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Biden — We shot down weather balloonsBiden says the three objects that he ordered shot down last week after they let the Chinese spy balloon fly across the country were most likely weather balloons. pic.twitter.com/RvePtENh21— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 16, 2023

A U.S. F-16 shot down another “unidentified object” in the Canadian airspace above Lake Huron on Feb. 12, 2023. This downing was announced by a congresswoman Rep. Elissa Slotkin on Twitter.

Now, in terms of the military impact, an F-16 is still a very capable platform: It has a good radar, it can fly well above the majority of the Russian sound systems in the area apart from the very, very specialized ones. It has a weapons system tied to that radar that can engage the vast majority of Russian aircraft long before they can attack it. The F-16 doesn't have quite the same stealth characteristics of something like an F-35 and an F-22. But I've fought against the F-16. I've had the odd trip in one, but I've also fought...

A bipartisan group of senators are calling on President Joe Biden to impress upon Turkey that Congress would not approve upgrades to Ankara's air fleet should the country refuse to allow Sweden and Finland into NATO. Sweden and Finland filed to join the alliance in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. The U.S. overwhelmingly approved their entry, with Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley standing alone as the sole Senate vote against their admission. In order to join NATO, all 30 members must accept their entry. Turkey and Hungary remain the only members of the bloc that...

US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, despite renewed calls from Ukrainian officials for air support.Asked by a reporter on Monday if the US would be providing the planes, Mr Biden replied simply "no".His comment comes a day after Germany's leader also ruled out sending fighter jets.Ukraine has said it needs the jets to take control of its airspace in its ongoing war with Russia.F-16 Fighting Falcons are widely considered one of the world's most reliable fighter jets and are used by other countries, such as Belgium and Pakistan.They would be a significant upgrade...

Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense secretary, told The Hill that he was optimistic about receiving western fighter jets such as the American F-16s, which Ukrainians have sought since early last year when Russia first invaded.“Every type of weapon we request, we needed yesterday,” Sak said. “We will do everything possible to ensure Ukraine gets fourth-generation fighter jets as soon as possible.”Reuters first reported the news that Ukraine was setting its sights on fighter jets.Ukraine scored a major win on Wednesday with the announcement from President Biden that the U.S. will donate 31 American-made M1 Abrams main battle tanks...

They can fly at more than 1,200mph and are some of the most advanced aircraft in NATO's fleet. Could the F-16 be sent to Ukraine? Could F-16 fighter jets soon be screaming over Kharkiv or breaking the sound barrier as they tear through the skies above Zaporizhzhia? It once seemed impossible, but now? Maybe not. As the Western world looks to Germany for a decision over Leopard 2 tanks, it was from the Netherlands that a possibly more radical idea was floated: sending Western-made fighter planes to Kyiv for use by Ukrainian pilots. The Dutch cabinet said will look into...

The Dutch Cabinet will look into supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine if the Kyiv government asks for it. During a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs said the Cabinet would look at such a request with an “open mind.” In Davos, Minister Kajsa Ollongren of Defense also said that the Netherlands is willing to help pay for modern Leopard 2 tanks that other countries send to Ukraine. “That is certainly something we are willing to do,” she told Bloomberg. Hoekstra said there are “no taboos” for the delivery of regular equipment. Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) asked...

First Lt. David Schmitz, an F-16 pilot at South Carolina’s Shaw Air Force Base, died 30 June 2020, when his ejection seat malfunctioned as he tried to punch-out during a failed nighttime landing. He was 32. An Air Force investigation of the incident revealed that key components of the ejection seat may have been counterfeit

Reversing the decision of its predecessor, the Biden Administration has approved a whooping USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan. As a notification to the US Congress, the State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale of F-16 case for sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 450 million, arguing that this will sustain Islamabad's capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet. This is the first major security assistance to Pakistan after Trump in 2018 had announced to stop all defense and security...

The radar of a Greek S-300 missile system based on the island of Crete locked on to the Turkish jets on Tuesday, Anadolu reported on Sunday, citing defence ministry sources. The F-16s were at an altitude of 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) to the west of Greece’s Rhodes island when the Russian-made S-300’s target-tracking radar locked on, the report added. The Turkish planes completed their mission and returned to their bases “despite the hostile environment”. Radar lock-ons are considered an act of hostility under NATO rules of engagement. Greek defence ministry sources dismissed the allegations. Last week, Turkey summoned the Greek...

