An F-16 safely diverted to Muan International Airport, South Korea, after a “serious engine malfunction” during a training sortie April 7, according to officials from Kunsan AB, South Korea. The pilot was forced to fire the aircraft’s emergency power unit to safely recover the aircraft to the alternate airfield, and followed “established safety guidelines before landing,” according to an April 7 release. The F-16’s EPU supplies approximately 10 minutes of emergency electrical and hydraulic power in the event of an engine failure, and a response team verified that none of the unit’s highly toxic hydrazine monopropellant leaked from the aircraft, according to a second release. Neither the pilot nor the wingman, who accompanied the crippled aircraft, were injured in the incident. The F-16s are assigned to Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing, which flies F110-GE-100-powered Block 40 aircraft. The incident is currently under investigation, according to Kunsan officials.
USAF to Cut F-35 Buy in Future Years Defense Plan
May 14, 2021
The Air Force wants to scale back buys of the F-35 over the next five years, hoping to get sustainment costs down and to wait for the more capable Block 4 version, according to talking points prepared for Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. The reduced buy will…