Struct
ural maintenance airmen at Kunsan AB, South Korea, have just finished painting the first F-16 to receive an “arctic” paint scheme. It is destined for Eielson AFB, Alaska, where it will form part of Pacific Air Force’s new Red Flag-Alaska aggressor force. Eielson’s aggressor force will have three different paint schemes, depending on the time of year. Kunsan is getting Block 40 F-16s to replace its Block 30 Vipers, so it is sending the older versions to Alaska for the new aggressor unit. (Report by SSgt. Alice Moore.)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.