A remarkable anniversary in the history of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 programme will be marked on 20 January, exactly 50 years after a prototype of the lightweight fighter got airborne for the first time.
Our recently published extensive report into the milestone tells the story behind General Dynamics test pilot Phil Oestricher’s unscheduled outing from Edwards AFB in the YF-16, the programme’s official first flight on 2 February 1974, and the single-engined type’s evolution into the world’s most widely-flown fighter. Click here to read the full article.
To coincide with the 50th anniversary event, this gallery of images highlights some of the additional notable events, unusual F-16 variants, and leading operators of the US airframer’s evergreen fighter, as it continues to enjoy production success for multiple customers.
European Defence Editor Craig Hoyle has reported on the UK, European and international military aviation sector for almost 30 years, and has also been the Editor of Flight International since 2015. He joined FlightGlobal in 2003, and also compiles our annual World Air Forces directory.View full Profile
The long-stalled deal to provide Turkey with 40 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters was approved by arms regulators, who simultaneously advanced a proposal to sell 40 F-35A stealth fighters to Greece – orders worth a gargantuan $31.6 billion to Lockheed.
The joint-venture company tasked with modernising pilot instruction for the Canadian military has ordered the final airframes for its 71-strong Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) fleet: seven Beechcraft King Air 260s.
Central to the Washington mid-air collision inquiry is whether the military helicopter crew correctly identified the inbound PSA Airlines regional jet, having apparently been informed of its position and intention some 2min before the accident.
Dassault Aviation has unveiled its first Rafale fighter produced for the United Arab Emirates: its largest export customer to date for the multirole type.
Development of a next-generation military rotorcraft engine is to benefit from a €25 million ($26.1 million) boost after the European Defence Fund (EDF) announced backing for the project in its latest annual work programme.
Northrop Grumman is to sell its Training Services business to Serco Inc, with the $327 million disposal expected to be completed within the coming months.
