The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF). The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing, and are based at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Created in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the US Navy Blue Angels formed in 1946 and the prestigious French Air Force Patrouille de France formed in 1931. Thumbnail credit: David Armer. Formed in 1953 , made ​​his first airshow on July 7 of that year. The team started with a formation of three aircraft and later were joined by a fourth. Currently, training has six aircraft, plus a reserve or used to Serve personalities. The Thunderbirds aerobatic team is one of two aerobatic teams of the United States (the other American aerobatic flying as the Blue Angels ) uses aircraft F-16 with a special livery made ​​for the patrol: main color is white, with white tail with a small part red and blue stars on it. The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multi-role combat aircraft developed by the United States during the 1970s. Controlled by more than 20 different countries, built under license in Turkey , in South Korea and a group of four countries of NATO , the F-16 aircraft in 2013 most used fighter in the world with, according to one estimate, 2,309 aircraft in service in 2012 or 15% of all combat aircraft in the world . 4 500th copy was delivered in April 2012 and production is expected to continue at least until 2017 for export . The first combat operations of the F-16 took place at the Opera operation when Israel bombed the site of the nuclear power plant in Iraq of Osirak on 7 June 1981 with eight of these aircraft and six F-15 . He then served in the Israeli military action in Lebanon from 1982 against the air force Syria in 1982 in fighting. The F-16 has since been engaged in many conflicts. Of 200,000 registered outputs, it was shot 6 times the air defense and once by a Mirage 2000 Greek in aerial combat on October 8, 1996. On that day, a Turkish F-16D was shot by a Mirage 2000 Greek following a violation of Greek airspace. The two-seater was hit by a French missile R.550 Magic . One of the pilots, Captain Nail Erdogan, was killed, the Greek pilot, Lieutenant Grivas said the survivor, Lieutenant Colonel Cemil Çiçekli, it was not an intentional shooting .. In the late 1980s, the United States could acquire a hundred -air missiles Soviet R-73 , the Germans, recovering the MiG-29 from the East German army , furnished them with a launcher. During close air combat simulations, the surprise was total. The MiG-29, equipped with a helmet visor, won 49 times in 50 commitments against F-16s equipped with AIM-9M Sidewinder . However, in all other cases (multiple commitments / use of look down / shoot down capability), all opposed to the US aircraft MiG-29 prevailed. The AA-10 Alamo missile, in particular, does not have the effectiveness of the AMRAAM, Fulcrum also being devoid of the ability to " fire and forget ". It was used in several hundred copies during the Kuwait war in the ranks of the coalition air forces. The first aerial victory of a US F-16 of 27 December 1993 on a MiG-25 E Iraq. Don't forget to subscribe us on Facebook or Twitter. https://www.facebook.com/DailyExplosiveVideos https://twitter.com/ExplosiveVideos Daily Military Defense & War Archive is a channel with daily video uploaded. Our goal is to make a documentary and archiving work on war/event seen from both side. We are also focused on the Military Defense. Don't forget to subscribe us. You have a question or you would like to send us footage. Send us a message.