| F-16 Fighting Falcon | |
|---|---|
 A USAF F-16C |
|
| Type | Multirole fighter |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics Lockheed Martin |
| Designed by | Harry Hillaker |
| Maiden flight | 2 February 1974 |
| Introduction | 17 August 1978 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary users | United States Air Force 25 other users (see list of operators) |
| Number built | ~4,200 |
| Unit cost | F-16A/B: US$14. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1974 Events March March 3 - Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a DC-10 Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1978: Events January January 1 - British Aircraft Corporation Many nations are Operators of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Most nations and services which have operated the F-16 still operate the aircraft as of the start of 2005 6 million F-16C/D: US$18. 8 million (1998)[1] |
| Variants | General Dynamics F-16XL F-16 VISTA Mitsubishi F-2 |
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A jet aircraft is an Aircraft propelled by Jet engines Jet aircraft fly much faster than Propeller -powered aircraft and at higher altitudes -- as high as A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor Designed as a lightweight fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The Falcon's versatility is a paramount reason it was a success on the export market, serving 24 countries. [2] The F-16 is the largest Western fighter program with over 4,000 aircraft built since production started in 1976. Though no longer produced for the US Air Force, it is still produced for export. [3] In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation,[4] which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The Lockheed Corporation (originally Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company was an American aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of Martin Marietta Corporation was founded in 1961 through the Merger of The Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. [5]
The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with numerous innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing enough power to climb and accelerate vertically - if necessary. Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface [6] Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter. Battlestar Galactica is a franchise of Science fiction Films and television series, the first of which was produced in 1978 The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe [7]
Development
Origins
The U. S. Air Force and Navy both concluded during the early 1960s that the future of air combat would be determined by increasingly sophisticated missiles. As was strongly affirmed by "Project Forecast", a 1963–1964 Air Force attempt to identify future weapons trends, future fighter aircraft would be designed primarily for long range, high speed, and equipped with extremely large radar systems in order to detect and engage opposing fighters at beyond visual range (BVR). A Beyond Visual Range Missile usually refers to an Air-to-air missile that is capable of engaging at ranges beyond 20 Nautical This made them much more like interceptors than classic fighter designs, and led to increasingly heavier and more technologically sophisticated designs – and thus costlier. An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of Fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy Aircraft, particularly In the early 1960s, both the Air Force and Navy expected to use the F-111 (then still in development as the TFX) and F-4 Phantom II for their long- and medium-range needs. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The perception of a declining need for close-in “dogfighting” capabilities resulted in the original decision to not install internal cannons in the Phantom. A dogfight or dog fight is Aerial combat between Fighter aircraft. [8][9]
However, real-world experience in the Vietnam War revealed some shortcomings in American fighter capabilities, as early-generation Soviet-bloc jet fighters proved to be more of a challenge than expected for U. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia S. designs. Even though U. S. pilots had achieved favorable kill-to-loss ratios, combat had revealed that air-to-air missiles (AAM) of this era were significantly less reliable than anticipated. An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft Furthermore, the rules of engagement in Vietnam precluded long-range missile attacks in most instances, as visual identification was normally required. In Military or Police operations the rules of engagement ( ROE) determine when where and how force shall be used (for example a submarine of Under these conditions, combat invariably closed to short ranges where maneuverability and short-range air-to-air weapons became critical, even for dedicated interceptors like the F-102 Delta Dagger. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [10][11]
The need for new air superiority fighters led the USAF to initiate two concept development studies in 1965: the Fighter Experimental (FX) project originally envisioned a 60,000 lb (27,200 kg) class twin-engine design with a variable-geometry wing, and the Advanced Day Fighter (ADF), a lightweight design in the 25,000 lb (11,300 kg) class which would out-perform the MiG-21 by 25%. A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, the first appearance of the Mach-3-capable MiG-25 'Foxbat' in July 1967 would result in the ADF effort being deemphasized in favor of the FX program, which would produce the F-15, a 40,000 lb (18,100 kg) class aircraft. Mach number (\mathrm{Ma} or M (generally ˈmɑːk sometimes /ˈmɑːx/ or /ˈmæk/ is the speed of an object moving through air or any Fluid WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [12]
Based on his experiences in the Korean War and as a fighter tactics instructor, in the early 1960s Colonel John Boyd and mathematician Thomas Christie developed the Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory of the value of aircraft specific energy maintenance as an advantage in fighter combat. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the Colonel John (Richard Boyd ( January 23, 1927 &ndash March 9, 1997) was a United States Air Force fighter Energy Maneuverability theory is a model of Aircraft performance Aircraft specific energy is a form of Specific energy applied to aircraft and missile Trajectory analysis Maneuverability was the means of getting “inside” an adversary’s decision-making cycle, a process Boyd called the “OODA” loop (for “Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action”). This approach emphasized an aircraft design capable of “fast transients” –quick changes in speed, altitude, and direction. A fighter that is superior in its ability to gain or lose energy while out-turning an opponent can initiate and control any engagement opportunity; a fast transient capability allows the pilot to stay inside a hard-turning opponent when on the offensive or to force an overshoot of an opponent when on the defensive. These parameters called for a small, lightweight aircraft – which would minimize drag and increase the thrust-to-weight ratio – but a larger, higher-lift wing to minimize wing loading – which tends to reduce top speed while increasing payload, and can lower range (which can be compensated for by increased fuel in the larger wing). In Fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called fluid resistance) is the force that resists the movement of a Solid object through a Fluid (a Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface In the context of a Fluid flow relative to a body the lift force is the component of the Aerodynamic force that is Perpendicular to the flow In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing [13][14]
Boyd’s theories helped restrain the F-15’s growth into a very large design that threatened to turn into an “F-111 Mark II”, but it strengthened his conviction that the F-15 would need to be complemented by larger numbers of smaller fighters – the “high/low mix” – as had been the case with previous twin-engine fighters. In the late 1960s he gathered around him a group of like-minded innovators that became known as the “Lightweight Fighter Mafia”. In 1969, the “Fighter Mafia” was able to secure funds for a “Study to Validate the Integration of Advanced Energy-Maneuverability Theory with Trade-Off Analysis”. The Fighter Mafia was a group of US Air Force officers and civilian defense analysts who in the 1970s advocated the use of John Boyd 's Energy-Maneuverability (E-M General Dynamics received $149,000 and Northrop $100,000 to develop design concepts that embodied Boyd’s E-M theory – a small, low-draw, low-weight, pure fighter with no bomb racks; their work would lead to the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively. [15][16]
Lightweight Fighter program
