The iconic F-16 - fighting and flying for half a century

In 1974, the F-16 fighter jet took its first-ever flight and has remained an ever-present force all over the world playing major roles in many conflicts.
At 50, the Fighting Falcon, nicknamed 'The Viper' by its pilots, has been honoured by the US Air Force with a special livery in recognition of its milestone, during a celebration event at Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert.
Multiple F-16s from units around the nation descended upon the US base, to take part in 'Falcon Rejoin 50', which featured a performance from the Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team.
More: www.forces.net/technology/air...
#forcesnews #news #usa #airforce #f16 #fighterjet
Subscribe to Forces News: bit.ly/1OraazC
Check out our website: www.forces.net/
Facebook: / forcestv
Instagram: forcesnews...
X: / forcesnews

Пікірлер: 69

  • @Villain1874
    @Villain18743 ай бұрын

    Fantastic plane and still going strong.

  • @AtheistOrphan
    @AtheistOrphan3 ай бұрын

    Always had an admiration for the F-16, if it looks right, it IS right.

  • @IMDunn-oy9cd
    @IMDunn-oy9cd3 ай бұрын

    I was in high school when this plane was first brought into service. I am now retired, and it’s still in service.

  • @Andyb2379

    @Andyb2379

    3 ай бұрын

    They got it right in it’s designed & it’s still right 50 years on

  • @VanderlyndenJengold

    @VanderlyndenJengold

    3 ай бұрын

    which high school?

  • @ArifKhan-it1nm
    @ArifKhan-it1nm2 ай бұрын

    This is the Beautiful model machine on the earth, no other one is near by its. Specially we Pakistani love it by heart. Thank you America.

  • @frootyf16
    @frootyf163 ай бұрын

    Excellent vid. THANK YOU. My husband flew this jet for 25 years. Mostly in Vegas.

  • @TheIceman567

    @TheIceman567

    2 ай бұрын

    Are you British?

  • @danielhooke6115
    @danielhooke61153 ай бұрын

    It _is_ a beautiful thing.

  • @waheex
    @waheex2 ай бұрын

    it looks like it was designed yesterday. Fantastic plane

  • @RoseWhite99
    @RoseWhite993 ай бұрын

    Powerful

  • @bartkimel5664
    @bartkimel56642 ай бұрын

    Thank you dear Chanel for shearing thats video & note 50th anniverssary of most succesful light waigth Figther/Attack 4th generation star Pre-General Dynamics now .Lackhed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon & Today Viper .For me as an Iranian, remembering the 50th anniversary of this very successful fighter is both happy and sad.Happy because my country, under the leadership of the Shah of Iran, placed the largest order for the Imperial Air Force of Iran to the manufacturing company (General Dynamics at that time) after the United States, with the number of three hundred aircraft in two orders; One hundred and sixty in 1976 and one hundred and forty in 1977 and a total of three hundred fighters

  • @phooogle
    @phooogle3 ай бұрын

    Wonderful aircraft. Even in the modern era it can sit back and back up stealth craft with long range fire.

  • @crazymcloonybin
    @crazymcloonybin3 ай бұрын

    “If you get the fundamentals design right then you can get a great deal of life out of the aircraft.” It’s the same with the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

  • @JohnCBobcat
    @JohnCBobcat3 ай бұрын

    And then, the bird with the 50th anniversary tail livery is 35 years old, roughly. According to its tail number, it was ordered in Fiscal Year 1988.

  • @GenjiShimada.
    @GenjiShimada.3 ай бұрын

    My favo plane

  • @shadeburst
    @shadeburst25 күн бұрын

    A lovely aircraft, but the extremely rapid evolution of aerial combat since 2022 shows that there is no longer a role for conventional warplanes except over friendly territory with no hostile air defenses within range.

  • @antel704
    @antel7042 ай бұрын

    For me F16 is basic design line of American Eagel, represent of Freedom. F16 never change line, can be little bigger, but need sofisticate vertical landing and directly flying to Moon and far in future.

  • @8000296
    @80002963 ай бұрын

    Work with it……O I am getting old👍😂

  • @rickbear7249
    @rickbear72493 ай бұрын

    According to Boyd (sp?) the F16 is what the F14 Tomcat should have been. It's a lightweight affordable dogfighter, as vs the overpriced too heavy overequipped F14 which was built to appease the generals by being deliberately super expensive. The F16 follows the same philosophy as Britain's earlier Folland Gnat.

