An Air Force Reserve Command F-16 crashed in the Florida straits about 75 miles south-southeast of Homestead ARB, Fla., around 11 a.m. on Monday. The pilot, assigned to AFRC’s 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead, ejected safely. The Sun Sentinel reports that the Viper experienced a “mechanical problem” before it crashed into the water, and the Coast Guard rescued the pilot who was in a life raft. The Air Force did not immediately identify the pilot.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.