Two Air Force F-16s get new arctic paint scheme By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, December 10, 2007
Kunsan Air Base is giving an appropriate goodbye present to two F-16s destined for Alaska early next year — an arctic paint job.
Airmen recently finished painting the first of two fighter jets in an arctic scheme — a camouflage pattern of black, gray and white that’s starkly different from the standard gray paint on jets at Kunsan. It’s the first time the design has been used in the U.S. Air Force.
“The arctic scheme takes on an ominous appearance and makes a dominant combat aircraft look even more aggressive,” said Maj. David Seitz, maintenance operations officer for the 8th Maintenance Squadron.
Good thing — the camouflaged jets are heading to Eielson Air Force Base where they will be used as aggressors in training flights. Kunsan’s 80th Fighter Squadron is swapping the two jets — along with an unspecified number of others that aren’t being painted — for upgraded models from Eielson as part of the Air Force’s Common Configuration Implementation Program.
The jets aren’t getting the arctic makeover because they’re going someplace cold. The arctic scheme is one of four designs that will help pilots differentiate between friendly and enemy jets during combat.
Rest of article at:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50852
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