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F-16B 78-0081 came to Edwards in 1989 from Luke AFB. Early model F-16s were being brought in to replace F-4s and A-7s in the test support role - radar targets and safety/photo chase for test aircraft. Test support was the mission of the 6512th Test Squadron of the 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. In October 1992, at the behest of the USAF Chief of staff, 4-digit organization identifiers were abolished and the 6512TS became the 445TS (later FLTS) and the 6510TW became the 412TW. August 1989 - Shortly after arrival from Luke AFB. August 1990 June 1991 October 1991 September 1992 - The AF Materiel Command shield replaced the AF System Command shield on the tail as Systems Command and AF Logistics Command were merged to form Materiel Command in July 1992. The name inside the nose gear door is "TAZ DEVIL" Thanks for looking, Sven

Two F-16B of the 152nd Tac Fighter Squadron, 162nd Tac Fighter Wing, Arizona Air National Guard out of Tucson MAP visiting the F-16 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB to participate in F-16 departure from controlled flight and recovery training, June 1991. 78-0109 78-0114 Thanks for looking, Sven

F-16B 80-0635 of the 6516th Test Squadron, F-16 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, August 1990. At this time, '635 was the dedicated test platform for a laser pod, "Coronet Prince". Coronet Prince carried a laser capable of disabling optical trackers as part of the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) mission. The pod's sensor head would swivel and rotate with a low-power laser, searching for reflections, an indication of a lens or reflecting surface aimed at the aircraft. If the ground position of the reflection remained constant as the jet flew along, it was an indication that the lens/reflector was tracking the jet - or it was a spherical reflector. Having determined that it was being tracked, the pod operator would select high-power and the laser would fire pulses at the target location. During test flights, Coronet Prince successfully "burned" a tracking vidicon tube. We watched the video image as each pulse burned out portions of the receptor array until the entire screen went blank. The program was cancelled when funding ran out - it took longer than expected to get the aircraft integration and pod to operate as intended. Not surprisingly, the Coronet Prince laser was not eye-safe, thus the test program safety program and risk mitigations were considerable. We had to clear the target range of any potential reflectors and all personnel in the target area wore doubled-up laser goggles even though they were inside a trailer with the deployable sensor array. Note the pylon was restricted to use on '635 only as '635 was the only aircraft with the necessary modifications to interface with the Coronet Prince pod. Thanks for looking Sven Lesson learned: Never joke to the Safety Review Board about blinding endangered Desert Tortoises!!

While chompin' at the bit, waiting for the Mustang GB to begin Dec 14th, so I can jump in with the Piper Enforcer, and as we are approaching the end of another year, I thought it might be a good time to take another trip in the Wayback Machine, back to a time when the now old and venerable F-16 family were just getting started. All these models were built decades ago, and I forget some of the details. Also, the blankety-blank Microscale Clear enamel topcoats have yellowed, and there's a little dust, but here goes anyway. First up, the F-16A, in an early scheme: Next, the two-seat version, the F-16B: These were both made from the same kit (can't remember which one) that allowed you to build either an A or B models. The decals were from an early Microscale offering which provided the tons of light grey stripes needed. Also, the same type of kit was used to help mod the next offerings, the F-16XL family: Busy little bugger on the bottom side, isn't it. These F-16XL's are of course the Monogram kits much modded, according to an old article in one of the IPMS USA mags. Still have it kicking around somewhere. I think I could find it if anyone needs a scanned copy... The model has to have the intake moved further back under the fuselage, a hump added to the top, the rear end kicked up a few degrees, and a few other things. Even more fun is the F-16XL #2, done up in the Ferris-Heatly "as above, so below" type paint scheme: Note the dot on the nose gear door, to spoof the image of the rear-seater's helmet, as well as the upside-down star and bar on the fuse near the rear Sparrow missile on both sides, not to mention the black and white shadings on the rear fuse, to spoof looking at the vertical stabilizer upside down. A very unusual scheme and a variant rarely seen! Up you enjoyed our little journey back in time, and any comments or questions are always welcome; as well as are any criticisms (other than those about yellowing or dust!). Ed

G'day all. I've just put the final touches on the Royal Thailand Air Force F-16B from the 1/48 Hasegawa kit. I had a lot of fun building it and learnt a few things at the same time. Details are the Hasegawa F-16B Plus Fighting Falcon, Quick boost seats with Eduard ejection ring pulls, W&D Studio pitot and AoA probes, Mk82 slicks from the Hasegawa weapons set, AIM-9L from an AFV Club F-5E, Siam scale decals (meh... Not the greatest), Verlinden ground power and comms panel and homemade intake and exhaust plugs. The rear exhaust bung is made from Tamiya epoxy putty. And paints are the ubiquitous Mr Color. The front canopy section even has the smoke tint! Now to make the Polish Tiger meet version... Hope you like it. Cheers, Mick