Although the Air Force’s FX proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, the ADP concept (revamped and renamed as the ‘F-XX’) gained civilian political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard, who favored the idea of competitive prototyping. The Lightweight Fighter (LWF program was a US Air Force technology evaluation program initiated in the 1960s by a cabal of officers and defense analysts known as the David Packard (September 7 1912 &ndash March 26 1996 was a co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (1939 serving as president (1947-1964 CEO (1964-1968 and Chairman of the A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category As a result in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member, and two of its 6 proposals would be funded, one being the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) (or Light-Weight Fighter) proposal. The Lightweight Fighter (LWF program was a US Air Force technology evaluation program initiated in the 1960s by a cabal of officers and defense analysts known as the The Request for Proposals (RFP) issued 6 January 1972 called for a 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) class air-to-air day fighter with a good turn rate, acceleration and range, and optimized for combat at speeds of Mach 0. For other meanings see RFP (disambiguation. For information about Wikipedia proposals see WikipediaVillage pump (proposals. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 6–1. 6 and altitudes of 30,000–40,000 ft (9,150–12,200 m). This was the region in which the USAF expected most future air combat to occur, based on studies of the Vietnam, Six-Day, and Indo-Pakistani wars. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The anticipated average flyaway cost of a production version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF was under no obligation to acquire the aircraft and, in fact, had no firm plans to procure the winner, which was to be announced in May 1975. [17][18]
Five companies responded and in March 1972, the Air Staff announced the winners for the follow-on prototype development and testing phase were Boeing’s Model 908-909 and General Dynamics’ Model 401; however, after further review, the Source Selection Authority (SSA) would demote Boeing’s entry to third place, after Northrop’s P-600. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37. 9 million and $39. 8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the 'Fighter Mafia' and other LWF proponents successfully advocated the idea of complementary fighters in a high-cost/low-cost force mix (in part, to be able to afford sufficient fighters to sustain overall USAF fighter force structure requirements); this “high/low mix” concept would gain broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff between the prototypes, and would define the relationship of the F-15 and F-16 – and, subsequently, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [19][20]
Flyoff
The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute-long “official” first flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards AFB, California, on 2 February 1974. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. While gathering speed, a roll-control oscillation caused a fin of the port-side wingtip-mounted missile and then the starboard stabilator to scrape the ground, and the aircraft then began to veer off the runway. A stabilator ( stabil izer-elev' ator') is an aircraft control surface that combines the functions of an elevator and a Horizontal stabilizer The GD test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid wrecking the machine, and safely landed it six minutes later. The slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time. The YF-16’s first supersonic flight was accomplished on 5 February 1974, and the second YF-16 prototype flew for the first time on 9 May 1974. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. This was followed by the first flights of the Northrop’s YF-17 prototypes, which were achieved on 9 June and 21 August 1974, respectively. Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Altogether, the YF-16s would complete 330 sorties during the flyoff, accumulating a total of 417 flight hours; the YF-17s would accomplish 268 sorties. [21]
Air Combat Fighter competition
Three factors would converge to turn the LWF into a serious acquisition program. First, four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies of the U. The North Atlantic Treaty S. – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway – were looking to replace their F-104G fighter-bomber variants of the F-104 Starfighter interceptor; furthermore, they were seeking an aircraft that their own aerospace industries could manufacture under license, as they had the F-104G. Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as Close air support for and in proximity to their own ground forces WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In early 1974, they reached an agreement with the U. S. that if the USAF placed orders for the aircraft winning the LWF flyoff, they would consider ordering it as well. Secondly, while the USAF was not particularly interested in a complementary air superiority fighter, it did need to begin replacing its F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see Wikipe diaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Third, the U. S. Congress was seeking to achieve greater commonality in fighter procurements by the Air Force and Navy in August 1974 redirected funds for the Navy’s VFAX program to a new Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program that would essentially be a navalized fighter-bomber variant of the LWF. VFAX for Naval Fighter Attack Experimental was actually two specifications for two US Naval fighter projects These requirements meshed relatively well, but the timing of the procurement was driven by the timeframe needs of the four allies, who had formed a “Multinational Fighter Program Group” (MFPG) and were pressing for a U. S. decision by December 1974. The U. S. Air Force had planned to announce the LWF winner in May 1975, but this decision was advanced to the beginning of the year, and testing was accelerated. To reflect this new, more serious intent to procure a new aircraft, along with its reorientation toward a fighter-bomber design, the LWF program was rolled into a new Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition in an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger in April 1974. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U James Rodney Schlesinger (born February 15, 1929) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under presidents Richard Nixon and Schlesinger also made it clear that any ACF order would be for aircraft in addition to the F-15, which essentially ended opposition to the LWF. [22][23][24]
ACF also raised the stakes for GD and Northrop because it brought in further competitors intent on securing the lucrative order that was touted at the time as “the arms deal of the century”. These were Dassault-Breguet’s Mirage F1, the SEPECAT Jaguar, and a proposed derivative of the Saab Viggen styled the “Saab 37E Eurofighter” (which is not to be confused with the later and unrelated Eurofighter Typhoon). Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Northrop also offered another design, the P-530 Cobra, which looked very similar to its YF-17. The Jaguar and Cobra were dropped by the MFPG early on, leaving two European and the two U. S. LWF designs as candidates. On 11 September 1974, the U. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. S. Air Force confirmed firm plans to place an order for of the winning ACF design sufficient to equip five tactical fighter wings. On 13 January 1975, Secretary of the Air Force John L. McLucas announced that the YF-16 had been selected as the winner of the ACF competition. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Secretary of the Air Force ( SECAF) is the civilian head of the United States Department of the Air Force, a component organization of the Department John Luther McLucas was United States Secretary of the Air Force from 1973 to 1975 becoming secretary of the Air Force on July 19, 1973. [25]
The chief reasons given by the Secretary for the decision were the YF-16’s lower operating costs; greater range; and maneuver performance that was “significantly better” than that of the YF-17, especially at near-supersonic and supersonic speeds. The flight test program revealed that the YF-16 had superior acceleration, climb rates, endurance, and (except around Mach 0. 7) turn rates. Another advantage was the fact that the YF-16 – unlike the YF-17 – employed the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, which was the same powerplant used by the F-15; such commonality would lower the unit costs of the engines for both programs. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [26][24]
Shortly after selection of the YF-16, Secretary McLucas revealed that the USAF planned to order at least 650 and up to 1400 of the production version of the aircraft. The U. S. Air Force initially ordered 15 “Full-Scale Production” (FSD) aircraft (11 single-seat and 4 two-seat models) for its flight test program, but this would be reduced to 8 (6 F-16A and 2 F-16B). The Navy, however, announced on 2 May 1975, that it had decided not to buy the navalized F-16; instead, it would develop an aircraft derived from the YF-17, which would eventually become the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Manufacture of the FSD F-16s got underway in late 1975, with the first example, an F-16A, being rolled out on 20 October 1976, followed by its first flight on 8 December. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. The initial two-seat model achieved its first flight on 8 August 1977. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The initial production-standard F-16A flew for the first time on 7 August 1978 and its delivery was accepted by the USAF on 6 January 1979. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The F-16 was given its formal nickname of “Fighting Falcon” on 21 July 1980, and it entered USAF operational service with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Hill AFB on 1 October 1980. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Hill Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in northern Utah, south of the city of Ogden, adjacent to the cities of Clearfield Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) [27]
