The rate of F-16 Class A accidents over the past year was the highest since 2001 and came at a time when the Air Force has been reducing flying hours for five years, reports Scott Lindlaw of the Associated Press. The 2007 rate was 3.18 per 100,000 flying hours, compared to 3.85 in 2001. Unlike with the 2001 accidents, the Air Force has attributed several of the 10 Viper crashes in 2007 to pilot error or disorientation. In 2001, the prime culprit was the engine.
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.