F-16A 80-0542 Hahn Air Base

F-16A Planetags

‘80542 flew onto the scene on October 24, 1981, and was delivered to the 313 Tactical Fighter Squadron at Hahn Air Base, Germany, in December 1981. Between 1981 and 1994, ‘80542 served valiantly with several fighter squadrons. On March 29, 1994, ‘80542 ended its 13 years of service with retirement to AMARC at Davis-Monthan. Built as a Block 15 - an enhanced version of the original F-16 design - 80542’s modifications included upgraded avionics and radar, increased payload capacity, and compatibility with advanced weapons systems. These improvements made the F-16 even more effective in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. 

Today, the F-16 remains a vital instrument of air superiority, with over 3,000 operating in over 25 countries. Now manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the F-16 Block 70/72 continues this unparalleled legacy, with several being deployed to five countries over the next few years and many more on order.

Specifications:

• Manufacturer: General Dynamics
• Serial #: 80-0542
• Crew: 1
• Wing Span: 32 Ft 9.5 In
• Length: 49 Ft 3.5 In
• Height: 16 Ft 8.5 In
• Armament: 1x M61a1 20mm Six-Barrel Vulcan Cannon, 2x Wingtip Air-To-Air Missiles, And 9x Additional Hardpoints Capable Of Carrying 15,200 Lbs Of Ordinance

Performance:

• Combat Range: 340 Mi
• Cruise Speed: 577 Mph
• Ceiling: 55,000 Ft
• Empty Weight: 16,285 Lbs
• Max Takeoff Weight: 37,500 Lbs
• Rate Of Climb: 62,000 Ft/Min
• Engine: 1x Pratt & Whitney F100-Pw-200 Turbofan

80-0542

According to f-16.net , ‘80542 served with the following USAF units:

• Dec 1981 - 313th Tactical Fighter Squadron 'HR' - The squadron received its two brand new F-16 fighters on December 30, 1981, which included ‘80542.  
• Mar 1984  - 388th Tactical Fighter Wing 'HL'  - The 388th TFW at Hill AFB, Utah received its first F-16 on January 6, 1979 and was the first unit to fly the F-16 into conflict with the Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) system during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
• Mar 1986  - 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron 'HL' - The 421 TFS provided F-16 training for many years, but by the time ‘80542 arrived in 1986, their mission was conventional air-to-ground and attack.  
• Nov 1986 - 57th Fighter Weapons Wing 'WA' - The USAF weapons school at Nellis AFB, Nevada provided training for fighter aircrew and weapons controllers for the F-16 and other aircraft.   
• Feb 1988 - 70th Tactical Fighter Squadron 'MY' - Based at Moody AFB, Georgia, the 70th TFS converted from F-4Es after 12 years of use, to F-16s.  
• Oct 1990 - 171st Tactical Fighter Squadron, a unit of Michigan Air National Guard, based at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan operated the F-16 . During this time, ‘80542 was converted from a Block 15 to a Block 15 ADF, a designation for air defense fighters for the Air National Guard to take over the fighter interceptor mission.    
• Mar 15, 1992 - Now redesignated the 171st Fighter Squadron on this date, ‘80542 remained with the 171st until retirement.       
• Mar 29, 1994 - retired and stored at AMARC

MotoArt Gets An F-16

In 2023, MotoArt owner Dave Hall and the team had the opportunity to meet with the Defense Logistics Agency of the Department of Defense, and were granted approval to create PlaneTags with the F-16 aircraft skin from 80-0542. 

“This is incredible news for not only us, but for PlaneTags collectors and people who would like to own a piece of an F-16,” says Hall. “We appreciate that the D.O.D. sees what we do with PlaneTags as valuable to the preservation of military aircraft history, and as an educational tool or keepsake to share this with the next generations.”