At a time when other planes retire to museums, General Dynamics' fighter-bomber is still a formidable foe in international competitions against so-called "fifth generation" planes. The first prototype flew for the first time in 1974 and the operational career of the last aircraft built will continue well into the 2040s. Almost seventy years and still going strong! Meanwhile, this light fighter was optimized for daytime missions and became a formidable fighter-bomber; more than 4,400 were built and used by more than 25 countries. Two volumes in our series will be devoted to the F-16. The first examines its development and the F-16A and B, while Volume 2 is dedicated to F-16C and D. AUTHOR: Frederic Lert is a professional aviation journalist, and the author of the highly acclaimed Wings of the CIA, the B-52s, and Sepecat Jaguar. 150 photographs