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    3 ай бұрын

    Except the the F16 has way more reputable experience than what ever nonsense the Brits produced and have produced. But, keep trying.

  • @snowyowl7413

    @snowyowl7413

    3 ай бұрын

    A lot of British aircraft have plenty of combat experience and were very good at their jobs . Lightning, tornado, buccaneer, jaguar especially the harrier which if I recall correctly the USMC used until recently replaced with the F-35 b . Yes some aircraft had issues but we built aircraft to be extremely good at a job and they did it well . Look up the roles of the harrier during the Falklands war or the tornado and buccaneer during the 1st gulf war . And now we have the typhoon which has already proven itself useful in the Middle East and is still going strong.

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    2 ай бұрын

    @@snowyowl7413 Still don't even have close to the effective run that the F-16 does, does it? Furthermore, it's the US Marine Corps that's extended the lifespan of the Harrier, not the Brits. The Brits stopped using the Harried over twenty years ago because they lacked the technological know how in maintenance and upkeeping. Furthermore, the F-16 is the second most demanded plane after the F-35. It certainly will never be a typhoon or tornado. Definitely below a Rafale and that's not really saying much.

  • @snowyowl7413

    @snowyowl7413

    2 ай бұрын

    Ah yes the country that designed and built the harrier doesn’t have the technological know how to maintain it . Please kindly stop spouting these untruths. The reason that we no longer use them is because the carriers that could take them were decommissioned or converted to helicopter carriers. I’m not saying that the F-15 isn’t an extremely capable aircraft I’m just saying the vast majority of British aircraft were extremely good at their jobs . And again if British aircraft are bad then why did you Americans use our harriers and Canberras ?

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    2 ай бұрын

    @@snowyowl7413 Canberras? Do you mean amphibious carriers used by the Marines? You don't have the know how to update and modify your planes, that's just a simple fact. Furthermore, I'm strictly talking about the F-16, which only has one engine compared to the F-15, which has two. That's another thing we do we do very well, we have multiple fighter planes for different purposes while you're struggling to maintain your one class of Typhoons. Pay attention.

  • @Zatvornik
    @Zatvornik3 ай бұрын

    look deep into your mind, focus on a scenario where a Ukrainian pilot, heavy war fatigue, PTSD, flies a fully equipped F-16 deep into Russian territory and unleashes its might at some city square... What would an appropriate response look like, theoretically?

  • @CymruCelt01

    @CymruCelt01

    2 ай бұрын

    You are warped 😂

  • @TheGonzogibby

    @TheGonzogibby

    2 ай бұрын

    General embarrassment that a Gen 4 fighter made it passed multi-layered Russian air defence - but then, that’s also why it wouldn’t/couldn’t happen An air-launched Storm Shadow/Scalp would do a better job at your imagined scenario - so why hasn’t it?

  • @ridhobaihaqi144
    @ridhobaihaqi1443 ай бұрын

    Russia hyperfans from indo: 😡😡🤬🤬

  • @RJM1011
    @RJM10113 ай бұрын

    An aircraft the MOD and UK Gov could learn something from !

  • @colonelangus8247
    @colonelangus82473 ай бұрын

    Now it's officially an antique, it's about time to retire the ol lady.

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    3 ай бұрын

    Well, speak for yourself and worry about your country and it's non-existent industry. It's still heavily in demand and easier to maintain than anything the Brits will ever produce.

  • @drbilldixon4421
    @drbilldixon44213 ай бұрын

    Why dub pointless musak over the spoken word ? Pointless. Hard to listen to.

  • @verdebusterAP
    @verdebusterAP3 ай бұрын

    The F-16 has gone as far as it can go and needs to be retired The increase demands of modern warfare are too much for it now

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    3 ай бұрын

    What does the opposition have to overmatch it?

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    2 ай бұрын

    @@frank-ko6de The Su-35 carries 12 R-77s to the F-16 six AIM-120 Similarly the Chinese J-11 also carries more than the F-16 The USAF is not adding the JATM to the F-16 So again The Su-35s carries 2 R-37s and the Chinese J-11 the PL-15 Secondly the larger F-15E can carry substantial about weapons both defense and offensive as well sensors with little effort The F-16s limits its payload

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    2 ай бұрын

    @@verdebusterAP again, no one is demanding any of those planes like the the F-!6. the F-16 still has more advanced and complex radar and weapons system, which is why advanced economies are willing to still pay for it along with the F-35, which is not available to everyone but those with a license for it. Try harder, Yes?

