US F-16

The 'headbutt' manoeuvre, where the offending jet cuts in front of and across another, is deemed unprofessional at very close ranges, but has still been witnessed for decades

A statement from Norad maintained that the bombers remained in international airspace in Alaska's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and were 'not seen as a threat'

The US agreed Monday to sell Turkey $259 million in software it has long sought to upgrade its fleet of US F-16 fighter jets. State Department approval of the sale comes about two weeks after Turkey dropped its objections to Finland joining NATO. Turkey continues to withhold its approval for Sweden to join the military alliance. NATO requires unanimous approval to admit new members. Turkey also still wants to buy 40 new F-16s from the US, but some in Congress oppose the sale until Turkey approves NATO membership for both Nordic countries. Turkey fell out of grace with the US on high-tech military aircraft purchases after it decided in 2017 to acquire Russian air-defence missiles. Turkey was kicked out of a US programme to develop the next-generation F-35 fighter plane and Turkish defence officials were sanctioned. The US said the Russian missiles posed a threat to the F-35 and strongly objected to their use within the NATO alliance. Turkey sees the F-16s as an interim option to bui

The US State Department has said that the Pakistan F-16 programme was an important part of the broader bilateral relationship, as the American Senate did not object to the proposed $450 million deal

The sale announced on Friday was first floated in 2019 and will reportedly be completed by the end of 2026

The jet was returning to the base in California when the crash took place.

The US Air Force is investigating the crash of F-16 Fighting Falcon