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The USAF F-16 fleet achieved its safest flying year in history during the 2003 calendar year. The fleet consists of more than 1,200 F-16s assigned to the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command. Safety records are defined as rates of mishaps per flying hour. The USAF F-16 fleet was flown approximately 355,000 hours during 2003. The USAF F-16 loss rate was an all-time low of 1.97 per 100,000 flight hours, with a second-best Class A rate of 2.26 events per 100,000 flight hours. Class A flight mishaps are defined as those involving more than $1 million in damage or loss of life. A significant portion of these flying hours took place in demanding combat and peacekeeping missions around the globe, including missions over the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. F-16s constituted forty-five percent of the USAF fighter force in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and they make up the bulk of the aircraft flying Operation Noble Eagle combat air patrol missions over the United States.
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