Alabama Air National Guard Lt. Col. Scott Patten has surpassed 3,000 flying hours in F-16, marking his 3,000th during a mission Sept. 11 over Iraq. Patten is a member of the 187th Fighter Wing at Montgomery. The wing deployed some 300 airmen to Iraq earlier this summer for 50 days. The latest deployment marks the third to Iraq for the 187th FW. According to a unit history, the 187th was the first unit to use the 500-pound GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition in combat.
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.