A retired F-16 fighter will soon grace the base entrance of the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth. The static display is made possible through the donations of local businesses and community groups, reports Duluth’s WDIO TV news station. The F-16 will be angled to look as if it’s getting ready to take off. Work on the display will begin in a few weeks and is expected to take about two months to finish. The wing operates F-16 Block 50 aircraft, having swapped out its older F-16 Block 25s for the newer airframes.
The Space Force’s fiscal 2027 budget request includes about $2.5 billion for commercial services like satellite communications and off-the-shelf capabilities, but officials say commercial components and technology are embedded throughout programs, making the true allocation much higher.