The Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing is getting newer F-16s to replace its older ones. The Burlington Free Press reported April 14 that the wing’s 134th Fighter Squadron is exchanging its 25-year-old F-16s for airframes that are two years newer and have fewer flight hours on them. Air Force Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow, state public affairs officer for the Vermont National Guard, told the Daily Report April 14 that the unit currently flies F-16 Block 25 aircraft. One of these airplanes last month became the first F-16C to reach 7,000 flight hours. The new arrivals are Block 30 aircraft with more powerful engines, Goodrow said. The first of the Block 30s touched down at the base March 3, according to the newspaper, which noted that the older aircraft will be retired to the Air Force’s boneyard at Davis-Mothan AFB, Ariz.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
