Even at the ripe old age of 20, the F-16 Falcon remains a fast and potent favorite among fighter pilots, and one of the best fighters in its class. Designed originally as a no-frills, single-engine "hot rod", the addition of improved radar and weaponry have made the Falcon a super, lightweight jet. Used mainly as a bomber, the Fighting Falcon can also turn-and-burn with unbridled fury when provoked. It is also one of the first operational fly-by-wire aircraft; its flight controls being electronically operated and computer controlled. A 20mm cannon, Maverick missiles, and laser-guided bombs make the F-16 a potent multi-role fighter. However, it's light weight, speed and agility make it the choice of the US Air Force's Thunderbirds aerobatic team.

The F-16C (single seat) and F-16D (two seat) variants entered production in 1984. The first C/D version was the Block 25 with improved cockpit avionics and radar which added all-weather capability with beyond-visual-range (BVR) AIM-7 and AIM-120 air-air missiles. Block 30/32, 40/42, and 50/52 were later C/D versions. The F-16C/D had a unit cost of US$18.8 million (1998). Operational cost per flight hour has been estimated at $7,000 to $22,470 or $24,000, depending on calculation method.

Pictured here is a gorgeous 1:72 scale diecast replica of a USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper fighter that was attached to the 20th Fighter Wing, and celebrating "50 Years of YGBSM" on June 5th, 2015. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-inches
Length: 8-inches

Release Date: April 2018

Historical Account: "You've Got to be Shittin' Me!" - Much of the fighter pilot lexicon is not suitable for the ears of Mom or the kids. When translated, this is one of those terms.

YGBSM is short for "You Gotta Be Sh-tting Me," which is obviously a term of shock, disbelief, or resignation at a realization of institutional stupidity. Where did it come from, and why is it so popular in the fighter pilot community?

Lt Col Allen Lamb, USAF (ret.), wrote a first person account about being one of the Air Force's (the world's) first SAM-killers, otherwise known as "Wild Weasels:"

"[My EWO] Jack Donnovan's contribution to the vernacular when introduced to the Wild Weasel concept was more enduring, and became the semi-official motto of the Wild Weasel profession: YGBSM - "You gotta be sh-tting me." This was the natural response of an educated man, a veteran EWO on B-52s and the like, upon learning that he was to fly back seat to a self-absorbed fighter pilot while acting as flypaper for enemy SAMs. What would you say?"

(The first "hunter-killer" teams were F-100s and F-105s. By Operation Desert Storm they were F-4s and F-16s. Now the role is flown solely by the single-seat F-16.)

That the phrase has endured over the years is more a testament to fighter pilot irreverence than anything else. Then again, the fighter pilot patience is notoriously short, so the phrase has certainly seen near-constant use since it started. Like the US Air Force Academy's BOHICA and IHTFP, it is a "clever" and underhanded way of making a (crude) point. The military has been using acronyms like this long before teenagers learned to type "LOL" with only their thumbs.

Which is why YGBSM keeps appearing in the most unusual places.