F16 Thunderbird

About

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are America's official military aerobatic display team, formed in 1953 and based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The team has flown the F-16 Fighting Falcon since 1983, replacing the earlier T-38 Talons in the display role. The Thunderbirds' distinctive red-white-and-blue F-16 livery has become one of the most recognized military aircraft paint schemes in American aviation, performing approximately 70 displays per year across the United States and at international air shows.

The Thunderbirds team operates six F-16C/D Fighting Falcons in the display role plus support aircraft, with formation routines including the team's signature six-aircraft Delta formation, the diamond-formation roll, and the high-speed "Bomb Burst" finale that has been a Thunderbirds signature for decades. The team's parent service — the U.S. Air Force — uses the Thunderbirds for recruiting, public outreach, and as ambassadors of American military aviation excellence.

The F-16 itself is the work of General Dynamics (later Lockheed Martin), the agile single-engine fighter that won the U.S. Air Force Lightweight Fighter program in 1974 and went on to become one of the most-produced combat jets in history. The Thunderbirds' demanding display sequences — high-speed passes within feet of formation neighbors, sustained 9g pulls, and the kind of precision formation flying that requires hundreds of training sorties — showcase the F-16's agility at its limits.

The unmistakable F-16 silhouette in Thunderbirds livery is one of the most-photographed display-team aircraft images in modern American aviation.

In the simulator

A demanding fighter scale subject with iconic display-team livery. Same demanding handling as the standard F16 in this same pack — agile, fast, and rewarding of stick discipline. Use it for jet pattern flying with the visual presence of an American display-team Viper.