{"id":22242556,"date":"2026-09-14T11:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T09:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T11:49:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T09:49:23","slug":"air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Lackland\u2019s Airbase Range: Air Force Recruits Now Rearm an F-16"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>Air Force basic training now includes a task that would have been unthinkable for a recruit ten years ago: walk up to a fighter, hang a missile on it, and do it as a team you organised yourself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Air Base Training Range at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is nearly finished. A retired <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\/\">F-16 Fighting Falcon<\/a> arrived in April 2026 and trainees have been working on it since. Two retired C-130H Hercules landed at Kelly Field on 25 August and will join it on the finished tarmac, the 37th Training Wing hopes, around December.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The aircraft are on what one officer called their third life. Both types came from maintainer training at Sheppard Air Force Base before that. One of the Hercules, tail 96-7325, was the very last H-model built, delivered in 1997 with 10,980 hours on it by the end, and it dropped paratroopers over Normandy for the 82nd anniversary of D-Day in June before being retired to a training pad in Texas.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#1a1a1a\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Facility:<\/strong> Air Base Training Range, 37th Training Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Aircraft on site:<\/strong> One retired F-16, arrived April 2026, plus two retired C-130H Hercules, arrived 25 August 2026<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Expected complete:<\/strong> December 2026 or early 2027<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Final layout:<\/strong> 16 containerised stations covering eight tasks<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>The eight tasks:<\/strong> Arming fighters, refuelling, casualty transfer, cargo loading, post-attack repair, marshalling, aircraft familiarisation, airbase entry control<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Cost so far:<\/strong> About 30 million dollars across the 2025 and 2026 budgets<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Planned expansion:<\/strong> A four-quadrant range plus a separate expeditionary range with dirt airstrips, both targeted for 2031<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Basic training length:<\/strong> Roughly 7.5 weeks<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Forty-five minutes to rearm a fighter<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The exercise is deliberately unscripted. Trainees are given a rearm mission, sort themselves into small teams, plan it, brief the plan back to their military training instructors and then execute. Two containerised stations hold mock AIM-9 Sidewinders and 2.75-inch APKWS rockets. The session runs 45 minutes and the grading is not about whether the missile ends up on the rail. It is about teamwork, communication, delegation and whether anyone gave or took feedback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The training rounds are unweighted, which has not stopped instructors enforcing the real handling rules. A Sidewinder takes three people to lift. A rocket takes two. Tech. Sgt. Johnny Ngo of the 322nd Training Squadron put the point plainly to Air and Space Forces Magazine: these are training rounds, they are not weighted. The procedure is drilled anyway, because the procedure is the lesson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/aim-9x-sidewinder-loading-f-16-load-crew-competition.jpg\" alt=\"A weapons load crew fitting an inert AIM-9X Sidewinder to an F-16\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The real thing: a load team chief inspects an inert AIM-9X after fitting it to an F-16 wingtip rail during a load crew competition. Basic trainees now rehearse a simplified version of this on a retired airframe. US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brieana E. Bolfing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>When the range is complete it will hold 16 containerised stations, two of each, covering eight tasks. Arming fighters is only one. The others are refuelling, casualty transfer and evacuation, cargo loading, post-attack repair, marshalling, aircraft familiarisation and airbase entry control. Read that list again and it describes, fairly precisely, what an air base does on a bad day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why basic training changed<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The driver is Agile Combat Employment, the doctrine that disperses aircraft across many small locations rather than concentrating them on a handful of large, well-mapped bases. It only works if the people who happen to be at the dispersal site can do jobs outside their own speciality. The Air Force calls that a multi-capable airman, and 2nd Air Force has reduced the underlying idea to an acronym: DOGS, for defend, operate, generate and sustain airpower.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;This is about providing that basic context of what it takes to sustain airpower; we call it DOGS, defend, operate, generate, and sustain airpower.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Maj. Gen. Matthew \u201cWolfe\u201d Davidson<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, 2nd Air Force, January 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The change has been incremental and is now nearly a decade deep. PACER FORGE replaced the old BEAST Week field exercise in 2022 and was extended from 36 hours to 57 in March 2025. BMT 2.0 followed in October 2025 with smaller teams and more physical training, and BMT 3.0 arrived in April 2026 bringing the airbase range with it. Davidson has described the whole sequence as the most significant transformation of basic military training since 1950.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/f-16-hot-pit-refueling-agile-combat-employment.jpg\" alt=\"An F-16 being hot pit refuelled during an agile combat employment exercise\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Hot pit refuelling an F-16 at a dispersal location during an agile combat employment exercise. This is the operating concept the new basic training range exists to support. US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Shannon Bowman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The generational contrast is not subtle. Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Hudson, now an instructor with the 322nd Training Squadron, went through basic in 2014.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;It was the basics, drill, dormitory, and discipline.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Tech. Sgt. Jeremy Hudson<\/strong> &mdash; Military training instructor, 322nd Training Squadron, on his own 2014 basic training<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkQpyAoi9BY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>An overview of what recruits now go through at Air Force basic military training.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What comes next<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The current range cost roughly 30 million dollars across two budget years. The ambition is considerably larger: a four-quadrant version, each quadrant with its own F-16 and pair of C-130s, plus an entirely separate expeditionary range built around two intersecting dirt airstrips, a towable fuselage and a hangar. Both are targeted at 2031, and a follow-on construction request roughly twice the size of the first is hoped for in the 2028 budget.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The urgency is not theoretical. On 8 September Iranian ballistic missiles struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, badly damaging an A-10 and causing lighter damage to around eight F-15Es. Three US soldiers had been killed at the same base in July. Basic training has also begun deliberately disrupting trainees\u2019 sleep, a change reported in late August, after the air campaign against Iran exposed how hard young airmen found the operational tempo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>None of which makes a mock Sidewinder on a retired F-16 into combat experience. But it does mean that a trainee leaving Lackland has at least handled the object, in a team, under time pressure, before anyone asks them to do it somewhere that matters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Air &amp; Space Forces Magazine; US Air Force Air Education and Training Command; 37th Training Wing; DVIDS.