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F-16 Timeline

F-16 Events from 1978

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Feb 1978		First European F-16 assembly line opens at SONACA/SABCA in Belgium.
Apr 1978		Second European assembly line opens at Fokker-VFW in the Netherlands.
21 Jul 1978		Assemblers attach first major European-produced F-16 components (wings from Belgium) to a USAF F-16.
10 Aug 1978		F-16 becomes first single-seat fighter to achieve accurate, unassisted delivery of laser-guided weapons.
16 Aug 1978		Israel orders 75 F-16s (Peace Marbel I) becoming the 6th customer.
18 Aug 1978		First production F-16A block 1 (#78-0001) is delivered to the USAF.
6 Sep 1978		First production F-16 arrives at Edwards AFB, following a two-hour flight from the factory in Fort Worth.
17 Oct 1978		First production F-16B block 1 (#78-0077) is delivered to the USAF.
11 Dec 1978		First flight of the first Belgian built F-16 (#FB-01) with SABCA test pilot Serge Martin at the controls and GD test pilot Neil Anderson riding in the backseat.