A group of 250 airmen and 14 F-16 Viper aircraft from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, are in Romania for a three-week multilateral exercise that will give airmen the chance to practice low flying skills, reports Stars and Stripes. The event marks a double treat for the Spang Viper pilots. It’s the first time USAF F-16 pilots have trained in Romania, and the Spang airmen will get to fly well below their customary 1,000-foot bottom out. In Romania, they can fly down to 500 feet during exercise Viper Lance 2006, where they will meet up with the Romanian Air Force’s MiG-21s.
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.