Officials are investigating the cause of last week’s crash of an F-16C from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno. The F-16 went down in the California desert on Dec. 27 during a routine mission. The pilot safely ejected, was taken to a local medical facility, but then released on that same day, wing spokesman SMSgt. Chris Drudge told the Daily Report on Jan. 3. Fresno’s KMPH TV New Station 26 reported that the pilot encountered trouble with the fighter while flying at 12,000 feet in altitude. Drudge said the wing held an internal safety standdown on the day after the mishap, except for the unit’s F-16s on alert to protect US skies from unauthorized intrusion.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
