F-16

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Zelensky Fires Military Chief: 'We Need to Protect People'

Ukrainian president sacks commander of nation's air force after F-16 crash

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the commander of the country's air force on Friday, four days after an F-16 warplane that Ukraine received from its Western partners crashed during a Russian bombardment and killed the pilot. The order to dismiss Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk was published on the presidential...

F-16 Just Delivered by US Crashes During Russian Attack

Star Ukrainian pilot who had lobbied for fighter jets' delivery in Washington is killed

(Newser) - An F-16 helping to fight off a Russian missile attack crashed, killing a celebrated Ukrainian pilot, weeks after the US delivered a half-dozen of the fighter jets. Oleksiy Mes was among the first Ukrainian pilots trained to fly an F-16, the Wall Street Journal reports, and had visited the US...

Air Force Pilot Ejects Before F-16 Crashes Into Sea

Pilot experienced unspecified emergency off coast of South Korea

(Newser) - A US Air Force pilot safely ejected on Monday before his F-16 fighter jet crashed into the sea off South Korea's southwestern coast, US and South Korean military officials said. The unidentified pilot was recovered by South Korean maritime forces and was "awake and in stable condition,"...

US Schedules Training of Ukrainian Pilots on F-16s

Crews also will learn how to maintain the fighter jets

(Newser) - The Pentagon announced Thursday that Ukrainian fighter jet pilots will begin training on US-made F-16s in Arizona, starting in October. The pilots and support personnel will complete English language education at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in September, then go to Morris Air National Guard Base to...

Netherlands, Denmark Come Through on F-16s
Ukraine to Get Coveted F-16s

Ukraine to Get Coveted F-16s

US had backed transfer once pilots are trained

(Newser) - President Volodymyr Zelensky has long been calling for Western nations to supply his armed forces with F-16 fighter jets, a plea that has become more urgent as Russian air dominance has slowed Ukraine's counteroffensive . On Sunday, Zelensky visited the Netherlands and Denmark to receive the promise of the fighters...

F-16's Pilot Saw Cessna's Slumped Over

Military jets were sent up after private plane that flew over DC, then crashed

(Newser) - The cause of the crash of a small plane in a mountainous area of Virginia on Sunday after it caused alarm while crossing over Washington, DC, remains unknown—but a military pilot has provided a clue. An F-16 pilot sent to intercept the Cessna saw the plane's pilot slumped...

Off Alaska, More Activity in the Sky

NORAD says it intercepted 4 Russian fighter aircraft in international airspace that didn't pose threat

(Newser) - On Friday, an unidentified object was shot down off the coast of Alaska; on Monday, there was even more activity in the air near the Last Frontier—this time, a group of Russian fighter jets and strategic bombers intercepted by the US military in international airspace, according to the North...

Ukraine May Be Flying US F-16s Before Long

The West relented on supplying tanks, and fighter jets may be next

(Newser) - After much delay and consternation, the US and Germany agreed to give Ukraine heavy tanks in its fight against Russia. Expect a similar scenario to play out over fighter jets, according to reports at Politico , Reuters , and the UK Financial Times . "The next natural step would be fighters,"...

Widow of F-16 Pilot Blames His Death on Counterfeit Parts

David Schmitz's ejection seat failed in 2020

(Newser) - F-16 pilot David Schmitz was killed in June 2020 when his nighttime landing at a South Carolina base went wrong. Now the 32-year-old's widow has filed a federal lawsuit blaming counterfeit parts in his ejection seat for causing his death, reports the Air Force Times . Valerie Schmitz has sued...

Armed F-16 Slams Into Warehouse
Armed F-16 Slams
Into Warehouse

Armed F-16 Slams Into Warehouse

13 people are hurt, but no lives are lost

(Newser) - An F-16 fighter jet slammed into a California warehouse Thursday loaded with live ammunition—but while 13 people were hurt, it appears none of the ammo went off, CNN reports. A fact sheet on the jet says it can carry a cannon with missiles and 500 rounds. The jet apparently...

Mechanic's Mistake Destroys Multi-Million Dollar Fighter Jet

A blast from a Vulcan cannon destroyed another jet

(Newser) - With mechanics like these, who needs enemies? While servicing a fighter jet at a Belgian airfield, a mechanic accidentally fired a Vulcan cannon mounted on the aircraft and destroyed another F-16 jet that was on the tarmac ( see images here ). Authorities at Florennes airfield are investigating the Thursday...

Fighter Jet Crashes Near Maryland Homes

Pilot ditched in nearby woods

(Newser) - A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington, DC, neighborhood, the military says. The F-16C, which military officials said was at least 30 years old and worth $20 million, went down about...

Model F-16 Wows Crowd at North Korea's First Air Show

Officials aren't saying where they got it

(Newser) - Now here's something you don't see every day: an F-16 fighter jet buzzing through the skies of North Korea and launching fireworks. The plane roaring over people's heads at the country's first air show Sunday was actually a remote-controlled mock-up of the fabled US Air Force...

F-16 Crashes in Arizona
 F-16 Crashes in Arizona 

F-16 Crashes in Arizona

Pilot's condition unknown

(Newser) - An F-16 fighter jet from Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix crashed Thursday in a remote area of northwestern Arizona. There was no immediate word on pilot's condition and a search and rescue operation was underway, officials said. The crash occurred at about 8:45am in rugged terrain near...

2 Dead After F-16, Cessna Collide in Midair

Fighter pilot ejects safely

(Newser) - An F-16 fighter jet and a small plane collided in midair this morning in South Carolina, with two people aboard the Cessna 150 killed, reports AP . The F-16 pilot ejected safely and is reportedly uninjured. The crash rained debris over a wide area in Berkeley County, about 20 miles northwest...

Iraq Military Pilot Killed —in Arizona Crash

He was training on F-16s

(Newser) - Iraq's military is reporting the death of one its pilots in a training mission, with the unusual detail that it occurred a long way from home—in Arizona to be exact. Brig. Gen. Rasid Mohammed Sadeeq crashed Wednesday in an F-16 Fighting Falcon about 5 miles from the Douglas...

Moroccan F-16 Goes MIA Ahead of Yemen Ceasefire

So far Yemen has remained relatively tight-lipped about the missing fighter jet

(Newser) - A Moroccan F-16 fighter jet taking part in a Saudi-led coalition targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen has gone missing, the North African nation's military said today, a day ahead of the start of a proposed five-day humanitarian ceasefire. It wasn't immediately clear what happened to the jet, which...

Greek F-16 Crash in Spain Exercise Kills 10

Another 13 injured in NATO training exercise accident

(Newser) - A Greek F-16 fighter jet crashed into other planes on the ground during NATO training in southeastern Spain today, killing at least 10 people, Spain's Defense Ministry says. Another 13 people were injured in the incident at the Los Llanos base, which sent flames and a plume of black...

F-16 Takes Off— With No One Inside

Retired jets retrofitted into drones for Air Force training

(Newser) - Yesterday's fighter jets are today's drones. Or that's the hope of Boeing and the US Air Force, which have retrofitted retired F-16s to fly as unmanned aerial vehicles, the BBC reports. One of the six new pilot-less planes made the first test flight last week, with two...

US Arms Sales Hog 75% of Global Market

Washington's overseas sales tripled last year

(Newser) - America's weapon sales abroad last year skyrocketed to $66.3 billion, triple the 2010 figure of $21.4 billion, according to a nonpartisan report. US sales accounted for more than three-quarters of the $85.3 billion market and marked a record high for sales in a year, blowing away...

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