An F-16 crashed during takeoff in July 2007 at Balad AB, Iraq, due to an underinflated nose gear tire and the pilot’s misinterpretation of the situation, Pacific Air Forces announced on Jan. 30, citing the findings of the accident investigation board. The F-16 was from the 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan, but deployed to the 13th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Balad. The pilot safely ejected and suffered no injuries, but the F-16 skidded off the runway, tumbled, and was completely destroyed at a loss of $24 million.
A new Navy missile could fill a long-range air-to-air need for the U.S. Air Force’s fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters. The Navy’s portfolio acquisition executive for munitions posted information on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile online on Aug. 22, the same day it unveiled the project at the service’s…