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:


  1. Combat Aircraft F-16, Doug Richardson, Crescent, 1992.

  2. General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors, John Wegg, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

  3. The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

  4. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

  5. F-16 Fighting Falcon--A Major Review of the West's Universal Warplane, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Spring 1991.

  6. The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery, 1989.

  7. Modern Military Aircraft--F-16 Viper, Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.

  8. Lockheed F-16 Variants, Part 1, World Airpower Journal, Volume 21, Summer 1995.

  9. Airscene Headlines, Air International.

  10. Lockheed Martin F-16 Operators: Part 2, Peter R. Foster, World Airpower Journal, Volume 24, Spring 1996.

  11. E-mail from Ben Marselis