Despite the first YF-16A being rolled out in 19 in December 1973, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is still in demand today, whether this be new Block versions or onward sales of aircraft retired from US or other nations inventories. Once the F-16 was selected by the US Air Force, it was further decided to form a partnership between the USAF and nations of the NATO alliance who had a similar need for a lightweight fighter, to begin development of the plane for service. Four such nations chose to join the development effort, becoming involved in production and sub-contracting work. The four European partners, collectively known as the European Participating Governments (EPG), these being Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Many F-16s have since been sold under the aegis of the United States Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. F-16 user countries include Bahrain, Belgium, Chile. Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Jordan, South Korea, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, USA, Venezuela.
The F-16 continues to be a modern, highly capable, affordable, and supportable fighter. The program is healthy, with a strong likelihood of new orders that will extend the production lines for several more years. The F-16's first air-to-air combat success was achieved by the Israeli Air Force over the Bekaa Valley on 28 April 1981, against a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter, which was downed with cannon fire. During the 1982 Lebanon War, Israeli F-16s engaged Syrian aircraft in one of the largest air battles involving jet aircraft, which began on 9 June and continued for two more days. Israeli F-16s were credited with forty-four air-to-air kills during the conflict, and during the Soviet–Afghan War, between May 1986 and January 1989, Pakistan Air Force F-16s shot down at least eight intruders from Afghanistan. The Royal Netherlands Air Force, Belgian Air Force, Royal Danish Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, and Venezuela Air Force have also flown the F-16 on combat missions. Part 2 of the F-16 looks at the international operators of the F-16 and the different variants. As the series title ‘Real to Replica’ suggests, the book also contains colour profiles, walk arounds, and how to build plastic models of the F-16 in popular scales, making this an ideal reference for the enthusiast and modeller alike.
