Description

In late 1986, the US Air Force decided to change all the Air National Guard aircraft to ones more dedicated for the Fighter Interception mission. These Air Defense Fighters (or ADFs) had several differences from their Active Duty and Reserve counterparts. Some of these include 4 “bird-slicer” antennas right in front of the cockpit (these are used for the Radar Warning Receiver) and a small spotlight that was fitted on the forward port side of the plane to better identify intercepted aircraft. The planes have been mostly pulled from US service, and are either being mothballed in the AMARG Boneyard or being sold to allies countries as a cheap but pretty advanced alternative.

The Airframe

82-1049’s service history starts at the US Air Force’s Shaw AFB in 1984 as an F-16B Block 15. Over the rest of the decade, the plane would serve in other squadrons with the USAF. Around 1990, the plane was modified into an F-16B ADF, and was sent for service with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard in 1995, stationed at Muñiz Air Base, located near Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan. The presence of these planes at my island (yes, I am Puerto Rican) was sadly short-lived, and 1049 was removed from service and sent for a short stay at the AMARG. The plane was then sent for loan to Italy, where it served in the Italian Air Force for 10 years. The plane is now in storage after the loan.

Equipment

• AIM-9 Sidewinder x2
• Drop Tank x1