An F-16 assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., crashed around 8:45 a.m. Thursday morning near Bagdad, Ariz., about 100 miles north of the base. Local officials located the crash site late Thursday afternoon and officials are working to access and secure the site, according to an updated Luke release. The pilot’s status is unknown due to the remote location and rugged terrain, according to a Luke statement. Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, commander of the 56th FW, has convened an interim safety board to investigate the crash. The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke is responsible for pilot training on both the F-16 and F-35.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design the Air Force said.