Time Line

1970s

Jan. 20, 1974 First (unscheduled) flight of YF-16 during taxi test.

Feb. 2, 1974 Official start of YF-16 evaluation program.

Jan. 31, 1975 Completion of YF-16 Lightweight Fighter evaluation.

June 3, 1977 First Full-Scale Development (FSD) F-16 with complete avionics equipment arrived at Edwards AFB.

Aug. 26, 1977 Arrival of first two-seat F-16B at Edwards AFB.

Sept. 6, 1978 First production F-16 arrives at Edwards, following two-hour flight from the factory in Fort Worth, Texas.

1980s

July 16, 1982 Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) NF-16A number 75-0750 arrives at Edwards AFB.

July 17, 1982 Arrival of first F-16XL, serial 75-0749 (single seat), at Edwards AFB.

July 20, 1982 First test flight of F-16XL at Edwards AFB.

Aug. 4, 1982 First dedicated Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 test flight.

Nov. 8, 1982 Second F-16XL, serial 75-0747 (two seat), arrives at Edwards AFB.

May 15, 1983 Official end of comparative fly-off between F-16XL and F-15 in dual-role fighter program; F-16XL is not destined for production; F-15E is selected.

July 28, 1983 First F-16 LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) system test flight, with targeting pod only.

July 30, 1983 Completion of Phase I testing of Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16, focusing on development and integration of a new digital flight control system.

Oct. 28, 1983 Second LANTIRN-equipped F-16 made its first test flight, with both the navigating and targeting pods mounted.

July 31, 1984 Beginning of AFTI/F-16 Phase II testing at Edwards AFB.

January 1988 F-16 added to U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School aircraft curriculum to demonstrate basic aircraft qualities, and for air-to-ground systems evaluations.

Feb. 5, 1988 F-16 Combined Test Force (CTF) completes testing of Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-220E engine.

June 24, 1988 F-16 CTF completes testing of the General Electric F110-GE-100 jet engine.

Feb 23, 1989 F-16B Air Defense Fighter test aircraft from the F-16 CTF successfully launches an AIM-7 Sparrow missile, destroying a target drone off the California coast.

April 28, 1989 First flight of F-16 powered by new Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 engine.

1990s

May 3, 1990 NASA Dryden, co-located at Edwards Air Force Base, completes first flight using an F-16XL for laminar flow studies.

June 25, 1990 Completion of flight testing of F-16 Block 40 Global Positioning System (GPS).

Oct 30, 1991 AFTI/F-16 completes its 500th flight.

March 1993 Through acquisition, F-16s become Lockheed products.

March 22, 1993 F-16 CTF passes 35,000 flight hours.

March 1995 Through merger, F-16s become Lockheed-Martin products.

May 26, 1995 Arrival of first F-16 at Edwards to participate in Mid-Life Update (MLU) flight test program.

Source: Edwards Air Force Base California