Lockheed F-16AM Fighting Falcon – 313 Sqn, RNLAF, Afghanistan, 2008

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA38030: Lockheed F-16AM Fighting Falcon J-020 of 313 Sqn, RNLAF, Afghanistan, 2008. Production run of 500 models

Length 8.25 inches Wingspan 5.25 inches

313 Squadron was officially formed in 1953. However for a squadron with such a long history there is little to tell, for the Sqn was mostly an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU). They started of flying Lockheed T-33’s on VOLKEL AB the planes used where on lone from the United States and where (unofficially) named JVS II. They where formed to give an operational training to Dutch Pilots who returned from a training in the United States.

In 1958 the Sqn moved to Woensdrecht. Here the two Training Sqn’s joined to form the JVO and on 1 January 1959, 313 Squadron was disbanded. The Sqn Reformed in October 1972 at Twente AB, again as an OCU Sqn but now on the NF-5A Freedom Fighter. For the next years 313 Sqn was the only Training squadron in the RNAF.

September 1986 was the year where 316 Sqn took over the Training Role, and 313 Sqn became for the first time in there Career a fully operational Squadron on the Northrop NF-5A. The Operational status came to an end in 1988 with the arrival of the F-16 Fighting Falcon By April 1990, 313 Became Operational again as an offensive and defensive Sqn. October 1990 was the month 313 changed there Sqn badge in to a Tiger and became a member of the Nato Tiger Association. From 1 April 1994 313 regained there training role as a Tactical Qualification Training (TQT). By the end of 2002 the squadron regained it’s NATO operational standard. During 2004 the squadrons future looked quite dreary, when the decision was made to close 313 squadrons home-base Twente and disband its 2 resident squadrons. Hope grew again when the decision was made to create a new squadron at Volkel AB. and only 2 day’s after the disbandment of 313 squadron at Twente it was reformed at Volkel.

In late 2020 the F-16s together with Pilots and groundcrew where all moved to 312 Sqn, and 313 Sqn started to operate under the 3yy Squadron designation the start to prepare for the arrival of the F-35 Lightning II.

On June 30th 2022 the first F-35 Lightning II for 313 Squadron landed at Volkel Air Base, and the squadron started the next phase on their roadmap to operations with the 5th generation fighter.

Designed by General Dynamics as a lightweight, daytime USAF air-combat fighter, the F-16 was first flown on January 20th, 1974. This single-engine, supersonic aircraft has, over the years, evolved into a multirole aircraft. It has a frameless bubble canopy-giving its pilot superior visibility-and it uses advanced aerodynamics. The F-16 was one of the first designs to use a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire system, which helps it pull 9-g manoeuvres and achieve speeds of more than Mach 2. Called “Viper” by its pilots, the F-16 is considered one of the most successful aircraft designs of the Cold War, with 4,400+ aircraft built since 1976.