US Air Force warns of aging fighters, poor purchasing efforts
By Stephen Losey
Sep 12, 07:00 AM
WASHINGTON — The F-16 Fighting Falcon was the backbone of allied air power in Europe for a generation.
Three squadrons on the continent fought over Serbia during the Kosovo War in the late 1990s, repeatedly deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan during the last two decades, and served as a deterrent to keep Russia from making moves in Eastern Europe.
Today, however, the fourth-generation fighters are aging: The average Fighting Falcon is more than 30 years old, and some started flying in the early 1980s. While the Air Force tries to breathe new life into some F-16s in hopes they’ll keep flying into the 2040s, the general in charge of planning for the service’s future knows a replacement is inevitable.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/09/12/us-air-force-warns-of-aging-fighters-poor-purchasing-efforts/
