Speaking at a Brussels media briefing last week, Lockheed Martin CEO Robert Stevens insisted the future of the Joint Strike Fighter project is secure, but he acknowledged that a tight defense budget could lead to a reduction in the planned defense-wide buy of 2,400 aircraft. Stevens maintained, though, that the multinational JSF offers the “best programmatic model to deliver the maximum amount of value.” He believes budget pressures should send the Pentagon and Congress “to look for more, not less value for money.”
No injuries were reported after an external fuel tank fell off an F-16 fighter into a residential neighborhood outside Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on Jan. 7, a base spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Photos posted online show what appears to be a centerline fuel tank that hangs from…