On 7 June 1975, the four European partners, now known as the European Participation Group (EPG), signed up for 348 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Paris Air Show ( Salon International de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business This was split among the European Participation Air Forces (EPAF) as 116 for Belgium, 58 for Denmark, 102 for the Netherlands, and 72 for Norway. These would be produced on two European production lines, one in the Netherlands at Fokker’s Schiphol-Oost facility and the other at SABCA’s Gossellies plant in Belgium; production would be divided among them as 184 and 164, respectively. Fokker was a Dutch Aircraft manufacturer named after its founder Anthony Fokker. The Sociétés Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA is a Belgian Aerospace company a subsidiary of the Dassault Group. European co-production was officially launched on 1 July 1977 at the Fokker factory. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Beginning in mid-November 1977, Fokker-produced components were shipped to Fort Worth, Texas, for assembly of fuselages, which were in turn shipped back to Europe (initially to Gossellies starting in January 1978); final assembly of EPAF-bound aircraft began at the Belgian plant on 15 February 1978, with deliveries to the Belgian Air Force beginning in January 1979. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. The Dutch line started up in April 1978 and delivered its first aircraft to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in June 1979. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces In 1980 the first aircraft were delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force by SABCA and to the Royal Danish Air Force by Fokker. The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF ( Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the Air force of Norway. The Royal Danish Air Force ( Danish: Flyvevåbnet) is the Air force of Denmark, it is an expeditionary Air Force with capability organised [28][24]
Further development
After selection, the YF-16 design was altered for the production F-16. The fuselage was lengthened 10 in (0. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 254 m), wing and horizontal stablizer areas were increased slightly and two hardpoints were added. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International [29]
During flight testing, it became apparent that a deep stall could occur under certain flight conditions. For other uses see Stall. In Aerodynamics, a stall is a sudden reduction in the lift forces generated by an Airfoil This issue was partially corrected by increasing the size of the horizontal tail by 25%. [30] However deep stall conditions can and still do effect the F-16. Pilots must be careful to recognize how and when deep stalls can happen to avoid them and when they happen how to correct the condition. [31]
The F-16 is scheduled to remain in service with the U. S. Air Force until 2025. [32] The planned replacement is the F-35 Lightning II, which is scheduled to enter service in 2011 and will gradually begin replacing a number of multirole aircraft among the air forces of the program's member nations. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
Design
Overview
The F-16 is a single-engined, multi-role tactical aircraft. It is equipped with an M61 Vulcan cannon in the left wing root, and is almost always armed with two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, one on each wingtip on a dedicated rail. The M61 Vulcan is a 20 mm Hydraulically or Pneumatically driven six- barreled air-cooled The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters More recent versions can be equipped with the AIM-120 AMRAAM on these rails instead. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile It can also be armed with a wide variety of air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground missiles, rockets or bombs, carried on a number of hardpoints under the wings.
From the very beginning, the F-16 was intended to be a cost-effective "workhorse" that could perform various kinds of missions and maintain around-the-clock readiness. It is much simpler and lighter than its predecessors, but uses advanced aerodynamics and avionics, including the first use of fly-by-wire (earning it the nickname of "the electric jet"), to maintain good performance. Avionics means "aviation electronics" It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft artificial satellites and spacecraft comprising Communications Aircraft flight control systems consist of Flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls connecting linkages and the necessary operating mechanisms to control The F-16 can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.
Cockpit and ergonomics
The pilot sits high in the fuselage with the canopy support-bow behind them, out of their field of view. The fuselage (from the French fuselé "spindle-shaped" is an Aircraft 's main body section that holds crew and passengers or Cargo This and the bubble canopy give the pilot an unobstructed field of view, a feature vital during air-to-air combat. A bubble canopy is a canopy made like a soap Bubble, which attempts to provide 360° vision to the pilot The seat is reclined 30 degrees. In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency The control stick is a side-stick mounted on the right armrest rather than a traditional center stick. An aircraft Cockpit arrangement where the control column (or Joystick) is located to the side of the pilot, usually at the right (or outboard on a two seat flightdeck An aircraft Cockpit arrangement where the control column (or Joystick) is located conventionally in the centre of the cockpit between the pilot 's legs In addition, a Heads-Up Display (HUD) displays vital information in the pilot's field of view. A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpont [33] From Block 52 onwards, the cockpit also uses the Boeing Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), which was deployed operationally during Operation Iraqi Freedom,[34] although there are no plans to upgrade earlier block variants.
It is worth noting that many of the cockpit features innovated in the F-16 have been used on newer aircraft designs. The F-22 uses a single-piece canopy like the F-16, although the F-35 and Eurofighter Typhoon do not. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-16 canopy is thicker than in most aircraft, where only the portion between the cockpit frame and nose have to be thick enough to guard against bird strikes. A bird strike (sometimes birdstrike, bird hit, or BASH (Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard in Aviation is a collision between an airborne animal (usually The F-16's canopy is approximately one half inch thick, and as a result is quite heavy. In older fighter jet designs ejection seat angles have normally been less than the F-16, at around 15 degrees, with the exceptions of the F-22 and F-35, which have seats tilted at 20 degrees. The increased angle of tilt on the F-16 seat in theory allows for greater protection from g and reduced incidence of gravity-induced loss of conciousness (G-LOC). G-LOC, abbreviated from G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness, is a term generally used in Aerospace physiology to describe a loss of consciousness arising from The increased seat angle however, been also associated with reports of increased risk of neck ache,[35] although this has been mitigated by the use of a head-rest.
Negative static stability
An aircraft with negative static stability will, in the absence of control input, depart from level and controlled flight. Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, where an aircraft tends to return to its original attitude following a disturbance. Aircraft attitude is used to mean two closely related aspects of the situation of an aircraft in flight However, positive static stability hampers maneuverability, as the tendency to remain in its current attitude opposes the pilot's effort to maneuver; therefore, an aircraft with negative static stability will be more maneuverable.
The YF-16 was the world's first aircraft to be slightly aerodynamically unstable by design. This feature is officially called "relaxed static stability. " When supersonic, the aircraft exhibits positive static stability due to aerodynamic forces shifting aft between subsonic and supersonic flight. At subsonic speeds, however, the fighter is constantly on the verge of going out of control.
Fly-by-wire
To counter this tendency to depart from controlled flight, the F-16 uses a fly-by-wire flight control system (FLCS), with no mechanical linkages between the stick and rudder pedals and the aerodynamic control surfaces. Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport is a public-use Airport located near Broomfield, Colorado, United States. Aircraft flight control systems consist of Flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls connecting linkages and the necessary operating mechanisms to control The flight control computer (FLCC), which is the key component of the FLCS, takes thousands of measurements per second of the aircraft's attitude, and makes corrections to counter deviations from the flight path that were not input by the pilot, allowing for stable flight. This led to a common refrain heard from pilots: "You don't fly an F-16; it flies you".
