NEW HOME: F-16 Becomes Airport Statue

Des Moines’ history with F-16 fighter jets will live on after the end of the program. Crews installed a fighter jet statue in front of the 132^nd Fighter Wing at the Des Moines International Airport on Wednesday.

The statue is a real F-16 gutted and repainted by 132^nd personnel. It is the only mounted F-16 in Iowa and joins three other aircraft previously flown by the Fighter Wing on display at the Des Moines Airbase.

In December, the U.S. Senate approved a new defense spending bill that eliminated the F-16 program in Des Moines. The jets have been used by the 132^nd Fighter Wing since 1992.