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is the Air Base Training Range at Lackland?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">It is a new training facility at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where Air Force basic trainees practise airbase tasks on real retired aircraft. It currently holds a retired F-16, with two retired C-130H Hercules joining it, and will eventually cover eight separate tasks across 16 stations.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What do Air Force recruits do on the range?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">They are given a mission such as rearming a fighter, organise themselves into teams, plan it, brief the plan to instructors and execute it in a 45-minute session. They are graded on teamwork, communication and delegation rather than purely on technical completion.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did Air Force basic training change?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because of Agile Combat Employment, which disperses aircraft across many small sites and requires airmen to perform tasks outside their own speciality. The Air Force calls the result a multi-capable airman. PACER FORGE replaced BEAST Week in 2022, and BMT 3.0 introduced the airbase range in April 2026.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which aircraft are used at the training range?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A retired F-16 Fighting Falcon that arrived in April 2026, and two retired C-130H Hercules that landed at Kelly Field on 25 August 2026. One of them, tail 96-7325, was the last H-model Hercules built and had logged 10,980 flight hours.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How long is US Air Force basic training?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Around seven and a half weeks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, including the PACER FORGE field exercise at the Chapman Training Annex, which was extended from 36 to 57 hours in March 2025 and now runs across three days and two nights.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can a civilian fly in a military jet?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug arranges flights for members of the public in genuine military aircraft, including the L-39 Albatros and the MiG-29, flown with professional crews from approved airfields. Details and pricing are at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/\">migflug.com\/flights-prices<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Air Base Training Range at Lackland?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It is a new training facility at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where Air Force basic trainees practise airbase tasks on real retired aircraft. It currently holds a retired F-16, with two retired C-130H Hercules joining it, and will eventually cover eight separate tasks across 16 stations.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What do Air Force recruits do on the range?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"They are given a mission such as rearming a fighter, organise themselves into teams, plan it, brief the plan to instructors and execute it in a 45-minute session. They are graded on teamwork, communication and delegation rather than purely on technical completion.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did Air Force basic training change?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because of Agile Combat Employment, which disperses aircraft across many small sites and requires airmen to perform tasks outside their own speciality. The Air Force calls the result a multi-capable airman. PACER FORGE replaced BEAST Week in 2022, and BMT 3.0 introduced the airbase range in April 2026.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which aircraft are used at the training range?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A retired F-16 Fighting Falcon that arrived in April 2026, and two retired C-130H Hercules that landed at Kelly Field on 25 August 2026. One of them, tail 96-7325, was the last H-model Hercules built and had logged 10,980 flight hours.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How long is US Air Force basic training?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Around seven and a half weeks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, including the PACER FORGE field exercise at the Chapman Training Annex, which was extended from 36 to 57 hours in March 2025 and now runs across three days and two nights.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can a civilian fly in a military jet?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. MiGFlug arranges flights for members of the public in genuine military aircraft, including the L-39 Albatros and the MiG-29, flown with professional crews from approved airfields. Details and pricing are at migflug.com\/flights-prices.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/usaf-ground-based-medium-caliber-gun-air-base-defence-2026\/\">USAF Seeks Medium-Caliber Guns to Defend Its Air Bases<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/muwaffaq-salti-iran-damages-us-a-10-f-15e-2026\/\">Muwaffaq Salti: Iran Damaged a US A-10 and Eight F-15Es<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dude-44-bravo-f-15e-backseater-60-minutes-interview-2026\/\">Dude 44 Bravo: The F-15E Backseater Breaks His Silence on Iran<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basic trainees now plan and execute a rearm mission on a retired F-16. Two C-130s join in December. The Air Force calls it the biggest change to basic training since 1950.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":22242112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22242556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1999\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\"},\"headline\":\"Lackland\u2019s Airbase Range: Air Force Recruits Now Rearm an F-16\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1334,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg\",\"width\":1999,\"height\":1333,\"caption\":\"Air Force basic training recruits move through a field exercise at night during PACER FORGE\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lackland\u2019s Airbase Range: Air Force Recruits Now Rearm an F-16\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\",\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Duncan\"},\"description\":\"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/author\\\/josephduncan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug","description":"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug","og_description":"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1999,"height":1333,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Duncan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Duncan","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Duncan","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85"},"headline":"Lackland\u2019s Airbase Range: Air Force Recruits Now Rearm an F-16","datePublished":"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/"},"wordCount":1334,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/","name":"Air Force Basic Training Recruits Now Rearm an F-16 | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-14T09:48:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T09:49:23+00:00","description":"Air Force basic training now includes a rearm mission on a retired F-16 at Lackland. Two C-130s join the new airbase range in December.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/pacer-forge-air-force-basic-military-training-night.jpg","width":1999,"height":1333,"caption":"Air Force basic training recruits move through a field exercise at night during PACER FORGE"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/air-force-bmt-airbase-training-range-lackland-f-16-c-130-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lackland\u2019s Airbase Range: Air Force Recruits Now Rearm an F-16"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85","name":"Joseph Duncan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joseph Duncan"},"description":"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/author\/josephduncan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22242556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22242556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22242556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22242581,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22242556\/revisions\/22242581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22242112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22242556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22242556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22242556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}