Browsing: f-16

History is making a comeback when it comes to tankers lending a helping hand to some stranded Air Force pilots out there. Air Force Times’ readers applauded the news that an Air Force tanker crew from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, helped save a struggling F-16 pilot. He was flying over Islamic State group-held territory last year when a technical problem affected his fuel supply. He might have ejected over enemy territory, but the KC-135 essentially towed him back to base. “Now THAT is a wingman,” reader Sam Axe wrote on the Air Force Times Facebook page. “Teamwork at its…

One of the budget battles from last year is back: Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska vs. the Air Force on the proposal to move F-16s away from Eielson Air Force Base. Begich sent a letter July 24 to Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and ranking member Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., urging them to block the use of any funds to move the F-16s from Eielson, or to “subsequently ‘warm’ the installation by drastically reducing base support operations and functions.” The language this week made its way on the 2014 Defense Appropriations bill, which is headed to the…

The Ambassadors in Blue are looking for a few good airmen to join their team, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials. The 138-member unit is looking for some new blood among officers and enlisted members willing to make multi-year commitments to the team that performs up to 75 demonstrations a year in the U.S. and abroad, according to AFPC. Officers selected to the team serve a two-year assignment and enlisted members serve three or four. The team is looking for a demonstration pilot, operations officer, executive officer, maintenance officer and public affairs officer, according to AFPC. Known officially as…

If you’re a foreign policy nerd like some of us on the Air Force Times staff, then you can’t help but think the 162nd Fighter Wing has one of the cooler gigs in the Air Force. The 162nd, an Arizona Air National Guard unit, trains foreign militaries how to fly the F-16. They operate out of Tucson International Airport – home of the famed Tucson International Mariachi Conference! – and get to enjoy the lovely weather of the American Southwest. Their latest customer? The Royal Moroccan Air Force, which sent four F-5 pilots to train up on the Fighting Falcons.…

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