Details have come to light on the four ex-Israeli Air Force F-16s headed to North America.
Top Aces is the first private contractor offering red air adversary support by getting its hands on fourth-generation fighters.
During their previous combat careers in Israel, three of these jets brought down Syrian MiGs during the conflict in Lebanon in the early 1980s, and one of these aircarft also took part in the long-range daytime bombing raid on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981.
It’s long been known that the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) fleet of F-16A/B Netz fighter jets, originally delivered in the early 1980s and retired in 2016, saw considerable operational use.
Photos of the first four aircraft headed for Top Aces’ operation in Mesa, Arizona, confirms that they include three F-16As with serial numbers 129/78-0322, 220/78-0327, and 250/78-0346, as well as a single two-seat F-16B, carrying the serial 017/78-0362. With this information, it is possible to get a good sense of their combat history.
Photos show the F-16s with their wings and tail surfaces removed, waiting to be loaded onto a Ukrainian-registered An-124 cargo aircraft for transport to the United States, but without the serial numbers visible.
The An-124 departed Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, and then landed in Iceland for an overnight stop.
Online flight-tracking information indicates that its final destination is Phoenix, Arizona, where the aircraft should arrive 1st February 2021.
