According to Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Hoog, head of USAF’s Air and Space Expeditionary Center, the Air Force experiment of moving airmen into Southwest Asia by “aggregated flight processes” using chartered commercial flights has taken the guesswork out of deployments. Now, he said, it is time to tackle the “single ticket program” for airmen who are leaving the region. Beyond making such travel more predictable, the Air Force expects to “drastically” cut down on travel time. Hoog said he expects growing pains, but those lessons learned should improve the program in the long run.
With upgrades, F-16s can serve as a numbers-builder in the combat air forces until the 2040s, and it’s not necessary to launch its successor yet, program officials said at an industry conference. “We anticipate hundreds of F-16s in active service for decades to come,” meaning into the 2040s, Col. Tim…