Air Force Times
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was the backbone of allied air power in Europe for a generation. Today,
however, the fourth-generation fighters are aging: The average Fighting Falcon is more than 30 years
old, and some started flying in the early 1980s. While the Air Force tries to breathe new life into some F-
16s in hopes they’ll keep flying into the 2040s, the general in charge of planning for the service’s future
knows a replacement is inevitable. What makes that equation a problem for Lt. Gen. Richard Moore is
that replacement fighters, particularly F-35As, aren’t arriving fast enough.
