General Dynamics F-16A Block 10 at the SABCA Factory

Over the past (wet) summer Lockheed F-16A Fighting Falcon FA-27 was rather silently put on display as a gate guardian at the Sabca Gosselies plant. FA-27 was a real survivor, being one of the last non MLU upgraded F-16s to be retired from service and having served as a test-bed for the Carapace ECM suite. After this test period the aircraft was withdrawn from use at Weelde airbase for the first time in 1995. By 1999 the fighter was again operational with N° 2 Wing wearing the "FS" tail-code only to be finally retired again October 16th 2003. As early as May 2006 and after surviving being "reprocessed" at the Rocourt facilities the machine was earmarked to become a gate guardian at Sabca Gosselies. Now FA-27 has finally found its well deserved spot near the very place were it was born in 1981.