A mate and I have small (two-man) group build happening so while other kits are either waiting for parts to arrive or paint to dry, I've cracked on with a Hasegawa F-16B. I've got a small fleet of F-16's to do and I wanted to do a less famous operator. Paired with a two seater and trainer build theme for my clubs QMHE display, I've opted for a two holer from the Royal Thai Air Force. I guess you could say this was motivated by a fellow Aussie builder who built a single seater version a few years ago using a bit of Verlinden resin and the Siam Scale sheet. Imitation, flattery...or whatever they say. Some of these images were taken in early October but the recent image of the assembled kit is where it's at was as of Sunday afternoon. (18/11). This is the B version before their aircraft went through MLU upgrades so no bird slicers or additional bits and pieces. I opted to get into the underside first. Kit undercarriage bay installed. The reinforcing plates around the arrestor hook will need to be addressed. Old molds have taken their toll in this area and the bits are soft as well as out of shape. The nose gear bay has been dressed up with some etch courtesy of Eduard. The panel for the ground power point has been removed in readiness for the Verlinden resin. I've placed some lumps of plastic around the resin item. If for whatever reason it separates from the CA it won't be going anywhere. I've built more plastic card around the resin that can be seen here. The piece of plastic near the intake mouth is one of three that is a stop for an intake blank I've fabricated. No need to tidy up the awful Hasegawa seam. Some wire brake lines for the main gear legs. Make sure you install the correct gun blast panel, as I found out. A few sink marks in the wing tips are addressed with sprue glue. And work done on the under wing join. I've still a bit of tidy up to do here but it looks better than what the photo suggests. The front cockpit gets the etch panels. Oddly the canopy lock handle is the wrong way around on the etch piece. I opted to leave it as Sods law would have me bend, snap and lose the piece. The reinforcing bands on the wing tanks have been replaced with plastic strut. They're still a bit too think but nothing five minutes with a sanding pad won't fix. I chopped off the imaginary version of the locating points on the drop tank pylons that Hasegawa would have you use. Again, a few small thick sheets of plastic with lashing of Extra Thin to melt it all together. The exhaust gets the etch on the inside of the petals. I've hacked open the MXU travel pod too. The kit has it hinge upward whereas they actually hinge at the bottom. I'll also add a flat internal floor from some plastic card. The resin seats compared to the kit seats. A clear win to the resin. I think they'll need a bit more height to lift them to the correct position but they're close. I've also nicked the rear frame/rails from the kit and attached them to the resin items. And the folly of buying a second (third)?) hand kit. The canopy had come adrift from the sprue during it's travels and I don't think it was a clean amputation. I've built up the messy attachment point with sprue glue over a few nights and then cleaned it up with some sanding pads. The canopy will be closed so the small inside blemish won't be seen after paint has been applied. As of Sunday afternoon.

Images of F-16B, s/n 80-0635, when it was operating with the LANTIRN Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB. LANTIRN is an acronym for Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night. The LANTIRN system consisted of two pods beneath the F-16 engine intake. On the left was the AN/AAQ-113 navigation pod (NVP) containing a terrain following radar and forward-looking infra-red sensor. On the right was the AN/AAQ-14 targeting pod (TGP) containing an infra-red sensor and a laser designation system. The LANTIRN CTF tested the LANTIRN system target designation, weapons delivery, and terrain following performance. Another important evaluation was what is referred to as the "pilot-vehicle interface" (PVI), the utility and human factors of the displays and controls as integrated into the F-16. The LANTIRN CTF operated beside the F-16 CTF and was part of the 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. The LANTIRN test force was absorbed into the F-16 CTF in 1988. March 1984 The LANTIRN logo LANTIRN CTF shield There was a large version of the shield painted on a wall in the General Dynamics maintenance office with the tank illustration replaced with red outlined mountains on either side and a red F-16 bouncing between the mountain sides down the valley. "Havoc in the Dark" indeed. January 1989 Three tank "kills" added to the intake Interesting "kill" markings... Another LANTIRN CTF bird, 81-0688 The cannon ammo drum has been replaced with a flight test instrumentation tape recorder (there's no cannon in there either). Microscale did LANTIRN CTF markings for F-16B 81-0816 on sheet 72-256. Thanks for looking, Sven

The only images I have of this jet is with the J79 engine modification. In the late 1970s, President Carter wanted to hold back on the technology being exported from the US to some countries, encouraging development of "export" weapon systems. One of the results of that policy was the F-20 Tigershark, another was the J79-powered F-16. Needless to say, the policy was a non-starter and was quickly reversed when President Reagan came into office. Several changes were required to put a J79 into an F-16 airframe, most noticeable were the modified intake and the longer engine exhaust fairing. The new intake was designed to accommodate decreased airflow requirement of the GE J79 compared to the P&W F100. It also improved pressure recovery allowing better J79 performance compared to using the standard F100 compatible intake. Here is 75-0752 at Edwards in March 1980. As a General Dynamics initiative, the test program was accomplished by company test pilots. Like her sister, '751, she retained the Stencel ejection seats. I ran across '752 again in 1983, the export policy had been reversed but GD and Northrop were still trying to recover some of their investment by marketing the aircraft for the adversary mission. Here she is at the NAS Miramar air show in 1983, in Navy Fighter Weapons School markings for demonstrations to the Navy. The new intake with the extended fixed compression ramp J79 exhaust fairing NFWS emblem. At one time it also carried the XF tail code of VX-4, the US Navy operational test squadron at Point Mugu. A bit of GD marketing in 1980 '752 went on to be a workhorse demonstrator aircraft for GD and, later, Lockheed-Martin Fort Worth. The intake reverted back to its original configuration and the aircraft used for Close Air Support, P&W F100-220, and new technology demonstrations. '752 is now on display in the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Texas. Thanks for looking, Sven

