That is the feeling one of the latest 3,000-hour F-16 veterans has about his aircraft. Lt. Col. Sam Shaneyfelt, commander of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., recently became the 139th Air Force pilot to surpass 3,000 flying hours in the F-16, which he also described as “fast, lethal, and drop dead gorgeous.” He made his milestone flight out of Hill AFB, Utah. (Hill report by SSgt. Samuel King Jr.)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