The FLCC also accepts the pilot's input from the stick and rudder controls, and manipulates the control surfaces in such a way as to produce the desired result without inducing a loss of control (known as "departing" controlled flight). The FLCC incorporates a series of limiters that govern movement in the three main axes (pitch, roll and yaw) based on the jet's current attitude, airspeed and angle of attack, and prevent movement of the control surfaces that would induce an instability such as a slip or skid, or a high angle of attack inducing a stall. Angle of attack ( AOA, \alpha Greek letter alpha) is a term used in Aerodynamics to describe the Angle between the In flying, a skid is a specific type of slip.It often means a turn where the sideways movement of the Aircraft is outwards from the centre of the turn The limiters also act to prevent maneuvering that would place more than 9 gs of force on the pilot or airframe.
The FLCC began as an analog system for the A/B variants and was later changed to a digital computer system on C/D models (production block 40 and beyond). [36][37]
The lack of mechanical linkages between the control stick and the flight surfaces led to an unusual characteristic in the design of the control stick: originally, it did not move. The control stick instead detected pressure applied by the pilot and translated that pressure into control of the aircraft. This arrangement proved uncomfortable and difficult for pilots to adjust to, often resulting in "over-rotating" the aircraft during takeoffs, so the control stick was given a small amount (less than a quarter of an inch (6 mm) in any direction) of play.
Wing and strake configuration
Aerodynamic studies in the early 1960s demonstrated that the phenomenon known as “vortex lift” could be beneficially harnessed by the utilization of highly swept wing configurations, such as found in the Concorde supersonic aircraft and the Swedish Viggen canard configured aircraft. Vortex lift is a form of lift generated by Delta wings operating at high angles of attack. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In Aeronautics, canard ( French for Duck) is an airframe configuration of Fixed-wing aircraft in which the Tailplane is ahead of the These favorable effects affected the aircraft’s lift capability and allowed the close-coupled wing to be extended to create higher angles of attack through use of a strong leading-edge vortex flow of a slender lifting surface. Angle of attack ( AOA, \alpha Greek letter alpha) is a term used in Aerodynamics to describe the Angle between the The leading edge of the wing’s blended forebody would thus increase the strength of the vortices and give the aircraft additional lift.
The exploitation of this aerodynamic phenomenon shaped the design of the F-16, which boasts cropped delta wings and long wing-body strakes, and is considered to be one of the significant elements responsible for its enduring success as a highly maneuverable fighter.
Costs
Unit cost:
- F-16A/B: US$14. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 6 million (1992)
- F-16C/D: US$18. 8 million (1998)
- F-16E/F: US$26. 9 million (2005)
- F-16I: ~US$70 million (2006)[38]
Operational history
Due to their ubiquity, F-16s have participated in numerous conflicts, most of them in the Middle East. Osirak, also spelled Osiraq, (French Osirak Iraqi Tammuz 1 was a 40 MW light-water nuclear materials testing reactor (MTR in The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and The Thunderbirds are the Air Demonstration Squadron of the US The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.
First combat successes: Bekaa Valley and Osiraq raid (1981)
The F-16’s first air-to-air combat success was achieved over the Bekaa Valley on 28 April 1981 against a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter, which was downed with cannon fire following an unsuccessful attempt with an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AAM). The Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990 was a multifaceted Civil war whose antecedents can be traced back to the conflicts and political compromises reached after the end Operation Opera (מבצע אופרה Mivtza Opera, also known as Operation Babylon and Operation Ofra) was a surprise Israeli Air strike Beqaa ( Arabic: البقاع "valley" also transliterated as Bekaa, Biqâ‘ or Becaa) is a fertile Valley in Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft Its first "kill" of another fighter was made a year later on 9 June 1982, during the initial air battle of the 1982 Lebanon War, with a successful AAM shoot-down of a Syrian MiG-21. Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The 1982 Lebanon War (מלחמת לבנון Milhemet Levanon) (الإجتياح Al-Ijtīāḥ, "the invasion" called by Israel the Operation Peace [39]
On 7 June 1981, eight Israeli F-16s, escorted by F-15s, executed Operation Opera, their first employment in a significant air-to-ground operation. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Operation Opera (מבצע אופרה Mivtza Opera, also known as Operation Babylon and Operation Ofra) was a surprise Israeli Air strike This raid severely damaged Osiraq, an Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction near Baghdad, to prevent the regime of Saddam Hussein from using the reactor for the creation of nuclear weapons. Osirak, also spelled Osiraq, (French Osirak Iraqi Tammuz 1 was a 40 MW light-water nuclear materials testing reactor (MTR in For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power. A nuclear reactor is a device in which Nuclear chain reactions are initiated controlled Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. [40]
Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
The following year, during Operation Peace for Galilee (Lebanon War) Israeli F-16s engaged Syrian aircraft in one of the largest air battles involving jet aircraft, which began on 9 June and continued for two more days. The 1982 Lebanon War (מלחמת לבנון Milhemet Levanon) (الإجتياح Al-Ijtīāḥ, "the invasion" called by Israel the Operation Peace The 1982 Lebanon War (מלחמת לבנון Milhemet Levanon) (الإجتياح Al-Ijtīāḥ, "the invasion" called by Israel the Operation Peace The 1982 Lebanon War (מלחמת לבנון Milhemet Levanon) (الإجتياح Al-Ijtīāḥ, "the invasion" called by Israel the Operation Peace At the end of the conflict, the Israeli Air Force credited their F-16s with 44 air-to-air kills, mostly of MiG-21s and MiG-23s, and claim no air-to-air losses of their own. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [39][41] F-16s were also used in their ground-attack role for strikes against targets in Lebanon. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية
Incidents during the Soviet-Afghan War (1986-1988)
During the Soviet-Afghan war, Pakistan Air Force F-16s shot down at least 10 Afghan and Soviet ground attack and transport aircraft operating in Pakistani airspace between May 1986 and December 1988. The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces [42]
Operation Desert Storm (1991)
In Operation Desert Storm of 1991, 249 USAF F-16s flew 13,340 sorties in strikes against Iraq, the most of any Coalition aircraft, with five lost in combat, of which two were due to accidents and three to hostile surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft Other F-16s were damaged by hostile ground fire but were able to return to base and be repaired. [43][44]
Interwar Air Operations over Iraq (1991-2003)
From the end of Desert Storm until the invasion of Iraq in 2003, USAF F-16s patrolled the Iraqi no-fly zones. Operation Northern Watch, the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a US European Command Combined Task Force (CTF charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace The December 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16 - December 19 A no-fly zone is a territory over which Aircraft are not permitted to fly Two air-to-air victories were scored by USAF F-16s in Operation Southern Watch. Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace [45] On 27 December 1992, a USAF F-16D shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 in UN-restricted airspace over southern Iraq with an AIM-120 AMRAAM; this was the first USAF F-16 kill since the F-16 was introduced; and was also the first AMRAAM kill. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile [46] On 17 January 1993, a USAF F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an AMRAAM missile for the second USAF F-16 victory. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [47]
F-16s returned to Iraq in December 1998 as part of the Operation Desert Fox bombing campaign to "degrade" Iraq's ability to manufacture and use weapons of mass destruction. The December 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16 - December 19 [48]
Venezuelan coup attempt (1992)
