An Ailing USAF F-16 Gets a Navy Fuselage: The technicians at the Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah, have finally fixed an F-16 that was damaged in a December 2000 accident, and the repair, says officials, will wind up saving millions of dollars. During a test flight at Hill, the landing gear of a Virginia Air National Guard F-16 collapsed upon landing, causing the fighter to skid down the runway. The nature of the damage led to a unique fix: The ALC found a donor fuselage that would work, but it came from a retired Navy aggressor F-16.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.