Scramble!
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons go “wheels-up” here to practice aerial intercept training. While a large portion of the Air Force mission has evolved to meet critical mission requirements such as close air support and combat search and rescue, fliers cannot afford to lose their intercept and air-to-air combat skills. The F-16 has proven itself as a highly maneuverable, low-cost and multi-mission capable weapons platform since it was added to the Air Force inventory in 1979. Since that time, the airframe has been recapitalized and regenerated with technological upgrades, ensuring it maintains its role as an overall air superiority fighter aircraft. (Air Force Photo/Senior Master Sgt. Mahmoud Rasouliyan)