The sight of F-16s landing at Tucson International Airport, Ariz., with drag chutes means that the Dutch are back. After a three-year absence, a contingent of Dutch pilots is training again with the Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing. The Dutch employ the drag chutes on their F-16s as a safety feature for short field landings and adverse weather conditions. The Air Guard F-16s stationed there don’t use drag chutes. The Dutch began returning to Tucson in late October, following the conclusion of the United Arab Emirates’ F-16 training mission. The Dutch trained in Tucson for 18 years before spending the past three with the Ohio ANG’s 178th FW in Springfield. Dutch training activities at Tucson are expected to be in full swing come January. The Dutch will station 14 of their F-16s there. (Tucson release) (See also earlier Tucson release)
The Air Force plans to have its new Integrated Capabilities Command stood up by the end of 2024, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said May 2, offering new details of one of the signature reforms announced by the service earlier this year. Allvin said around 500-800 Airmen will…