Today in History

[air marshal]

January 9, 2001
Retirement of AFTI/F-16 #75-0750, after nearly 23 years of service, at the time the second oldest F-16 still flying.

 

[air marshal]

January 10, 1985
U.S. Navy selects F-16N as its adversary flight training aircraft. Initial buy is 14, with follow-on for 12 more.

 

[air marshal]

January 15, 1980
RNoAF accepts first F-16.

 

[air marshal]

January 17, 1980
RDAF accepts first F-16.

January 17, 1991
Start of Operation Desert Storm, the first combat deployment for USAF F-16s. F-16s perform 25 percent of strike sorties (300-400 daily) throughout the war, totaling 13,500 sorties.

 

[air marshal]

January 19, 1991
F-16s participate in the first day-light raid of Operation Desert Storm and attack targets in Baghdad. Two F-16s from the 614th TFS are lost, and the pilots taken prisoner.

 

[air marshal]

January 20, 1974
Unintentional first flight of the first YF-16 (#72-1567), a short hop around the pattern at the hands of test pilot Phil Oestricher.

 

[air marshal]

January 23, 1979
USAF's 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, is the first unit anywhere to receive the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

 

[air marshal]

January 25, 1982
Egyptian Air Force accepts first F-16 from Peace Vector I order.

January 25, 1991
Bahraini F-16s fly their first mission in Operation Desert Storm, and begin offensive operations on the following days.

January 25, 1991
Egyptian Air Force acepts first F-16 from Peace Vector III order.

 

[air marshal]

January 26, 1979
BAF accepts first F-16 produced by a European assembly line (#FB-01).

January 26, 1985
Ramstein AB, West Germany, (USAFE) becomes 28th base worldwide for F-16, first overseas for F-16C/D.

 

[air marshal]

January 27, 1983
Maiden Flight of the first of 20 Dutch F-16A(R) aircraft equiped with the Orpheus Recce pod.

 

[air marshal]

January 28, 1997
The first two F-16 Block 50 aircraft for Greece (a C and a D model from the Peace Xenia II program) roll out of the factory at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems.

 

[air marshal]

January 29, 1977
USAF announces plans for an additional 783 F-16s.

January 29, 1988
BAF accepts first F-16 of follow-on order.

January 29, 1988
RSAF accepts first F-16 from Peace Carvin I order.

 

[air marshal]

January 30, 1994
PoAF accepts first F-16 from Peace Atlantis I order.

 

[air marshal]

January 31, 1975
Completion of YF-16 Lightweight Fighter evaluation.

 

[air marshal]

February 2004
IDFAF accepts first F-16 from Peace Marbel V order.