Defense Media Network

F-16 Fighting Falcon 40th Anniversary

Forty years after its first flight, the F-16 Fighting Falcon continues to be a workhorse for U.S. Air Force and the air forces of 25 other nations. Making its first flight on Jan. 20, 1974, the F-16 is still manufactured by Lockheed Martin today. Nicknamed the ‘Viper,’ more than 4,500 F-16s have been manufactured since the first production model rolled off the line in Fort Worth, Texas, in August, 1978. The F-16 is likely to continue to serve as a front-line fighter for decades more and to continue to evolve. This Lockheed Martin video highlights some of those 40 years and the words used by those who fly and manufacture the F-16 to describe the fourth-generation fighter.

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