The pilots of the Czech Air Force are coming out of NATO’s Air Meet 2005 with big grins on their faces. Why? Because the pilots and their L159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft “shot down” in simulated air combat US F-16 and F-18 fighters. They got their shot against frontline American aircraft and a variety of other aircraft in the alliance’s multinational exercise in Norway.
A yearslong effort to find an affordable way to turn cargo planes into strike platforms is now an official program with anticipated fielding in 2027.