The sound is jarring and unmistakable, an electronic trill that pilots of the 121st Fighter Squadron recognize in a quickened heartbeat. Nearly every day, the warbling alarm reverberates through bunks and hangars in a remote corner of Andrews Air Force Base, signaling trouble in the sky above the nation’s capital. In seconds, the airstrip tenses with choreographed vigilance. Inside a trailer at the runway’s edge, pilots wrestle into their flight suits. Mechanics dash into the hangars to inspect the fully armed F-16 fighters before firing up their deafening engines. Ready within minutes, the pilots are out on the runway while the jets whine, waiting for final takeoff orders.Full Story