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.
Air Force F-16 pilots are testing out new sensors that could help maximize their performance and avoid deadly accidents while flying fast fighter jets under heavy G-forces and stressful conditions.