On 27 November 1992, two Venezuelan F-16s took part in the November Venezuelan Coup Attempt on the side of the government. The Venezuelan coup attempts of 1992 were an abortive Coup d'état led by Hugo Chávez in February 1992 and a second attempted coup in November 1992 directed by Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The Venezuelan coup attempts of 1992 were an abortive Coup d'état led by Hugo Chávez in February 1992 and a second attempted coup in November 1992 directed by In particular, the two F-16As strafed targets on the ground and shot down two OV-10 Broncos with AIM-9Ps and one AT-27 Tucano with cannon fire as these rebel-flown aircraft attacked loyalist army positions. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [49]
Balkans (1994-1995 & 1999)
F-16s were also employed by NATO during Bosnian peacekeeping operations in 1994-95 in ground-attack missions and enforcing the no-fly-zone over Bosnia (Operation Deny Flight). Operation Deny Flight was NATO 's enforcement of the Bosnian No-fly zone which began April 12, 1993 and ended December 20, 1995 The 1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (code-named by NATO Operation Deliberate Force) was a sustained air campaign conducted by the The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that Operation Deny Flight was NATO 's enforcement of the Bosnian No-fly zone which began April 12, 1993 and ended December 20, 1995 On 28 February 1994, 4 J-21 and 2 IJ-21 Jastrebs and 2 J-22 Oraos had violated the no-fly-zone to conduct a bombing run. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) For other uses of "J21" see J21 (disambiguation The Soko J-21 Jastreb was a single-seat attack/reconnaissance aircraft designed WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The pilots of the 2 J-22s spotted the F-16s above them and after their attack, they left the area in low-level flight towards Croatia, where the U. S. jets could not follow; one of these later crashed due to lack of fuel. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was engaged and attacked, first by 2 USAF F-16Cs, which scored three kills. The remaining J-21 was taken out by a different pair of USAF F-16Cs. Of the 6 Yugoslavian jets engaged, 4 were shot down (one by AMRAAM and the others by Sidewinders). [50][51] On 2 June 1995, one F-16C was lost to a Serb 2K12 Kub SAM (NATO reporting name: SA-6 'Gainful') while on patrol over Bosnia. Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 NATO reporting names are unclassified Code names for military equipment of the Eastern Bloc ( Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw pact Its pilot ejected and was later rescued by a USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter on 8 June. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [52]
NATO F-16s also participated in air strikes against Serbian forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Deliberate Force in August-September 1995, and again in Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia from March-June 1999. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan The 1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (code-named by NATO Operation Deliberate Force) was a sustained air campaign conducted by the The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state During Allied Force, F-16s also achieved one or two aerial victories: one by a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM, which shot down a Yugoslavian MiG-29 with an AMRAAM, and possibly another by a USAF F-16C which fired two AMRAAMs at a Yugoslavian MiG-29. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, in the latter case, the Serbs claimed to have subsequently found fragments of a 9K32M Strela-2M NATO designation: SA-7b ‘Grail’ Mod 1) MANPAD in the wreckage of this MiG-29, suggesting it was mistakenly downed by Serbian infantry. For the STRELA computer see Strela computer. For the Apollo test mission see A-102 The 9K32 "Strela-2" Man-portable air-defense systems ( MANPADS) are shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs [53]
On 2 May 1999, a USAF F-16CG was lost over Serbia. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) It was shot down by an S-125 Pechora SAM (NATO: SA-3 ‘Goa’) near Nakucani. Its pilot managed to eject and was later rescued by a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission. For the TV series of this title see Search and Rescue (TV series. [54][55] The remains of this aircraft are on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, Belgrade International Airport. Merge content from Museum of Aviation in Belgrade. Article merged See old talk-page here The Museum of Aviation in Belgrade Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport ( Serbian: Аеродром Београд - Никола Тесла or Aerodrom Beograd - Nikola Tesla) is Serbia 's busiest
Aegean incidents (1996 & 2006)
On 10 October 1996, during an air-to-air confrontation in disputed airspace over the Aegean Sea, a Greek Mirage 2000 is reported to have accidentally fired an R550 Magic and shot down a Turkish F-16D, which the Turkish government claims was on a training mission in international air space north of the Greek island of Samos, close to the Turkish mainland. Greece-Turkey relations have been marked by alternating periods of mutual hostility and reconciliation ever since Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire Maritime and areal zones of influence Several of the Aegean issues deal with the delimitation of both countries' zones of influence in the air and on the sea around their respective Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The R550 Magic is a short-range Missile designed in 1968 by French company Matra to compete with the American AIM-9 Sidewinder. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces. [56][57] The Greek government officially denies the shootdown occurred. [58]
On 23 May 2006, two Greek F-16 Block 52+ jets were scrambled to intercept a Turkish RF-4 reconnaissance aircraft (which was escorted by two F-16s) off the coast of the island of Karpathos. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Karpathos (Κάρπαθος is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea. During the intercept two F-16s collided, and while the Turkish pilot ejected after his jet was destroyed, the Greek pilot was killed when his canopy and cockpit were destroyed during the collision. [59]
Kargil War (1999)
During the 1999 Kargil War, Indian Air Force MiG-29s provided fighter escort for Mirage 2000s dropping laser-guided bombs (LGBs) on enemy targets. The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A laser-guided bomb (LGB is a Precision-guided munition (PGM that uses semi-active Laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than a free-fall On occasions, IAF MiG-29s armed with Vympel R-77 (NATO: AA-12 ‘Archer’) beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles were able to lock on to PAF F-16s, forcing the latter to disengage, as at the time Pakistan F-16 aircraft were not equipped with BVR missiles. The Russian R-77 (RVV-AE Missile ( NATO reporting name: AA-12 Adder) is a medium range air-to-air active radar-guided missile system A Beyond Visual Range Missile usually refers to an Air-to-air missile that is capable of engaging at ranges beyond 20 Nautical As a result, the PAF restricted itself to flying combat air patrols over Pakistani territory, and in the absence of a threat from PAF interceptors, the IAF was able to deliver unimpeded strikes on Pakistani positions and supply dumps. [60]
Operations in Afghanistan (2001-date)
F-16s have been used by the United States in Afghanistan since 2001. Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, In 2002, a tri-national detachment known as the European Participating Air Forces (Danish, Dutch and Norwegian) of 18 F-16s in the ground attack role deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Royal Danish Air Force ( Danish: Flyvevåbnet) is the Air force of Denmark, it is an expeditionary Air Force with capability organised The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF ( Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the Air force of Norway. Manas Air Base (unofficially Ganci Air Base) is a United States military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital Kyrgyzstan (ˈkɻ̩gɪztɑn (AmE or /'kɝgəztan/ (BrE Kyrgyz: Кыргызстан; Russian: Киргизия or Киргизстан or Кыргызстан Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U
Since April 2005, eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s in February 2006, have been supporting International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ground troops the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF ( Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the Air force of Norway. International Security Assistance Force (10 ( ISAF) is a NATO -led security and development mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations The detachment is known as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW). [61]
