Fairford, UK. 20th July, 2013. AN F-16A Fighting Falcon of the Belgian Air Component demonstaring at RIAT 2013. The Belgian Air Force was one of the first four international customers for the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Belgium ordered a total of 160 F-16s in two batches. Heavy attrition and restructuring of the armed forces reduced the operational inventory to 72 aircraft. The remaining aircraft have been stored or sold (14 to Jordan for example). Although the entire inventory consists of F-16A and F-16B models, all 72 remaining operational aircraft have been upgraded to MLU standard.
he General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. No longer being purchased by the Air Force, improved versions are still being built for export customers. The Fighting Falcon is a fighter with numerous innovations including a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, 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 helps to make it a nimble aircraft. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots, due to a resemblance to a viper snake as the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper starfighter
Size: 6000px × 4500px
Location: RAF Fairford Gloucestershire United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -16a, air, aircraft, belgian, component, falcon, fighter, fighting, international, jet, riat, royal, tattoo
