F-16 "Fighting Falcon"

The F-16 evolved from a 1972 Air Force lightweight fighter prototype program that sought a small, lightweight, low-cost, air-superiority day fighter designed for high performance and ease of maintenance. The YF-17 was selected the winner over the Northrop YF-17 after the LWF fly-off competition was completed. The basic YF-17 design was used as the basis for the Navy's F-18. The F-16 achieved combat-ready status in October 1980. Many foreign nations, including Belgium, Denmark, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel, purchased the F-16. During Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Desert Fox in 1991, the F-16 provided close air support and air defense suppression roles. In Operation Desert Storm, the F-16 flew 13,500 sorties with 250 aircraft, provided more than 40 percent of Air Force bomb-dropping sorties, and delivered 20,000 tons of bombs. It operated from austere, forward-operating locations to maximize sortie rates and payloads and performed a variety of missions, including Scud chasing and killer scout, or fast forward controller. This aerospace vehicle, serial number 78-0107, is part of the U.S.A.F. Heritage Program Collection.

Lackland AFB, Texas · United States