Invasion of Iraq & post-war operations (2003-date)
US F-16s participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The only F-16 loss over Iraq was an F-16CG that crashed near Baghdad on 12 June 2003 when it ran out of fuel. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. [62]
A US Army MIM-104 Patriot SAM fire-control radar was damaged on 25 March 2003 following a hit by an AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile (ARM) fired from an USAF F-16C on a patrol over southern Iraq, when the radar established a lock-on on the fighter. The MIM-104 Patriot is a Surface-to-air missile (SAM system the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations A fire-control radar is a Radar which is designed specifically to provide information (mainly target azimuth elevation range and velocity to a Fire-control system Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting An anti-radiation missile (ARM is a Missile which is designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source [63]
On June 7, 2006, two USAF F-16s dropped two 500 lb guided bombs (one GBU-12 Paveway LGB and one GBU-38 GPS-guided “smart” bomb) destroying an al-Qaeda safehouse, killing Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The In law enforcement and intelligence jargon of Intelligence agencies and Police forces a secured location suitable for hiding witnesses agents or other persons Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (أبومصعب الزرقاوي, Abu Musab from Zarqa)) (October 30 1966 – June 7 2006 born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI is a group playing an active role in the Iraqi insurgency. [64]
An F-16CJ crashed near Fallujah on 27 November 2006 while on a low-altitude ground-strafing run; although under fire, according to the official USAF report, the apparent cause was due to flying into the ground while attempting to maintain visual identification of targeted enemy vehicles. For other meanings see Fallujah (disambiguation. Fallujah (الفلوجة sometimes transliterated Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The pilot, Major Troy Gilbert, was killed. [65][66]
Two other F-16s were lost in Iraq to separate accidents a month apart, on 15 June and 15 July 2007. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history Events 1099 - First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [67][68]
Second Lebanon War (2006)
Israeli F-16s, the bomber workhorse of the Israel Defense Forces, participated in the 2006 Lebanon War. Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit Background See also Israel-Lebanon conflict The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO had engaged in cross-border attacks from Southern Lebanon The only reported F-16 loss was an IDF F-16I that crashed on July 19 when one of its tires burst as it took off for Lebanon from an air base in the Negev. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية The Negev (נֶגֶב Tiberian vocalization: Néḡeḇ) is the Desert region of southern Israel. The pilots ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground. [69]
Variants
F-16 models are denoted by sequential block numbers to denote significant upgrades. The blocks cover both single- and two-seat versions. A variety of software, hardware, systems, weapons carriage, and structural enhancements have been instituted over the years to gradually upgrade the F-16 and retroactively implement the upgrades in previously delivered aircraft.
Main production variants
F-16A/F-16B
The F-16A (single seat) and F-16B (two seat) were initially equipped with the Westinghouse AN/APG-66 pulse-doppler radar, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 turbofan, rated at 14,670 lbf (64. Founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. Pulse-Doppler is a Radar system capable of not only detecting target location (bearing range and altitude but also measuring its radial velocity (range-rate WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 9 kN) and 23,830 lbf (106. 0 kN) with afterburner. The USAF bought 674 F-16As and 121 F-16Bs, with delivery completed in March 1985.
- Block 1
- Early blocks (Block 1/5/10) featured relatively minor differences between each. Most were later upgraded to the Block 10 configuration in the early 1980s. There were 94 Block 1, 197 Block 5, and 312 Block 10 aircraft produced. Block 1 is the early production model with the nose cone painted black.
- Block 5
- It was discovered that the Block 1 aircraft’s black nose cone became an obvious visual identification cue at long range, so the color of the nose cone was changed to the low-visibility grey for Block 5 aircraft. During the operation of F-16 Block 1, it was discovered that rain water could accumulate in certain spots within the fuselage, so drainage holes were drilled in the forward fuselage and tail fin area for Block 5 aircraft.
- Block 10
- The Soviet Union significantly reduced the export of titanium during the late 1970s, so the manufacturers of the F-16 used aluminum instead wherever practical. New methods were also used: the corrugated aluminum is bolted to the epoxy surface for Block 10 aircraft, replacing the old method of aluminum honeycomb being glued to the epoxy surface used in earlier aircraft. A Sandwich structured composite is a special class of Composite materials that is fabricated by attaching two thin but stiff skins to a lightweight but thick core
- Block 15
- The first major change in the F-16, the Block 15 aircraft featured larger horizontal stabilizers, the addition of two hardpoints to the chin inlet, an improved AN/APG-66(V)2 radar, and increased capacity for the underwing hardpoints. A hardpoint is any part of an Airframe designed to carry an external load The Block 15 also gained the Have Quick II secure UHF radio. HAVE QUICK is a frequency-hopping system used to protect military UHF radio traffic To counter the additional weight of the new hardpoints, the horizontal stabilizers were enlarged by 30%. Block 15 is the most numerous variant of the F-16, with 983 produced. The last one was delivered in 1996 to Thailand.
- Block 15 OCU
- From 1987 Block 15 aircraft were delivered to the Operational Capability Upgrade (OCU) standard, which featured improved F100-PW-220 turbofans with digital control interface, the ability to fire the AGM-65 Maverick, AIM-120 AMRAAM, and AGM-119 Penguin missiles, countermeasures and cockpit upgrades, and improved computers and data bus. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM designed for close air support The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile The Penguin Anti-ship missile (US designation AGM-119) made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA of Norway from the early 1970s and continually Its maximum takeoff weight increased to 37,500 lb (17,000 kg). A total of 214 aircraft were produced with this upgrade, as well as some Block 10 aircraft, retroactively.
- F-16 ADF
- The F-16 Air Defense Fighter (ADF) was a special variant of the Block 15 optimized for the United States Air National Guard's fighter interception mission. The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of Fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy Aircraft, particularly Begun in 1989, 270 airframes were modified. Avionics were upgraded (including the addition of an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator with "bird-slicing" IFF antennas), and a spotlight fitted forward and below the cockpit, for night-time identification. In Telecommunications, identification friend or foe (IFF is a Cryptographic identification System designed for command and control This was the only US version equipped with the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile. The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy Beginning in 1994, these aircraft began to be replaced by newer F-16C variants. By 2005 only the North Dakota ANG was flying this variant.
- Block 20
- The Republic of China (Taiwan) received 150 F-16A/B Block 15 OCU-standard aircraft with the further addition of most of the F-16C/D Block 50/52 capability: Improved AN/APG-66(V)3 radar, carriage of AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-84 Harpoon, and AGM-88 HARM missiles, as well as the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. History The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN is a system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft -- the F-15E Strike Eagle and The computers onboard Block 20 are significantly improved in comparison to that of the earlier versions, with the overall processing speed increased 740 times and the overall memory storage increased 180 times in comparison to that of Block 15 OCU.
