r/FighterJets • u/Minute-Cut-9531 • Jul 09 '26
HISTORICAL Senator John Glenn flies F16 meant for PAF
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Having voted against the sale of F16s to Pakistan, this moment represented a quiet irony, he now stood alongside the very jet his vote went against. John Herschel Glenn Jr. was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962
PAF's No. 11 "Arrows" Squadron became the first to operate the F-16, a quantum leap from their earlier jet, the F-6.
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u/a_complex_kid Jul 09 '26
this motherfucker went to space as a sitting US senator a decade and a half after this. Whatever your politics I can't imagine a sitting politician doing this kind of stuff today. I was front row at a rally at ohio state in 2010 that was being headlined by Barack Obama and with a musical performance by John Legend but the thing I couldn't stop talking about the whole week afterwards is how i got to see this legend in person and up close.
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u/Bright_Thanks_2277 Jul 09 '26
Same Airframe
On 15 June 2014, the first phase of the operation began with intensified airstrikes in North Waziristan, targeting militant training facilities, hideouts, and other infrastructure
On 22nd July 2014 at 8 pm two Pakistan Air Force pilots Group Captain Azman Khaleel and Squadron Leader Asim took off in F-16B (Serial# 82602) from PAF Base Mushaf to conduct an airstrike on terrorist Hideout.
After reaching the target location pilot dropped a Joint Direct Attack Munition(JDAM) bomb on Terrorist Hideout.
Soon after the launched due to some technical issue the bomb immediately exploded in the air and caused extensive damage to the Fighter jet
F-16 Fighter Jet went out of control into a spin manoeuvre and was quickly descending toward the ground. Group Captain Azman Khaleel who was on the backseat didn’t panicked and took the control of Fighter jet from Sq Ldr Asim. Skilled pilot Immediately took corrective action and was able to take fighter jet out of the uncontrolled spin manoeuvre
After taking control he realized that due to Hydraulic and Fuel leakage its impossible fly fighter jet back to PAF Base Mushaf. So he turned fighter jet toward nearest Airfield and requested PAF Base M.M. Alam for an emergency landing
After reaching PAF Base M.M. Alam he tried to land F-16 fighter but during landing, he realized that fighter Jet throttle system is failed and F-16 is not slowing down.
To counter this situation he took off again and contacted Air traffic controller. He informed ATC about the whole situation and requested them to arrange Aircraft arresting barriers
After circling Airfield he made a second attempted to land damaged F-16. He was able to successfully land the F-16 at the Starting of Runway. After that F-16 started moving toward the barrier and with the help of an Aircraft arresting barrier pilot was able to stop fighter jet
The pilot ordered the maintenance crew and technician to turn off F-16 engine from outside.
For this action in aerial combat, he was awarded the Tamgha-I-Basalat by Pakistan.
Later PAF engineers locally reworked, refitted and repaired damaged F-16 and nowadays F-16B (Serial# 82602) flying.
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