The Air Force’s new Variable Stability In-Flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA), a modified F-16, designated NF-16, is flown for the first time at the General Dynamics facility in Fort Worth, Tex. The flight lasts 53 minutes. The NF-16 will replace the 40-plus-year-old NT-33.
The Pentagon is requesting funds to buy 85 F-35s in its 2027 budget, 38 of them for the Air Force, a number that analysts say is not enough to reverse service’s fighter shortfall.