F-16C/F-16D
F-16C (single seat) and F-16D (two seat).
- Block 25
- The Block 25 F-16C first flew in June 1984 and entered USAF service in September. The aircraft are fitted with the Westinghouse AN/APG-68 radar and have improved precision night-attack capability. Block 25 introduced a very substantial improvement in cockpit avionics, including improved fire-control and stores management computers, an Up-Front Controls (UFC) integrated data control panel, data-transfer equipment, multifunction displays, radar altimeter, and many other changes. A fire-control radar is a Radar which is designed specifically to provide information (mainly target azimuth elevation range and velocity to a Fire-control system A Multi-function display (MFD is a small screen ( CRT or LCD) in an Aircraft surrounded by multiple buttons that can be used to display information A radar altimeter, radio altimeter, low range radio altimeter (LRRA or simply RA measures Altitude above the Terrain presently beneath Block 25’s were first delivered with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 engine and later upgraded to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout With 209 models delivered, today the USAF’s Air National Guard and Air Education and Training Command are the only remaining users of this variant. The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and Air Education and Training Command ( AETC) was established July 1 1993 with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. One F-16C, nicknamed the Lethal Lady, has flown over 7,000 hours so far. "Lethal Lady" is the name of the F-16C Block 25 Fighting Falcon that has the distinction of being the longest flying F-16 Falcon [70]
- Block 30/32
- This was the first block of F-16s affected by the Alternative Fighter Engine project under which aircraft were fitted with the traditional Pratt & Whitney engines or, for the first time, the General Electric F110-GE-100. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout From this point on, blocks ending in '0' (e. g. , Block 30) are powered by GE, and blocks ending in '2' (e. g. , Block 32) are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. Pratt & Whitney is an American Aircraft engine manufacturer of products widely used in both civil and military aircraft.
- The first Block 30 F-16 entered service in 1987. Major differences include the carriage of the AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, and the AIM-120 missiles. History The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft From Block 30D, aircraft were fitted with larger engine air intakes (called a Modular Common Inlet Duct) for the increased-thrust GE engine. Since the Block 32 retained the Pratt and Whitney F-100 engine, the smaller (normal shock inlet) was retained for those aircraft. A total of 733 aircraft were produced and delivered to six countries. The Block 32H/J aircraft assigned to the USAF Thunderbird flight demonstration squadron were built in 1986 and 1987 and are some of the oldest operational F-16's in the Air Force. The Thunderbirds are the Air Demonstration Squadron of the US The Air National Guard procured many upgrades for their fleet of aging block 30/32's including the addition of improved inertial guidance systems, improved electronic warfare suite (ALQ-213), and upgrades to carry the Northrop Grumman LITENING targeting pod. An Inertial Navigation System (INS is a Navigation aid that uses a Computer and motion sensors to continuously track the position orientation and Velocity Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The LITENING targeting pod is a precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft The standard Inertial Navigation Unit (INU) was first changed to a ring laser gyro, and later upgraded again to an Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) system which combines a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver with an Inertial Navigation System (INS). A ring laser gyroscope (RLG uses Interference of Laser light within a optical ring to detect changes in orientation and spin Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth An Inertial Navigation System (INS is a Navigation aid that uses a Computer and motion sensors to continuously track the position orientation and Velocity The EGI provided the capability to use Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and other GPS-aided munitions (see Block 50 list below). Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth This capability, in combination with the LITENING targeting pod, greatly enhanced the capabilities of this aircraft. The sum of these modifications to the baseline Block 30 is commonly known as the F-16C++ (pronounced 'plus plus') version.
- F-16N/TF-16N
- The U. S. Navy acquired 22 modified Block 30 F-16s for use as adversary assets for dissimilar air combat training (DACT); four of these were TF-16N two-seaters. Dissimilar air combat training (DACT was introduced as a formal part of US air combat training after disappointing aerial combat exchange rates in the Vietnam War. These aircraft were delivered in 1987-1988. VF-126 and the Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS) (or TOPGUN) operated them at NAS Miramar on the West Coast; East Coast adversary training squadrons were VF-43 at NAS Oceana and VF-45 at NAS Key West. TOPGUN is the popular name of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI program TOPGUN is the popular name of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI program Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar, formerly Naval Air Station (NAS Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Naval Air Station Oceana or NAS Oceana is a military airport located in Virginia Beach Virginia, and is a United States Navy Master Jet Base Naval Air Station Key West, is a Naval air station and military airport located four miles (6 km east of the Central business district of Key Each squadron had five F-16N and one TF-16N, with the exception of TOPGUN which had six and one, respectively. Due to the high stress of constant combat training, the wings of these aircraft began to crack and the Navy announced their retirement in 1994, and the last had been sent to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARC) for disposal by 1995. As adversary aircraft they were notable for their colorful appearance. Most Navy F-16N aircraft were painted in a three-tone blue and gray "ghost" scheme. TOPGUN had some of the more colorful ones: a three-color desert scheme, a light blue one and a green splinter camouflage version with Marine Corps markings. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism VF-126 also had a unique blue example.
- In 2002 the Navy began to receive 14 F-16A and B models from AMARC that were originally intended for Pakistan before being embargoed. These aircraft (which are not designated F/TF-16N) are operated by the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) N7 (TOPGUN) for adversary training and like their F-16N predecessors are painted in exotic schemes. The Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC pronounced "EN-SOCK" at Naval Air Station Fallon is the center of excellence for Naval aviation training
- Block 40/42 (F-16CG/DG)
- Entering service in 1988, the Block 40/42 is the improved all-day/all-weather strike variant equipped with LANTIRN pod; also unofficially designated the F-16CG/DG, the night capability gave rise to the name "Night Falcons". The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (القوات الجوية المصرية) is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN is a system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft -- the F-15E Strike Eagle and This block features strengthened and lengthened undercarriage for LANTIRN pods, an improved radar, and a GPS receiver. From 2002, the Block 40/42 increased the weapon range available to the aircraft including JDAM, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) and the (Enhanced) EGBU-27 Paveway “bunker-buster”. The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon ( JSOW) is the product of a joint venture between the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a tail kit for use with the TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser family of Cluster bombs to convert them to Precision-guided Combat history The GBU-27 was used in Operation Desert Storm. Also incorporated in this block was the addition of cockpit lighting systems compatible with Aviator's Night Vision Imaging System (ANVIS) equipment. Night vision is the ability to see in a dark environment Whether by biological or technological means night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches sufficient The USAF’s Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) that added the night vision (NVIS)-compatible systems was completed in 2004. A night vision device (NVD is an Optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness A total of 615 Block 40/42 aircraft were delivered to 5 countries.
- Block 50/52
- The first Block 50/52 F-16 was delivered in late 1991; the aircraft are equipped with improved GPS/INS, and the aircraft can carry a further batch of advanced missiles: the AGM-88 HARM missile, JDAM, JSOW and WCMD. Block 50 aircraft are powered by the F110-GE-129 while the Block 52 jets use the F100-PW-229. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout From Block 52 onwards, the cockpit also uses the Boeing Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS).
