The Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington has just flown one of its Block 25 F-16s past 7,000 flying hours, the first F-16C to accumulate so many hours, reports the Burlington Free Press. ANG Lt. Col. Thomas Jackman flew tail No. 83-001165 on its milestone flight on March 24. Improvements over the years to the Air Force’s F-16 fleet have extended the fighter’s service life beyond the original 4,000 hours.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.