Two Royal Thai Air Force F-16s crashed during the US-Thai Cobra Gold military exercise currently underway in Thailand. Both pilots, assigned to the RTAF’s Wing One, ejected safely, reported the Bangkok Post. The F-16s were part of a four-ship sortie flying from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base on Monday when they disappeared from radar north of the base and crashed into a wooded area in neighboring Chaiyaphum province, according to the newspaper. The Thais are launching a board of enquiry into the incident. This year’s Cobra Gold, which runs through Friday, is the 30th annual multi-service exercise between the US and Thailand, with Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, and Singaporean forces participating. The accident is reportedly the first since Thailand took delivery of F-16s in 2002.
Members of Congress from both parties expressed frustration and dismay over the abrupt and still-unexplained firing last month of Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh from his dual role as head of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency.