1:48 First Belgian F-16 with 8000 hours

The Belgian Fighting Falcons and their accumulated hours

In 1975 Belgium joined the four European countries that chose the F-16 as a common replacement for their aging equipment. It was not a mere purchase: the airframes for the Belgian Air Force were assembled by SABCA at Gosselies, so a substantial part of the work stayed at home and with it the know-how from which the local industry drew for another forty years. The finished machines then joined the units at the Kleine Brogel and Florennes bases.

The original single-seat and two-seat versions went through the MLU program in the 1990s. Afterwards they carried the AM and BM designations, together with a new radar, reworked avionics and the ability to carry contemporary armament. The upgrade extended their service by decades, and it is precisely thanks to it that one of the Belgian airframes could reach eight thousand hours in the air. For a supersonic fighter that is a mark which seemed out of reach when the type was introduced, because the planned airframe life was then a fraction of this figure. That it was exceeded is the achievement of consistent maintenance and continuous monitoring of structural fatigue.

Contents and use

In Belgium such a milestone is traditionally marked with commemorative lettering on the fuselage, artwork on the tail surfaces or a whole special finish that the machine wears for several months. The sheets are printed for 1:48 scale and assume that you already have an F-16 kit. Seal the base with gloss varnish before application: on a smooth surface the decal settles without silvering and its edges disappear reliably under the final matte coat. Thicker layers of paint are better sanded lightly beforehand.