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A US Air Force F-16 has crashed near Bagram Air Field in eastern Afghanistan, killing the pilot, according to the NATO command that oversees day-to-day operations in Afghanistan. The crash occurred on April 3, after a night flight over mountainous terrain, the ISAF Joint Command announced in a news release. There was no indication of enemy fire in the area at the time of the Wednesday’s crash, in the east of the country. The plane was on its final approach to land at Bagram Air Field after a routine air support mission around 11 p.m. when it lost contact with...

Turkey to replace F-16s with local jets Turkey eyes replacing F-16s with locally produced fighter jets by 2023, Turkey’s defense undersecretary said yesterday. “We’re working on the conceptual design of a new fighter jet that will replace our F-16 fighters,” Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar said yesterday on the sidelines of the two-day International Air&Space Power (ICAP) Conference being held in Istanbul. Recently, Turkish arms manufacturer TAI has signed a technical assistance deal with Swedish Saab on technical assistance to build a fighter jet, as Daily News reported. Turkish officials have been in talks with Saab (and with Korean Aerospace...

Egypt received four F-16 aircraft from the United States on Sunday, the Egypt Independent reports. According to the report, the country’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the growing military cooperation between Egypt and the U.S. after receiving the four fighter jets.

It's unfortunate, but not shocking, that every single Democrat in the United States Senate (with the exception of two abstentions) voted to give Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Egypt brand-spanking new F-16 fighter planes and M-1 tanks. What is shocking is that 26 Republicans voted with the Democrats and squashed the Rand Paul Amendment that would have prohibited the "the sale, lease, transfer, retransfer, or delivery of F-16 aircraft, M1 tanks, or certain other defense articles or services to the Government of Egypt." And if you want to know the names of the 26... just have a look... Do any of these Republican...

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The body of an Air Force F-16 pilot who went missing during a night training flight late Monday was found Thursday off the coast of Italy, his family announced in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we announce that the body of Captain Lucas Gruenther was found in the Adriatic Sea this afternoon,” the statement said. Gruenther and his F-16 Fighting Falcon went missing at about 8 p.m. Monday roughly 150 miles south of Aviano Air Base, where his unit, the 31st Fighter Wing, is based. A massive search effort ensued, including Italian coast guard...

Egypt's president is a current member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is the ideological parent of Al Queda and other violent Jihadist groups waging war against the U.S. in particular and the West in general. As recently as 2010, President Morsi labelled Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs." The current administration rightly called those remarks "deeply offensive." We have no reason to believe Mr. Morsi does not still hold those beliefs, protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. He has recalled no transformative event which caused him to change his thinking. Thus, Egypt's Morsi should not receive any more...

For Immediate Release – January 3, 2013 Washington, DC – Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) announces the successful underwater search and recovery of a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft from over 16,400 feet of sea water (fsw). In early August 2012, at the direction of the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Phoenix mobilized the Navy’s ORION deepwater side scan sonar system, the CURV 21 remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and the Navy’s motion compensated, 30,000 pound Fly-Away Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS). All equipment was transported over land from Phoenix’s facility in...

Calls decision to give Muslim Brotherhood F-16s as 'unwise' Congressman Ted Poe, R-Texas, says it is irresponsible for Barack Obama to be “arming” a country that may be aiming for the destruction of Israel with a shipment of 20 F-16 fighter jets. “It is reckless and unwise for the U.S. to give F-16s to Egypt and its new president/dictator, controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood,” he told WND. “This extremist group is notoriously anti-American and anti-Israel. The United States should not be arming a country ruled by a group that has the destruction of Israel in its charter.” Poe’s comments fall...

Why is Obama arming the enemies of freedom? This cat is dangerous and scary. Why the support of Islamic revolutions whose stated goal is sharia and a universal caliphate? What's he doing to protect the oppressed religious minorities in peril? America, time to remove your morphine drip. Wake up! More tanks for Egypt this year than the entire Marine Corps has... For the new Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood dominated government, the Obama Administration is ensuring another $1.3 billion annual shipment of state-of-the-art weaponry. More Perspective... This year alone, Obama will be sending the Egyptians 200 M1A1 Main Battle Tanks. Egypt already...

Considering the fact that the Egyptian military has just aligned themselves with President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, this is a stupid, stupid, move. Fox News: ******** Instability in Egypt, where a newly-elected Islamic government teeters over an angry population, isn't enough to stop the U.S. from sending more than 20 F-16 fighter jets, as part of a $1 billion foreign aid package. The first four jets are to be delivered to Egypt beginning Jan. 22, a source at the naval air base in Fort Worth, where the planes have been undergoing testing, told FoxNews.com. The North African nation already...

