F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Fighting Falcon, manufactured by General Dynamics and later by Lockheed Martin, is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force. Designed first as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft, with more than 4,500 built after production was approved in 1976. Its key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, a side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, a seat reclined 30 degrees to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability fly-by-wire flight control system, all of which help make it a nimble aircraft. The F-16 carries an external M61 Vulcan cannon and has 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. Besides use by active duty United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, it has also been used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, by the United States Navy as an adversary or aggressor aircraft, and by the air forces of 25 other nations. This F-16A Block 10D was delivered to the USAF on 27 August 1981, served with the 430 TFS at Nellis AFB, Nevada, beginning in September 1981 with tail code NA, then with the 465 TFS at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, beginning in August 1988 with tail code SH, and entered AMARC in April 1994.

Vincennes, Indiana · United States