A recent US Air Forces in Europe news release describes a major thrill for most airmen, getting to fly a hot fighter of another air force. Maj. P.K. Carlton, who was participating in an exchange program at RAF Coningsby, Great Britain, got to fly solo in the RAF’s Typhoon. The USAF F-16 pilot called the flight characteristics of each aircraft similar. The biggest problem for him was the RAF’s different “rules to fly by.”
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.