(HA3870) LM F-16C Fighting Falcon S/N 505, 343 Sq. "Asteri"

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 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 (Greece was one of them). The Fighting Falcon is referred to by its pilots as the “Viper” and will remain in USAF service until 2025. Hellenic Air Force F-16C Block 52+ was production number 99-1505, line number XK-6 with HAF serial505 and assigned to 343 Mira Asteri (Star) Squadron. Along with its sister squadron 340 Mira both are assigned to 115 Combat Wing based at Souda AB on the island of Crete. 340 was the first squadron to receive the new Block 52+ version of the F-16 while 343 was the second. Although these squadrons are multi-tasked their main priority is a strong presence in the Aegean Region. Among other operations 343 Squadron is periodically responsible of the HAF Zeus Demo Team.

Now let's proceed with unboxing of the model: