Air
Force F-16 mechanics deployed to Southwest Asia still must perform phase inspections for their Vipers—a four to five day process every 400 flight hours. And, the rate of sorties flown means the inspection time rolls around just that much faster—about every 120 days compared to once a year in the states, reports SrA. Candace Romano. “We literally de-panel and inspect the entire jet,” fixing anything that needs repair or maintenance, says TSgt. Ethan Thomas, a phase dock chief deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, from Misawa AB, Japan.
The advanced F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, the senior Air Force acquisition officer overseeing the program said Feb. 25, as the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded…