F16 first took off 50 years ago, in honor of that historical event, we present this story!
Less than a year after its introduction to Israeli service, F16 achieved its first aerial victory. It was a Syrian helicopter shot down in April 1981. The first victory over an enemy jet had to wait for a couple of months. Amir Nachumi, a Phantom ace from the 1973 War was leading a flight of four F16s covering A4 Skyhawks attacking Palestine positions in Lebanon. Israeli radars detected low flying aircraft approaching their positions.

Main sources:
Donald J. McCarthy The Sword of David: The Israeli Air Force at War
https://amzn.to/48Hnyko
Raanan Weis General Dynamics: F16 A/B Netz
https://amzn.to/3U6OiWT
Tom Cooper Lebanese Civil War: Volume 2 Quiet Before the Storm, 19781981
https://amzn.to/495Pe2l


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#militaryaviation #militaryaviationhistory #israeliairforce #f16