The final aircraft delivered carries the serial number 83-1079. It first entered Air Force service in 1984 as an F-16A and served for 23 years with the 178th Fighter Squadron of the North Dakota Air National Guard, known as the “Happy Hooligans.”

The USAF has welcomed the arrival of its first Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk, marking the “beginning of a new era for developing the next generation of aviators”.

Reports suggested that the aircraft crashed on the eastern side of the R-2508 Complex, which is a restricted airspace grid used by the military., US News, Times Now

The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was in stable condition, according to U.S. Air Force Sgt. Jovante Johnson. The F-16C Fighting Falcon was assigned to the Air Force Thunderbirds, an aerial acrobatic demonstration team based at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Johnson said in an email.

The pilot is in stable condition and is being treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The crash is under investigation and further information will be released from the 57th Wing Public Affairs Office, the US Air Force statement said.

Military officials say a fighter jet with the Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstration squadron has crashed in the Southern California desert