An Iraqi Air Force F-16 assigned to the Arizona National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing for foreign pilot training crashed near Douglas, Ariz., on the state’s southern border, during a Thursday night training sortie, reported The Arizona Republic. The jet crashed approximately five miles from the small Douglas Municipal Airport on the US-Mexican border at 8 p.m. local time, June 25, according to an ANG release. Emergency responders controlled a brush fire started by the crash, according to the press, but the single pilot’s status is unreleased. The downed aircraft was reportedly a Block 52 F-16D—the first delivered to Iraq, according to an F-16.net report. Iraq ordered a total of 36 F-16C/Ds. The cause of the incident is under investigation, and details will be released as they become available, officials stated.
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.
