United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the country. It is the largest air force in the world and falls under the Department of Defense, with its headquarters at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The USAF operates fighters, bombers, transport, reconnaissance and tanker aircraft, and plays a central role in U.S. global power projection. It is led by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, who sits on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Over half of Ukraine's F-16s grounded as Belgian maintenance lags up to 40 weeks
More than half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are non-combat-ready due to maintenance delays at Belgian contractor Sabena Aerospace Engineering, with phased inspections reportedly taking up to 40 weeks versus two to six weeks in the United States. The backlog comes as Russia scales up jet-powered drone strikes and Ukraine leans on F-16s as its main counter to that threat.