75-0751 was the longest serving FSD F-16 in basic flight test. Primarily used for stability and control evaluations, it also was used for an early program for demonstrating high angle-of-attack and departures (spins) behavior to operational flight crews that would come to Edwards specifically for the "E-ticket" flights with test pilots serving as the instructors. July 1982, "High-Alpha" mission with the departure recovery parachute package, AKA "spin chute", carried above the engine exhaust nozzle on a quadrapod. July 1982, on the tanker during a High-Alpha mission. During these missions it wasn't unusual to hit the tanker in between test points several times in order to keep the aircraft center of gravity within a specified range. Engineers in the mission control facility used a fuel-burn "map" real-time to determine the center of gravity location based on total fuel quantity. Center of gravity location is critical in most all aircraft as the further aft the CG, the more longitudinally unstable the aircraft. November 1982, with 'yarn' tufts installed on the wings and vertical tail to visualize air flow over the flight surfaces. Note the aircraft still has the original Stencel ejection seats. I don't think she ever got the ACES II seats installed. June 1983, ready for another High Alpha mission March 1984, yet another High-Alpha mission March 1990, ready to taxi November 1990, on the tanker's wing during another High-Alpha mission. The characteristic red head rest covers of the Stencel seats. Thanks for looking, Sven

Pretty sure 78-0085 came to Edwards from Luke AFB. 78-0085 carried the name FIREBIRD on the inside of the nose gear door when it arrived and the name remained when she was repainted. December 1991, we are on a solo mission in F-16D s/n 83-1176, and were called to join up with '085, also on a solo mission, because they had an unsafe gear indication in the cockpit. Nose and left gear up and locked, right gear indicating still in transition. Here, we've come aboard. Note the gear doors aren't completely closed The gear is up, but the right main gear door is still open Selecting gear down and checking the gear extension The gear looks good. Don't remember if they had a down and locked, i.e. "three green", indication or not. Elected to return to base. On our wing over Rogers Dry Lake on straight-in final for landing. Note that we had a wing tip launcher from one of the Bozo Fleet jets and '085 had two grey launchers. Giving them the lead to land while we continue our mission. Saw them through to safe landing and then we continued into the operating area for our mission. Thanks for looking, Sven

USAF s/n 78-0088, taxiing in to the 6516th Test Squadron ramp, August 1989. That's a General Dynamics crew chief. Crew showing hands clear in the cockpit while chocks are put in place. On the 6512TS support fleet ramp, July 1990. She carries the name MISS PIGGY inside the nose gear door With tanks, October 1991... ... and the name's been changed to "CRAZY EIGHT". Thanks for looking, Sven

I’m hoping to do a few F-16s from The Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. The first will be this F-16B. Done as the Automatic Terrain Following test bird from the LANTIRN Test Force I’ll be using some home made decals for the tail markings (middle left): At some point I’ll do the “Bozo Fleet” (test support aircraft) markings as depicted in the Hasegawa kit, but I’ve yet to find a clear coat that does not yellow over time. Sven Old Viper Tester

Starting with this kit, bought for 3 quid from SMW 2010. And planning to complete as Israeli AF livery. No decals other than leftover insignias from Phantoms and Eagles - so very DIY.

My latest completion, a Hasegawa 1/72 scale F-16B. A good practice run for the F-16 GB. The tail markings are homemade and represent an aircraft from the F-16 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB in 1989 used for development testing of the Air Defense Fighter variant. Used Eduard photo-etch for the cockpit, Master AOA and pitot probes and missiles from the Hasegawa weapons set. The target ID light on the left side is an MV lens. The Eduard set provides details to spruce up the kit ejection seats, which are pretty basic, but they don’t include the green emergency oxygen bottle on the left side of the seat. The bottle is a pretty prominent part of the ACES II so I represented them with pieces of stretched sprue painted with green from the little Testors square bottle. The high-speed data recorder pod on the centerline is made from the front portion of two F-16 centerline tanks The Eduard HUD frame went pinging off to feed the carpet monster, so I replaced it with a basic from made from beer can aluminium. The Hasegawa kit decals for the national insignia, air refueling stenciling and walkway lines have a brownish cast to them. This is most prominent on the walkway stripes, so I left them off. I’ll have to check my decal stash for suitable replacements for the stars and bars. Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

Kinetic is to release a new (revised?) boxing from it's Fighting Falcon, the 1/48th Lockheed-Martin F-16A/B Fighting Falcon RoCAF 70th Tiger Wing (Hualien AB) - ref.48055 Source: https://www.facebook.com/Kineticmodel/photos/a.150625411771245.1073741825.129238860576567/529182953915487/?type=3&theater Box art + decals http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=KI-K48055 Or repackaging of ref.48011 with new decals? V.P.