Losing Their Vipers

Aug. 23, 2006

It must be an especially sad day to send off your first F-16 to be upgraded for longer life, knowing that someone else will reap the benefits. Airmen of Air Force Reserve Command’s 944th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., last week sent off the first of their 17 Vipers to get upgraded under the Falcon STAR (Structural Augmentation Roadmap) program. It won’t be coming back and the other 16 will follow. BRAC 2005 ordered the wing’s F-16s to be dispersed to other Air Force units.

Related Content

How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New

Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.

Why Do We Need a Space Force? Here’s This Guardian’s Answer

Dec. 20, 2024
“The Space Force is now five years old, yet most Americans don’t even know it exists, not to mention what it does or why we need it. That’s an uncomfortable fact and a problem for the entire nation that every Guardian needs to understand and take seriously,” writes retired USSF…

Experts: US Not Organized or Equipped for the Coming Electromagnetic Wars in Space 

Dec. 20, 2024
Space-based capabilities like GPS and satellite communications are vital to modern warfighting—and they are also most easily attackable via the electromagnetic spectrum via jamming or spoofing the radio transmissions that provide their command and control. But the Department of Defense’s electromagnetic warfare efforts in space are hamstrung by poor coordination…

Space Force, Air Force Need More Money, Kendall Says

Dec. 19, 2024
There’s a clear consensus within the Pentagon that the Space Force needs more money to tackle its growing mission and support the joint force—but don’t go raiding the Air Force’s budget to provide it, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said Dec. 19.