As the Chinese military conducts military drills around Taiwan, the self-governing island appears to be preparing for any potential attack by outfitting its four F-16V (Vipers) with lethal weapons, including Harpoon missiles, to defend the country’s east coast, reported Liberty Times. Following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army of China announced sharp military drills in six regions bordering Taiwan and entering its territorial waters. Since then, Chinese military aircraft and warships have been conducting drills near the Taiwan Strait, and many of them are still active in the eastern seas. Taiwan’s Hualien Air Force Base is reportedly...

<p>HONOLULU (KHON2) — An F-16 fighter jet’s landing gear did not deploy upon landing on the 4R runway at the Daniel K. International Airport in Honolulu, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.</p><p>As of 8:45 p.m. the runway was still closed from the incident which happened around 2:45 p.m. Monday, June 6.</p>

Ukraine has been asking for more fighters since the war started, but the US refused to support a deal that could have seen Poland supply 28 MiG-29s, a Russian-made jet of the type its remaining pilots are used to flying. Washington was concerned that supplying fighter jets could be deemed escalatory by a nuclear-armed Russia. Despite the refusals, Ukraine continues to press its case, and overnight its air force tweeted “the greatest need is for fighter jets” and asked specifically for F-15s and F-16s, whose original designs date back to the 1960s and 1970s, which it said its pilots could...

Currently, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is operated by more than twenty-five nations around the world. While the single-engine supersonic multirole fighter is no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force – for whom the aircraft was first developed – improved versions are still being exported and nearly 4,600 have been produced. The aircraft, which is now produced by Lockheed Martin, which essentially acquired General Dynamics’ aircraft manufacturing business in the 1990s, has highlighted the key facets of the Cold War-era fighter – claiming it to be the best value among fourth-generation jets for its capabilities and affordable...

A Wisconsin-based fighter jet crashed in a national forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula while on a training mission and searchers were looking Wednesday for the pilot, who was the only person aboard, authorities said. The F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison crashed about 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs said in a statement. The cause of the crash, as well as the status of the pilot, weren't immediately known, the statement said. The plane went down in Hiawatha National Forest, about...

An Air Force jet was scrambled above Donald Trump's rally in Arizona on Wednesday after an unannounced plane flew overhead. 'Oh, look at that! Look, look, look!' the president yelled, pointing to the sky. The F-16 attempted to make contact, and the aircraft initially ignored the jets. The fighter plane then released flares, and the intruding aircraft then established radio communications and was escorted out the area.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In the face of aggressive incursions by China’s Air Force, the United States should help Taiwan by leasing it F-35 stealth jets, a retired Pentagon official wrote in Newsweek Thursday (Oct. 8). Former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Stephen Bryen said that Taiwanese pilots’ supposed lack of ability to fly the sophisticated fighters could be helped by training them in the United States. Any fears of China’s reaction could lead to the aircraft being kept on standby in the U.S., though they would either belong to Taiwan or be leased by the island. Looking at its...

A Su-25 jet of the Armenian Air Force was shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter in the airspace of the Republic of Armenia, Spokesperson for the Armenian Defense Ministry Shushan Stepanyan informs. F-16 fighter jets belonging to the Air Force of the Republic of Turkey took off from Ganja Airport of the Republic of Azerbaijan at 10:30 am today and were assisting SU-25 fighters and Turkish-made Bayraktar UAVs in the missile strikes on Vardenis, Mets Masrik, Sotk regions of the Vardenis region of Armenia. During this period, the air defense units were performing fire support tasks for the air...

The tests last year were already known, so Russia’s agenda of discussing them again may be linked to wider agenda Turkey, a member of NATO, tested the Russian-made S-400 air defense system on US-made F-16 jets during a drill in November 2019, Russia’s state media TASS reported. The use of the S-400 against the F-16s was already reported last year, but the new details from Russian media appear to cement the claim and infer that something more was going on in those tests. Russia has an interest in knowing how well its air defense performs against US warplanes. Russia’s S-400...