Model Description
Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale HA3879 Lockheed F-16AM “75 Years D-Day” FA-57, 350 Sqn., Belgian Air Force, 2019. Buy online now at Flying Tigers.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was produced by General Dynamics who became Lockheed who then merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin. The F-16 entered service in January 1979 as a multi-role jet fighter that evolved into an all-weather multi-role aircraft capable of sustaining 9-g turns. The F-16 is relatively inexpensive to purchase and maintain so the U.S. and 25 other countries added it to their inventory. The Fighting Falcon is referred to by its pilots as the “Viper” and will remain in USAF service until 2025.
The Belgian 350 Squadron was formed in Wales as part of the RAF on November 12, 1941. During WWII the 350th flew six variants of the Supermarine Spitfire and took part in the Dieppe Raid and flew combat patrols over the beaches of Normandy wearing their D-Day paint schemes. In 1946 the 350th was no longer part of the RAF and became a Belgian Air Force squadron.F-16A FA-57 was selected to wear the special paint scheme as a 350 Squadron tribute to the 75th Anniversary of D-Day 1944.
