Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon – Red 72 / Shark, 64th AGRS 57th WG, USAF, Nellis AFB, NV, March 2017

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA38008: Lockheed F-16C Fighting Falcon #86-0272 Red 72 / Shark of 64th AGRS 57th WG, USAF, Nellis AFB, NV, March 2017. Production run of 700 models.

Length 8.25 inches Wingspan 5.25 inches

F-16C 86-0272 c/n 5C-378 was produced in 1987 and assigned to 64 Aggressor Squadron (AS). In 1988 the aircraft was painted like a MiG-23 with a Bort number 72. In April 1989 the aircraft was the property of the Fighter Weapons School. In October 1993 the aircraft belonged to the 414th Combat Training Squadron “Red Flag” at Nellis AFB and received an Su-27 paint scheme. In October 2003 86-0272 returned to the 64 Aggressor Squadron and 2017 received a paint scheme resembling an Su-34. The Splinter and Shark paint schemes are the latest versions.

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 maneuvers 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.