (EW) system to Lockheed Martin for use in the U.S. Air Force's Raptor no. 4084. ...
13 June 2006 F-22 scores direct hit in high altitude, supersonic JDAM test
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter, flying at a speed of Mach 1.5 and an altitude of 50,000 feet, released a GPS-aided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) from a range of 24 nautical miles, destroying a small ground target in the F-22's fastest and highest JDAM delivery yet....
08 June 2006 Most-wanted terrorist in Iraq killed in F-16 airstrike
Al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, blamed for the beheading of foreign captives and the death of hundreds in suicide bombings, has been killed in a F-16 raid north of Baghdad....
07 June 2006 Attack on Iraq's nuclear reactor
Today could be the twenty-fifth anniversary of a nuclear Iraq. Instead it marks the date of one of the most daring and controversial military actions in modern history....
07 June 2006 Lockheed Martin offers C-130J for Joint Cargo Aircraft Program
Lockheed Martin officials said today that they have proposed their in-production short-fuselage variant of the combat tested C-130J for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program....
06 June 2006 Three F-16 wings deploy to South Korea
Elements of fighter wings from three Air National Guard units have deployed to Kunsan AFB this week in support of their air expeditionary force rotations. ...
06 June 2006 Thunderbirds select 2nd female pilot for the 2007 season
The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, "Thunderbirds," have announced their new officers for the 2007 demonstration season....
05 June 2006 F136 engine stalls during testing due to oil leak
While controversy still surrounds the decision of whether or not to continue funding for an alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, General Electric had to deliver some bad news for the F136 engine....
04 June 2006 Command handovers at Aviano
As "Stars and Stripes" reported, both F-16 squadrons of the 31st Fighter Wing (USAFE) at Aviano Air Base, Italy, get new commanders....
02 June 2006 Lockheed Martin partnership awarded multi-year support contract for Royal Air Force C-130 fleet
A team of Lockheed Martin, Marshall Aerospace and Rolls-Royce has been awarded a contract for the long term support of the United Kingdom's fleet of C-130 aircraft....
01 June 2006 Incentive flight in the F-16 ends in tragedy
A flight in an F-16 fighter jet from the Boca Chica airfield near Key West was supposed to be a reward for an Air Force reservist. Instead, the trip turned deadly when the jet made an emergency landing so its passenger could be rushed to the hospital. ...
01 June 2006 Test demonstrates total force concept
Members of the 416th Flight Test Squadron worked with the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center to conduct testing of the Block 30 F-16 Software Capability Upgrade....
01 June 2006 Bulgaria probes for F-16 purchase
The Bulgarian government has inquired about the options to purchase F-16 fighting falcons from Lockheed Martin, an official from the company announced Thursday....