Lockheed Martin F-16 chief Rod McLean notes that the preponderance of the air forces flying missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria are using F-16s. The US, Denmark, and many of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations—Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates, as well as Jordan and Morrocco—are flying Falcons in Operation Inherent Resolve. McLean, at a company media event in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, pointed out to reporters that Egypt, though not flying against Iraqi or Syrian targets, is flying missions against ISIS in Libya … with F-16s. Turkey has also flown its F-16s against Syrian targets in unrelated operations within the last year.
Raytheon, a division of defense giant RTX, recently announced a multiyear deal with the Pentagon to increase annual production of the Air Force’s primary dogfighting missile by more than 50 percent from two years ago.
