The Arizona Air National Guard has taken the Air Force’s last operational F-16A on its final mission. The 162nd Fighter Wing at Tuscon Airport flew the last A model to the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., on June 15 and retired its last two B model Vipers at it completed its conversion to the F-16C and D models, reports Capt. Gabe Johnson. While flying the A and B models, the 162nd FW trained some 1,640 US and allied F-16 pilots since 1985 when it became a Viper training unit.
Facing competition from fast-growing startups, Lockheed Martin is speeding up production of an “affordable, scalable” hypersonic glide body, dubbed the Next Generation Glide Body, the firm said in a June 24 release.