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    Indiana National Guard partner, Slovakia, gets F-16s  

    Indiana National Guard partner, Slovakia, gets F-16s  

    Photo By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry | Indiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, Indiana adjutant general, and Brig. Gen....... read more read more

    INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, UNITED STATES

    02.29.2024

    Story by Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry 

    Indiana National Guard Headquarters

    INDIANAPOLIS = One of the Indiana National Guard's state partners, Slovakia, received two F-16s during a ceremony in South Carolina on Thursday, attended by Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, Indiana’s adjutant general.

    The fighter jets, also known as Fighting Falcons, aim to bolster Slovakia's defense capability, capacity and competence in NATO.

    “The Indiana National Guard and the Slovak armed forces have shared a strong and productive partnership for decades, and it’s fitting that we will now simultaneously operate modern F-16 fighters, maintaining our dominance in the air,” said Lyles.  

    Since 1994 Indiana's National Guard and Slovak armed forces committed to an enduring partnership as part of the National Guard's overarching State Partnership Program that matched states with former Soviet bloc nations. Over the years, the program expanded worldwide, and Indiana also partners with Niger, which started in 2017.  

    As Slovakia gets their F-16s, Hoosier airmen with the 122nd Fighter Wing began their transition back to Fighting Falcons after flying the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs for more than a decade.

    “Conversion to the F-16 will allow the 122nd to build upon past successes and continue to pass the trials of the national defense strategy in new ways, long into the future,” said Col. Joshua C. Waggoner, 122nd Fighter Wing commander in a 2023 statement when the 122nd announced it would convert from the A-10 to the F-16.  

    More than 3,100 F-16s are operating today in 25 countries. The F-16 has flown an estimated 19.5 million flight hours and at least 13 million sorties. Today’s latest version, the Block 70/72, offers unparalleled capabilities and will be flown by six countries and counting.    

    More about the Indiana National Guard's state partners can be found online at https://www.in.gov/indiana-national-guard/about/state-partnership-program/. 

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.29.2024
    Date Posted: 03.04.2024 12:35
    Story ID: 465286
    Location: INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US

    Web Views: 117
    Downloads: 0

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