Decades‑old F‑16s still stand guard as Colorado Air National Guard stays mission-ready

The roar of fighter jets flying over Aurora near Buckley Space Force Base is a familiar sound for many Coloradans. It's a reminder that the Colorado Air National Guard is constantly training for its next mission.

What most people don't see is what happens inside the hangars, where some of those F-16 Fighting Falcons, built decades ago, are meticulously taken apart and rebuilt to meet the demands of modern warfare.

"This aircraft was built in 1986," said Col. Christopher Melka, operations group commander for the 140th Wing, as maintenance crews worked on several aircraft. "They are the rock of our organization. There is only one reason that 40-year-old airplanes are still flying and it's because of these airmen out here -- hours and hours and hours, blood, sweat and tears keeping these planes airborne, and it takes a lot more as the jet has aged."

Melka said it takes more and more man hours to keep a jet up and running, estimating it takes about 15 hours of maintenance for every hour the aircraft is flown.

"It's kind of ripped down, gets inspected, then it gets put back together to make sure there's no structural integrity issues with the aircraft," Melka said.

While the hardware inside the F-16s hasn't changed dramatically over the last four decades, Melka said much of the modernization happens within the technology.

"The hardware hasn't been revamped a whole lot -- you can see the age of some of these switches and things like that," he said, showing CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann the inside of an F-16 cockpit. "Where it mostly resides is in the software."

Those upgrades are critical because the Colorado Air National Guard (COANG) operates a 24/7/365 homeland defense mission, one that has been active since the 9/11 terrorist attack.

"We always have jets, personnel, pilots and maintainers on status, kind of like a firehouse, if you will," Melka said. "That activation is a horn that goes off...and once that happens, we're now in a Title 10 status to defend the homeland. Like a firefighter, we're just waiting for the horn to go off."

Those missions are unpredictable and wide ranging. When asked whether a future deployment could include a conflict involving Iran, Melka didn't hesitate.

"For us, 100% yeah," he said.

The 140th Wing's responsibilities extend well beyond fighter operations. Civil engineering flights support U.S. Pacific Command and deploy around the world to repair and build airfields and facilities, including recent work in the Pacific.

"Our civil engineering flight is going out there to reinvigorate and revamp that airfield so that it can be utilized in case of a conflict with China," Melka said.

Part of what makes COANG unique is that its members are "citizen soldiers," balancing full time civilian careers with military service.

"You name it -- Ball Aerospace, Lockheed, entrepreneurs, financial management," Melka said. "Our people from our wing are in all kinds of other industry throughout the Denver area."

That dual role defined much of retired Lt. Col. James Reeman's career. He served more than 25 years as an F-16 pilot with COANG, flying missions overseas and responding to disasters at home, while also working as a commercial airline pilot.

"Being able to fly around the mountains of Colorado while I was training, then serve my nation both domestically and in foreign conflicts was nothing short of a dream come true and a privilege," Reeman said. "The Guard is such a proud part of the heritage for Colorado."

Some missions were unexpected, including one during a blizzard in 2007 when F-16s were used to help spot lost cattle for farmers.

"I grew up as part of the agriculture community in Colorado, so that was always a mission I thought was kind of fun," Reeman said.

The Guard continues to provide protection not just for Colorado, but much of the central United States.

"We provide protection for not only Colorado but a lot of the mountain states in this area with the F-16s that sit alert 24/7/365," Reeman said.

While the future will eventually bring new aircraft and missions, Reeman said the core responsibility won't change.

"The airplanes that are currently flying aren't going to last forever," he said. "They're exploring future missions ... continuing to defend the homeland and our federal mission, but I think there will be a growing significance for ways we provide domestic response. ... I always tell people to sleep well knowing there's guardsmen here ready to answer the call for any type of threat that would ever threaten the United States."

Back inside the hangar, as crews continued their work on aging jets, Melka said the pride runs deep.

"It means a lot to me to be part of the 140th Wing," he said. "The focus, the passion, the patriotism that these people have -- it's like no other unit I've been a part of."