An F-16 safely diverted to Muan International Airport, South Korea, after a “serious engine malfunction” during a training sortie April 7, according to officials from Kunsan AB, South Korea. The pilot was forced to fire the aircraft’s emergency power unit to safely recover the aircraft to the alternate airfield, and followed “established safety guidelines before landing,” according to an April 7 release. The F-16’s EPU supplies approximately 10 minutes of emergency electrical and hydraulic power in the event of an engine failure, and a response team verified that none of the unit’s highly toxic hydrazine monopropellant leaked from the aircraft, according to a second release. Neither the pilot nor the wingman, who accompanied the crippled aircraft, were injured in the incident. The F-16s are assigned to Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing, which flies F110-GE-100-powered Block 40 aircraft. The incident is currently under investigation, according to Kunsan officials.
It’s often said commanders have an insatiable appetite for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. When it comes to space, commercial capabilities are helping to at least whet that appetite, Space Force commanders said at the Spacepower Conference this week.