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.
While U.S. defense officials have spent much of the past decade warning that China is the nation’s pacing threat and its People’s Liberation Army represents an urgent threat in the Indo-Pacific, several defense researchers are skeptical that the PLA has the human capital, the structural ability, or the political appetite…