F-16AM Fighting Falcon Romanian Air force 2017 Hobby Master HA3859 1:72

F-16AM Fighting Falcon Romanian Air force 2017 Hobby Master HA3859 scale 1:72 Highly detailed Hobby Master pre-painted diecast metal model Item#: HA3859 Scale: 1:72 Length: 8.25" Wingspan: 5.25" 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 1979 as a multi-role jet fighter that evolved into an all-weather multi-role aircraft capable of 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. Romania left the Warsaw Pact and joined NATO so as their MiG-21s were running out of serviceability they looked for a replacement that would correspond to other NATO equipment. Portugal was willing to sell F-16s that were 30 years old but that had the mid-life upgrade (MLU) that gave them another 20 years of service. The 12 aircraft consisted of 9 F-16AM and 3 F-16BM. Romanian F-16AM 1601 originally had a U.S serial of 82-0904 and a Portuguese serial 61-497. These aircraft would equip the Forţele Aeriene Române (FAR) 53rd Squadron.