No Pattern

Oct. 25, 2007

The Air Force has seen a spike in F-16 Class A accidents during the current fiscal year, but there hasn’t been a “common thread” or problem relating them, Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday. Although USAF safety agencies are working hard to see what’s going on, Moseley said it might just be part of “the challenge of operating aging aircraft.” As we reported Wednesday, the 2007 mishap rate was the highest since 2001, when most of the accidents were linked to engine failure.

Related Content

21 Tankers Line Up for Record-Breaking Launch as McConnell Practices ACE

March 30, 2023
More than 20 tankers lined the runway at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on March 27, for an “elephant walk” and the base’s largest mass launch of aircraft ever. Sixteen KC-46s and five KC-135s participated in the flush, with aircraft and Airmen from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and the 931st…

F-35s Arrive at Kadena as F-15 Withdrawl Continues

March 30, 2023
F-35 Lightning II fighters arrived on Okinawa in March as the Air Force continues to swap out its permanently deployed F-15 Eagles at Kadena Air Base, Japan. Air Force officials declined to provide the exact number of F-35s at Kadena or say when more F-15s would depart, citing operational security.

It’s Official: ARRW Is Done When All-Up Tests Conclude. What’s Next?

March 30, 2023
The Air Force’s ARRW hypersonic missile program will end after another couple of tests, service acquisition executive Andrew Hunter told the House Armed Services Committee. His written testimony affirmed remarks from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall that the boost-glide ARRW will be supplanted by the air-breathing Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.

Collaborative Combat Aircraft Will Join the Air Force Before NGAD

March 29, 2023
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.

SDA to Launch First Satellites of Tranche 0 from Vandenberg

March 29, 2023
If all goes well, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 7:29 a.m. Pacific time from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., on March 30, carrying the first pieces of the Space Force’s planned constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites. Two and a half years after the Space Development Agency awarded…

Proven Higher Cancer Risk for Pilots and Ground Crew Sparks Search for Causes

March 29, 2023
In the wake of a new Pentagon study showing elevated rates of cancer among both military aviators and the ground personnel who support them, advocates and lawmakers have started a fresh push for more study and action on the issue. The study, mandated by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act and…

Pentagon Leaders Still Say ‘No’ to F-16s, MQ-9s for Ukraine

March 29, 2023
Top U.S. defense officials dismissed the notion that the U.S. would provide aircraft—manned or unmanned—anytime soon to Ukraine in Congressional hearings March 28 and 29. While Kyiv has repeatedly asked for F-16 fighters and MQ-9 drones, the Biden administration has refrained from providing them and argued the systems would be…

My ‘Aim High!’ Story

March 29, 2023
‘Aim High!’ inspired me to excel in the United States Air Force. Now, as a retired Airman, there is a yearning to share my experiences. I have often thought what if some aspects of my story could inspire Airmen, or...