Even at the ripe old age of 20, the F-16 Falcon remains a fast and potent favorite among fighter pilots, and one of the best fighters in its class. Designed originally as a no-frills, single-engine "hot rod", the addition of improved radar and weaponry have made the Falcon a super, lightweight jet. Used mainly as a bomber, the Fighting Falcon can also turn-and-burn with unbridled fury when provoked. It is also one of the first operational fly-by-wire aircraft; its flight controls being electronically operated and computer controlled. A 20mm cannon, Maverick missiles, and laser-guided bombs make the F-16 a potent multi-role fighter. However, it's light weight, speed and agility make it the choice of the US Air Force's Thunderbirds aerobatic team.

The Block 25 F-16C first flew in June 1984 and entered USAF service in September. The aircraft version is fitted with the Westinghouse AN/APG-68 radar and have improved precision night-attack capability. Block 25 introduced a very substantial improvement in cockpit avionics, including improved fire-control and stores management computers, an Up-Front Controls (UFC) integrated data control panel, data-transfer equipment, multifunction displays, radar altimeter, and many other changes. Block 25s were first delivered with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 engine and later upgraded to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E. With 209 Block 25 C-models and 35 D-models delivered, today the USAF's Air National Guard and Air Education and Training Command are the only remaining users of this variant. One F-16C, nicknamed the "Lethal Lady", had flown over 7,000 hours by April 2008.

Pictured here is a gorgeous 1:72 scale diecast replica of a USAF General Dynamics F-16C Block 25 Viper fighter that was attached to the 64th Aggressor Squadron, 57th ATG, then deployed to Nellis AFB, Nevada during 2019. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-inches
Length: 8-inches

Release Date: May 2020

Historical Account: "Aggressive Response" - The 64th Aggressor Squadron (64 AGRS) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Adversary Tactics Group and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

The 64th AGRS is assigned 24 F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft, painted in camouflage schemes identical to those observed on Russian-manufactured aircraft providing Air Combat Maneuvering training to USAF and other aviation forces in conjunction with Red Flag exercises. It operates in conjunction with the 65th Aggressor Squadron, which performs a similar task using F-15C Eagles.

The so-called "ghost scheme" came about via a crowdsourced competition on 57th Wing Commander Brigadier General Robert Novotny's Facebook page, with followers submitting different design ideas and voting on each one in a number of rounds, ending with this scheme being chosen.

The new paint job appears to have four separate contrasting tones. The top features a digitized aqua colored pattern with a baby blue base, while the bottom is off-white with what appears to be a darker blue pattern overlaid.