1/72 F-16D Fighting Falcon “MiG Killer� 90-0778 310th FS Luke AF Base June 2022

The F-16 Fighting Falcon was produced by General Dynamics who became Lockheed who then merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin. The F-16 entered service in January 1979 as a multi-role jet fighter that evolved into an all-weather multi-role aircraft capable of sustaining 9-g turns. The F-16 is relatively inexpensive to purchase and maintain so the U.S. and 25 other countries added it to their inventory. The Fighting Falcon is referred to by its pilots as the “Viper” and will remain in USAF service until 2025.

On December 27, 1992 during Operation Southern Watch F-16D 90-0778 from the 19th FS on loan to the 33rd FS was piloted by Captain Gary “Nordo” North when an Iraqi MiG-25 flew south of the NFZ. According to the UN Security Council Resolution restricting these flights Captain North shot the aircraft down. This was the first F-16 kill and the first use of an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. In 2022 this aircraft received a new paint scheme similar to the “chocolate chip cookie” pattern used on F-16C 84-1212 for one week back in 1990.