Belgian Air Force unveils special tail Fighting Falcon to celebrate 45 years of F-16 Multinational Fighter Program

Belgian Air Force F-16AM with special tail. The aircraft received a special livery to celebrate 45 years of the F-16 Multinational Fighter Program.

On 21 October 2020 Low Approach Aviation Photography posted on its facebook page some great shots of a Belgian Air Force F-16AM (FA-116) with a special tail.

The Belgian fighter aircraft, assigned to 10 Wing at Kleine Brogel AFB, received the special livery to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the F-16 Multinational Fighter Program.

The tail was painted with the color of the flags of the five nations initially involved in the program: United States, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway.

The F-16 Multinational Fighter Program (MNFP) began on June 10, 1975 when the five nations' Defense Ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU laid the foundation for the F-16 Multinational Fighter Program which prevailed over the preliminary contract and letters of offer and acceptance.

The five founding nations have purchased about 1,000 F-16 fighters. Participating European governments considered it essential to have interoperable combat aircraft and this marked the starting point for collaboration in the development, production and support of F-16 Fighting Falcon.

It is not the first F-16 painted to celebrate the successful program. A Fighting Falcon with similar livery had already been unveild at Beauvechain AFB, Belgium, in 2015 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the MNFP.

Written by Matteo Sanzani

Thanks to Alain Meykens for sharing the pics