Word: 16s
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Incirlik, an isolated Turkish base 444 miles southeast of Istanbul, the Gulf War has never really ended. Most mornings some two dozen American F-15s and F-16s scream skyward, along with E-3 and RC-135 command planes and KC-135 tankers to keep them safely flying and fueled. An hour later, in a delicately choreographed ballet 400 miles east, the warplanes take their final sips of gas before turning south toward Iraq. Their mission: to show the Iraqi military how impotent Saddam is in protecting Iraqi sovereignty--and them. Maybe this will foment rebellion...
...Shortly afterward, though, air-traffic controllers noticed that the plane had climbed well above its assigned altitude. Controllers repeatedly tried to contact the pilots for an explanation but got no reply. At that point, the Federal Aviation Administration enlisted the help of the Air Force. Several F-16s were dispatched to check on the errant jet. It also missed the left turn it was scheduled to make toward Texas, and instead continued heading north. Though President Clinton was told about the situation and has the authority to order a "derelict airborne object" shot down if it threatens public safety...
...Chris Hamilton steered his F-16 within 50 ft. of the Lear, close enough to signal the pilots. Though the passenger jet's exterior appeared intact, its cockpit windows were obscured by what looked to be a "light coat of frost." Over the next two hours, four other F-16s shadowed the plane. By then, the roving aircraft had made the news. Stewart's Australian-born wife Tracey heard it on a TV news report and tried in vain to call her husband on his cell phone. At about 1:24 p.m., the plane fell to earth at 600 m.p.h...
Cozying up to Taiwan is a Republican tradition as cherished as tax cuts. In 1980 Ronald Reagan defied his advisers and pledged to re-establish official relations with Taipei. Facing defeat in 1992, George Bush authorized the sale of 150 F-16s to Taiwan. Even Bob Dole talked about building a missile-defense shield over the Pacific to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression...
...option: a punishing raid. Navy Hawkeye radar-warning planes were surveying the skies as dusk fell over the Persian Gulf. Down below, ship crews donned combat helmets and gave final adjustments to Tomahawk cruise missiles and F-14 and F-18 warplanes readied to attack. Air Force F-16s lined up their high-speed antiradiation missiles to target Baghdad's air defenses. "We were cocked, loaded and ready," a top Pentagon offiCIAl said. H hour was 60 minutes away...