Information supplied and copyrighted
by Joe Baugher
General Dynamics F-16
Fighting Falcon for Portugal
Last revised March 19,
2000
The Forca Aerea Portuguesa has ordered 20
Fighting Falcons, comprising 17 F-16As and 3 F-16Bs. These are all to be Block 15 OCU
aircraft. The first four aircraft were delivered to Portugal in July of 1994. The first
two F-16As are serialed 16101 and 16102, and the first two F-16Bs are serialed 16118 and
16119.
The F-16s are assigned to Esquadra 201
"Falcones" based at BA5 Monte Real. They replaced the LTV A-7P Corsair II
aircraft that were being used as stop-gap interceptors. The FAP F-16s have a primary air
defense commitment, and are fitted with the HF radio and ID light that were carried by the
USAF's ADF version. However, the AIFF equipment used by the USAF ADF F-16s is not fitted
to the FAP F-16s. Nevertheless, the aircraft are Sparrow-capable.
In 1999, Portugal agreed to purchace 25
surplus USAF F-16A/B aircraft, along with 20 upgrade qkits. Unter the program, termed Peace
Atlantis II, 16 of the 21 F-16As and all four of the F-16Bs will under an upgrade to
bring them up to the standards of the 20 new-build F-16A/Bs already in FAP serice, which
have already gone through a mid-life update to bring them up to Block 15 OCU standards.
Serials of FAP F-16s:
93-465/467 Lockheed F-16A Block 15AT OCU Fighting Falcon
C/n AA-1/AA-3. For Portugal as 15101/15103
93-468/477 Lockheed F-16A Block 15AV OCU Fighting Falcon
c/n AA-4/AA-13. For Portugal as 15104/15113
93-478/481 Lockheed F-16A Block 15AW OCU Fighting Falcon
c/n AA-14/AA-17. For Portugal as 15114/15117
93-482/484 Lockheed F-16B Block 15AT OCU Fighting Falcon
c/n AB-1/AB-3. For Portugal as 15118/15120
Sources:
- Combat Aircraft F-16, Doug Richardson,
Crescent, 1992.
- General Dynamics Aircraft and their
Predecessors, John Wegg, Naval Institute Press, 1990.
- The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and
Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
- United States Military Aircraft Since
1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
- F-16 Fighting Falcon--A Major Review of
the West's Universal Warplane, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Spring 1991.
- The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft,
Gallery, 1989.
- Modern Military Aircraft--F-16 Viper, Lou
Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.
- Lockheed F-16 Variants, Part 1, World
Airpower Journal, Volume 21, Summer 1995.
- Airscene Headlines, Air International.
- Lockheed Martin F-16 Operators: Part 2,
Peter R. Foster, World Airpower Journal, Volume 24, Spring 1996.
- E-mail from Ben Marselis
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