BAF FA-110 F-16AA Block 15 OCU - SABCA tial aircraft with Magic II and AS-30L

Suggestions Aircraft
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Would you like to see this in-game?
  • Yes
  • No
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In what techtree would you like to see this aircraft be added in?
  • In the French BeNeLux sub-tree
  • In a future Belgian/BeNeLux techtree.
  • I said “No” in the first question.
  • Other (Please explain in the comments).
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The SABCA-loaned Belgian F-16A Block 15AA OCU (notably BAF FA-110) was used in the late 1980s and early 1990s to trial advanced French weaponry. Two of the most significant experiments were the integration of the Matra R.550 Magic II air-to-air missile and the AS-30L laser-guided air-to-surface missile. These modifications were never adopted operationally by the Belgian Air Force, but they produced unique and historically documented configurations that would be fascinating to see in War Thunder.

TL;DR: Belgian SABCA F-16 testbed with Magic II AAMs and AS-30L ASM trials

BAF_F16_MagicII

History and Design

Details

In 1989, Matra undertook a $10 million program to adapt its new R.550 Magic II missile to the F-16 platform. A Belgian SABCA-assembled F-16, loaned from the BAF, served as the testbed, firing the first Magic II on 12 May 1989, with operational trials completed by February 1990. One of the highlight firings occurred over the North Sea at 20,000 ft, Mach 1.3, while pulling 8.7 g — near the edge of the aircraft’s performance envelope. Trials mentioned the wingtips did noty need modifications to use the Magic II, however slightly modified rails on the outer mounting points under the wings were installed to launch these Magic IIs.

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Archived documents pertaining the Magic II show this devleopment time-table for the F-16

Photos from SABCA show a Belgian F-16 test jet launching Magic IIs, but despite the successful trials, the Belgian Air Force did not adopt the missile, instead retaining AIM-9 Sidewinders as a more economical option, later upgrading their AIM-9J’s to AIM-9-P5 and the 9L/M with newer deliveries from the USA.

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Serge Martin was a SABCA and BAF test pilot, he credited Niel Corbett to be the pilot of these flights.

Around the same period, this Belgian F-16 FA-110 was used by SABCA to trial the French AS-30L laser-guided air-to-surface missile. Images and records confirm the F-16 carried the missile underwing, paired with an ATLIS II laser designator pod. At least four inert/dummy AS-30Ls were fired at the Vlieland range in the Netherlands as part of these tests. This represented a rare attempt to integrate a large French precision-strike weapon onto the F-16, though, like the Magic II, it was never fielded operationally by Belgium.

Furthermore, there was only ever 1 F-16 loaned to SABCA for both these trials buring this time period, being the F-16 FA-110 for the 2nd Tactical Wing (Dutch: 2 Tactische Wing, French: 2 Wing Tactique), in this way documentation leads most sources to believe or confirm this aircraft carried out both of these tests.

Specifications — FA-110 (Belgian F-16AM / SABCA testbed)

Attribute Details
Type / Role General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon — single-seat multirole fighter (Belgian F-16AM configuration; MLU-upgraded).
Belgian registration / serial FA-110 (also listed as serial/cn 6H-110).
Crew 1 (single-seat).
Length 15.06 m (49 ft 5 in).
Wingspan 9.96 m (32 ft 8 in).
Height 4.88 m (16 ft 0 in).
Empty weight ≈ 8,573 kg (18,900 lb).
Max takeoff weight ≈ 19,200 kg (42,300 lb).
Powerplant 1× Pratt & Whitney F100-229 Thrust: 129 kN (with afterburner).
Max speed Mach 2.05 (~2,120 km/h) at altitude.
Service ceiling ≈ 15,240 m (50,000 ft).
Combat radius ≈ 550–1,000 km (mission/fuel dependent).

Armament

Station (Wingtip L) (Outer L) (Inner L) (Fuselage (air intake station 5B)) (Inner R) (Outer R) (Wingtip R)
Magic II trials Magic II Magic II — — — Magic II Magic II
AS-30L trials AIM-9J AS-30L Fuel tank ATLIS II laser designator pod Fuel tank AS-30L AIM-9J

Place in War Thunder

Place in War Thunder

A SABCA testbed F-16 would offer a unique event or premium addition to the French BeNeLux subtree (or a future Belgian/BeNeLux tree). Its historical significance comes from being one of the few Western F-16s to trial both French short-range air combat missiles and precision strike weapons. The combination of Magic II and AS-30L reflects Cold War experimentation and would give players a distinctive variant compared to other F-16’s it could get in the Benelux tech tree.

This configuration would not break balance since it reflects prototype history only, but it would add significant flavor and collectibility: a Belgian F-16 uniquely tied to French weapons development.

Pictures

Pictures of the trials

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BAF_F16_MagicII

BAF_F16_MagicLaunch

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Sources

Sources
1 Like
2

As of 23rd of September 2025 this vehicle is now in the game:

with all weapons as suggested outside of AIM-9J:

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Note, this suggestion was written during July and sent for pending approval on the 30th of August 2025.

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