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    2 ай бұрын

    @@frank-ko6de Right so your claim is that Russian and China are not demanding the most from their 4th gen top fighters cope harder

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    2 ай бұрын

    @@verdebusterAP No need to cope, simply facts. Who's paying 25 Billion USD like Turkey just did for a bunch of F-16s? Please stick to facts and let facts be your friend, because you're merely deluded and friendless at this point.

  • @Zatvornik
    @Zatvornik3 ай бұрын

    Who here still believes Ukraine will get F-16s now, after they used Patriot system in Russian airspace despite being strictly forbidden by US to do so?

  • @MrSatyre1

    @MrSatyre1

    3 ай бұрын

    Hush, child. Adults are talking.

  • @unreal4010

    @unreal4010

    3 ай бұрын

    @MrSatyre1 hush, adults are talking.

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    3 ай бұрын

    They still will The shootdown was against Russian assets not civilian targets big difference

  • @Zatvornik

    @Zatvornik

    3 ай бұрын

    look deep into your mind, focus on a scenario where a Ukrainian pilot, heavy war fatigue, PTSD, flies a fully equipped F-16 deep into Russian territory and unleashes its might at some city square... What would an appropriate response look like, theoretically?

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Zatvornik Lay off the potato juice their Ivan The fact that you are missing is that the Ukrainian air force has been sidelined for the bulk of the conflict There is no heavy fighting between them and Russian air force Secondly the pilots that are training are in the West and have been for many months Pilots training in the US, UK and Canada, while maintenance personnel are being trained in Denmark and Romania So your theory has more holes than swiss cheese Lastly no Ukrainian pilot would be that stupid As they would effectively giving Russia a gimme Ukraine has lasted this long but not being stupid

  • @richardmarsden5610
    @richardmarsden56103 ай бұрын

    No humour about it bud. The 29 MiG is the better aircraft. Latest 35 version (MiG-35) better than the latest bloc F-16 still.

  • @frank-ko6de

    @frank-ko6de

    3 ай бұрын

    If you say so, you deluded nonsense. Hahahaha.

  • @shadeburst

    @shadeburst

    25 күн бұрын

    The airframe might be better but the Russian electronic combat systems are a couple of generations behind.

  • @richardmarsden5610
    @richardmarsden56103 ай бұрын

    Inferior American analog to MiG 29.

  • @MrSatyre1

    @MrSatyre1

    3 ай бұрын

    Love your sense of humor! 😂

  • @bigmatthews666
    @bigmatthews6663 ай бұрын

    Iv never liked the F16. I understand its a Budget 4th Gen fighter to fill out the numbers, even America couldn’t afford to have all F15s. Same as the Soviets couldn’t afford to have all SU27 so had the mig29 as its cheaper light fighter. But the F16 is really nothing special.

  • @skepticalbadger

    @skepticalbadger

    3 ай бұрын

    There's always one, isn't there?

  • @MrSatyre1

    @MrSatyre1

    3 ай бұрын

    It's like you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. 😂

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    3 ай бұрын

    The F-16 was backed doored into the USAF as the Figther Mafia claimed that the F-15 was just another F-4 The F-15 performed beyond expectations so F-16 instead replaced the F-5, F-101, F-105 and other aircraft while the F-15 retain the air superiority role The USAF between 50s till the 70s had massive overlap with aircraft By the 80s it was F-15, F-16 and few . By the 90 F-15 and F-16s were the mainstay with the rest being retired There was some good from the F-16 As for the Su-27 It was different case, Till 2001 Mikoyan was top dog due the MIG 19/s-21s performance in the Vietnam and the Middle East However when the Teens series was introduced , Mikoyan rep went took a massive nose dive The last straw for Mikoyan was Serbia where MIG-29 got its ass handed to it yet again After that, Sukhoi took over as the mainstay for Russian forces

  • @verdebusterAP

    @verdebusterAP

    2 ай бұрын

    @@phillipbanes5484 The F-15 has over 100 kills to zero losses while F-16s has been downed numerous times Secondly the F-15 airframe has far more growth then F-16 The F-15E/EX can carry SNIPER, LEGION and DRAGON EYE pods with minimal impact to its payload whereas the F-16??