Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA3896
Lockheed F-16/101 75-0745, USAF, 19th December 1980
 
General Background
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 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 Aircraft 
General Electric F-101 turbofan engines were developed for the Rockwell B-1A Lancer that was cancelled in 1977. GE re-engineered the engines for fighter aircraft under the Derivative Fighter Engine (DFE) program. The new F-101X DFE engine was fitted to the first full-scale development (FSD) F-16A (75-0745) which was known as F-16/101. This aircraft made 58 test flights during 75 hours flight time before the project was cancelled in 1981. The F101X DFE engine was not used in F-16s but was used to develop the GE F-110 engine first used in Block 30 aircraft.