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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 0031.PDF
FLIGHT International, 5 January 1980 Cover Fokker-built F-16 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force is seen during its first flight from Schiphol Airport. Above F-16 training is centred on Hill Air Force Base, Utah, which, as the tailcode suggests, is home for this single-seater Just as the F-16 buys vary from cus tomer to customer, the rate of intro duction will vary. The US Air Force, planning to buy 1,388 aircraft, will receive up to ten aircraft a month. At the other end of the scale, five Norwegian Air Force squadrons will re-equip with 60 F-16s over five years —delivery rate of about one a month. Denmark will receive one to two aircraft a month from Sabca/Sonaca until the last ten of the 58 on order are delivered in 1983. Belgium and the Netherlands have ordered a larger quantity of F-16s—116 and 102 respectively. It will take until mid- 1984 to re-equip five RNethAF squad rons. Belgian aircraft are being de livered at a rate of one a month. Increasingly air forces are en deavouring to introduce new aircraft without temporarily degrading their frontline strength. Units must there fore operate the new and the old side-by-side until conversion is com plete. In Europe, the F-16 is replac ing F-lOOs, F-104s and F-5s. In the US F-4s are being superseded. In Denmark, two units—727 Sqn and 730 Sqn at Skrydstrup—are being re-equipped. To maintain combat strength each squadron is being split into an F-100 and an F-16 unit. In July last year, 727 Sqn became 727-100 and 727-16. Once -16 has its full, 20- aircraft complement, in early 1981, -100 will disband. The last 18 aircraft to be delivered will cover attrition and will probably be maintained and flown at Skrydstrup. In Norway, the first unit to form, 332 Sqn at Rygge, has been disbanded for five years. It will recommission with delivery of the first F-16. The squadron will act as F-16 conversion unit until all aircraft have been delivered, then assume a dual opera tional/training role. The operational Facing Outstanding view from this F-16 cockpit shows one of the four aircraft which visited Europe last year for compatibility trials. Below some 55 F-I6s occupy Hill, including four European aircraft squadrons. 331 and 334 at Bodo (F-104s) and 338 at Orland (F-5s), will convert in two stages. Once enough F-16s have accumulated at Rygge to equip half a squadron, half the personnel will transfer to Rygge for conversion, returning with their aircraft. The second half will convert in a similar manner. The Netherlands Air Force has elected to shut down each unit for the year or so it takes to convert to F-16s. The first aircraft delivered— and there are now about a dozen F-16s in service—equip an operational conversion unit at Leeuwarden and the first squadron, 322 Sqn, on the same base. Once 322 Sqn receives all its 18 F-16s—in the latter half of this year—co-located 323 Sqn will step down. Before 306, 311 and 312 Sqns at Volkel convert, a second OCU will be formed at this base. Pilot training begins at Hill AFB, with the 16th Tactical Fighter Squad ron. The 16th TFS is the first USAF unit to receive F-16s and is respon sible for transition training with a secondary operational role. The 388th TFW at Hill will eventually consist of two transition training squadrons and two operational units—102 air craft. MacDill AFB, Florida, will be next to re-equip with F-16s, forming two more transition training units with 108 aircraft and already seven F-16s are stationed there for main tenance training. Some 72 F-16s will equip three 474th TFW squadrons at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Instructors for the European air forces are trained at Hill. For the Royal Danish Air Force four instruc tors have been trained and will join 727 Sqn to begin training Danish in structors. Conversion of experienced pilots will then begin within the squadron. A batch of five RNoAF in structors will join 332 Sqn when it reforms and another five pilots will
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