Pilot Missing After F-16 Crash, Saturday Update: An F-16 assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., crashed Friday about noon some 50 miles northwest of Wickenburg in the Buckskin Mountains, reports the Arizona Republic. According to an initial USAF statement, the pilot, whose name is being withheld, was on an air-to-air training mission. Saturday: In a subsequent statement, USAF said the F-16 wreckage had been spotted about 10:30 p.m. Friday night in a remote area and rugged terrain. A helicopter took a search and rescue party in to the site. SAR actions continued through the night and into Saturday, but there was no word on the pilot.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.