Israel's military police are investigating the theft of F-16 fighter plane engines from an military base in central Israel, with the military suspecting that the thieves had inside help. The F-16C/D 'Barak' jets were undergoing repairs. The base commander contacted the military police after discovering the engines missing. There were no details how many engines or engine parts were stolen but the radio report said the estimated worth is the millions of dollars. The thieves seems to have been assisted by someone within the base. Among other things, there is the fact that there was no damage to the base's...

FORT WORTH, Texas — For nearly four decades, the F-16 has ruled the skies in the international market for fighter jet sales, a money-making flying machine for Lockheed Martin and its predecessor, General Dynamics. Now a number of nations are planning to spend billions to upgrade their fleets of older F-16s with modern “avionics,” digital electronic controls, communications and combat systems. Lockheed has the inside track to cash in on that business, but faces potentially strong competition. The announcement last week that the U.S. government had awarded Lockheed a $1.85 billion contract to upgrade Taiwan’s 145 F-16s is the first...

Lockheed Martin hopes to cash in by upgrading F-16s By Bob Cox rcox@star-telegram.com For nearly four decades, the F-16 has ruled the skies in the international market for fighter jet sales, a money-making flying machine for Lockheed Martin and its predecessor, General Dynamics. Now a number of nations are planning to spend billions to upgrade their fleets of older F-16s with modern "avionics," digital electronic controls, communications and combat systems. Lockheed has the inside track to cash in on that business, but faces potentially strong competition. The announcement last week that the U.S. government had awarded Lockheed a $1.85 billion...

FAIRBANKS — Alaska's senior U.S. Senator accused the Air Force Wednesday of taking steps to break the service's commitment to delay for one year any plan to move Eielson's F-16s out of the Interior. In a letter sent to new Pacific Air Force Commander Gen. Herbert Carlisle, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said a U.S. Air Force contractor has been discussing plans to do an environmental assessment required for the F-16 transfer. “I write today to express my concern about some disturbing news suggesting that contrary to commitments that senior leaders have made to the Alaska congressional delegation and congressional defense...

July 22, 2012 (by Asif Shamim) - An F-16C crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of northern Japan today. The pilot ejected and was rescued according to the Japanese Coast Guard some six hours after the aircraft went down. The jet from the 35th Fighter Wing, took off from Misawa air base in Aomori and crashed about 11.30hr Japan time (02.30 GMT) some 200 miles North-East of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, the spokesperson said. "One person, the pilot, was on board. Efforts are currently underway to retrieve the pilot," she said, reading from a statement. Reuters have gone...

urkey has scrambled six F-16 fighter jets near its border with Syria after Syrian helicopters came close to the border, the country's army says. Six jets were sent to the area in response to three such incidents on Saturday, the statement said, adding that there was no violation of Turkish airspace. Last month, Syrian forces shot down a Turkish jet in the border area. The incident further strained already tense relations between former allies. Turkey's government has been outspoken in its condemnation of Syria's response to the 16-month anti-government uprising, which has seen more than 30,000 Syrian refugees enter Turkey....

France Eyes Sale of Missiles for U.S.-Made F-16 Fighters -Report France's military procurement agency DGA is considering authorizing the sale by Sagem, a unit of French aerospace supplier Safran SA (SAF.FR), of its AASM air-to-ground missiles to equip the F-16 fighter made by Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) of the U.S., reports Les Echos, citing unnamed sources. It says the proposal is unlikely to please Dassault Aviation (AM.FR) which makes the Rafale multi-role combat aircraft that competes with the F-16. Sagem sells the AASM to foreign buyers in cooperation with MBDA, a missile maker whose shareholders include European Aeronautic Defence &...

Why is the US considering F-16 sales to Taiwan? Political shifts in China, Taiwan, and the US have revived the prospect of a US F-16 deal with Taiwan. Taipei, Taiwan In September, the United States politely told Taiwan it would not sell its late-model F-16 fighter jets to help Taiwan keep up with the military might of China. Taiwan was disappointed. China's response was low key. his month, however, the White House said the sale deserved “serious consideration.” This announcement comes despite the fact that China sees any sale of the F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan as a red line...

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has voted to go on strike against Lockheed Martin. The decision to decline the latest contract offer from the giant defense contractor came at a meeting of union members at Fort Worth's Cowtown Coliseum Sunday afternoon.

Israel is increasingly concerned with the military build-up in Iraq amid intelligence reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is solidifying its presence in the country, according to a senior IDF officer. Of particular concern is the Pentagon’s approval in late 2011 of the sale of 36 F- 16 multi-role combat aircraft to Iraq. The planes will be built by Lockheed Martin in the US and are Block 52 F-16s, meaning that they are of the same configuration as Israel’s F-16Is, called Sufa (Storm). “We are carefully watching the developments in Iraq,” the IDF officer said. “The possible developments...