- F-16CJ/DJ Block 50D/52D
- An unknown number of Block 50/52 aircraft have been delivered to the USAF modified to perform the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission, replacing the F-4G ‘Wild Weasel’ aircraft; these were unofficially designated F-16CJ/DJ. SEAD (pronounced see-add or seed or Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, also known as " Wild Weasels quot and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA are Wild Weasel is a nickname for aircraft of the United States Air Force tasked with the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses ( SEAD) mission Capable of launching both the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) and AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles, the F-16CJ/DJ are equipped with a Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-35V Pave Penny laser spot tracker and the Texas Instruments AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System (HTS), with the HTS pod being mounted on the starboard intake hardpoint. Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting History The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft An anti-radiation missile (ARM is a Missile which is designed to detect and home in on an enemy radio emission source The Lockheed-Martin AN/AAS-35V Pave Penny is a Laser spot tracker carried by US Air Force Attack aircraft and Fighter-bombers to enable Texas Instruments ( better known in the electronics industry (and popularly as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA The first F-16CJ (serial number 91-0360) was delivered on 7 May 1993. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) [71][72]
- Block 50/52 Plus (or 50/52+)
- This variant was first delivered in April 2003 to the Hellenic Air Force. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF) (in Πολεμική Αεροπορία ( ΠΑ) Polemikí Aeroporía, literally "Military Aviation" Its main differences are the addition of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), APG-68(V9) radar, On-Board Oxygen Generation (OBOGS) system and JHMCS helmet; the Greek Block 52+ aircraft also employ the IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile. Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs are additional fuel tanks fitted closely to the profile of an aircraft which extend either range of an aircraft or Time on station with little IRIS-T ( Infra Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled) is a German -led program to develop a short-range Air-to-air missile to replace the All two-seat "Plus" aircraft have the enlarged Avionics Dorsal Spine, which adds 30 cu ft (850 L) to the airframe for more avionics with only small increases in weight and drag. This version is the foundation of F-16E/F Block 60. The first 60 Greek Hellenic Air Force aircraft were operational as of 2004, with a delivery of another 30 ‘Block 52+ Advanced’ pending for 2009. The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF) (in Πολεμική Αεροπορία ( ΠΑ) Polemikí Aeroporía, literally "Military Aviation"
- The Block 52+ was also ordered by the Polish Air Force. These aircraft are fitted with the latest avionics (including the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System) and provisions for CFTs. The AN/ALE-50 Towed Decoy System is an anti-missile countermeasures decoy system used on multiple U On 9 November 2006, it was unveiled that the Polish F-16s will be named Jastrząb (Hawk). Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Limited operational readiness will be achieved in 2008 and the final Polish F-16 should be delivered by the end of that year. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) also ordered the two-seat version of the Block 52+. Singapore's most recent order consists of an aircraft model rumored to be the exact configuration as Israel’s F-16I (see entry below), but re-designated to avoid sensitivity. The latest D+ models ordered by the RSAF can be noted to have the same antennas, sensor locations, and cockpit configurations as that of the F-16I. These fighters are also fitted with DASH-3 helmet-mounted sighting system, 600-gallon tanks, CFTs, AMRAAM, HARM, and laser-guided weapons, fully-configured for long-range strike. The Pakistan Air Force ordered 18 Block 52+ F-16s with an option for 18 more as part of a $5. Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces 1 billion arms package. Pakistani F-16s will be equipped with AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM, AIM-9M-8/9, JDAM, Harpoon Block II, JHMCS, CFTs, and possibly IRIS-T missiles. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated
- KF-16
- Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) built 140 advanced derivatives of the F-16C/D Block 52 under license from Lockheed Martin in the 1990s. Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (commonly referred to as KAI, Korean: 한국항공우주산업 Hanja: 韓國航空宇宙産業 is a South Korean The F/A-18 Hornet had originally won the Korea Fighter Program (KFP) competition, but disputes over costs and accusations of bribery led the Korean government to withdraw the award and select the F-16 instead. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Designated the KF-16 (which is also sometimes mistakenly applied to the earlier batch of F-16 Block 32 bought by South Korea), the first 12 aircraft were delivered to Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in December 1994. The Republic of Korea Air Force ( ROK Air Force, ROKAF, Hanglul: 대한민국 공군 Hanja: 大韓民國 空軍 is the Air force [73] Almost 2,500 parts are changed from the original F-16C/D. [73] All KF-16 are capable of launching the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of
- F-16I Sufa
- The F-16I is a variant of the Block 50/52 Plus developed for the Israeli Defense Force – Air Force (IDF/AF). The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל Israel issued a requirement in September 1997 and selected the F-16 in preference to the F-15 in July 1999. An initial "Peace Marble V" contract was signed on 14 January 2000 with a follow on contract signed on 19 December 2001 for a total procurement of 102 aircraft. Events 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Templar at the Council of Troyes. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.
- The F-16I is called Sufa (Storm) by the IDF/AF. Its most notable difference from the standard Block 50+ is that approximately 50% of the American avionics have been replaced by Israeli-developed avionics (such as the Israeli Aerial Towed Decoy replacing the ALE-50). The addition of Israeli-built autonomous aerial combat maneuvering instrumentation systems enables the training exercises to be conducted without dependence on ground instrumentation systems, and the helmet-mounted sight is also standard equipment. The F-16I also has the IAI-built removable conformal fuel tanks added. Israel Aerospace Industries ( Hebrew: התעשייה האווירית לישראל ha-ta`aSiyyâh ha-'awîrît lë-yiSrâ'êl) or IAI (תע"א ta`a' The aircraft use the F100-PW-229 engine which offers commonality with the IDF/AF's F-15Is. The first flight of the F-16I occurred on 23 December 2003, followed by first delivery to the IDF/AF on 19 February 2004. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " [74]
F-16E/F-16F
F-16E (single seat) and F-16F (two seat). Originally, the single-seat version of the General Dynamics F-16XL was to have been designated F-16E, with the twin-seat variant designated F-16F. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This was sidelined by the Air Force's selection of the competing F-15E Strike Eagle in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter fly-off in 1984. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The 'Block 60' designation had also previously been set aside in 1989 for the A-16, but this model was dropped. [75] The F-16E/F designation now belongs to a special version developed especially for the United Arab Emirates, and is sometimes unofficially called the "Desert Falcon".
- Block 60
- Based on the F-16C/D Block 50/52, it features improved radar and avionics and conformal fuel tanks; it has only been sold to the United Arab Emirates. Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of For uses prior to 1 October 1994 see Carswell Air Force Base Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth or NAS JRB Fort Worth, At one time, this version was incorrectly thought to have been designated ‘F-16U’. A major difference from previous blocks is the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which gives the airplane the capability to simultaneously track and destroy ground and air threats. Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. An Electronically Scanned Array (AESA also known as active Phased array Radar is a type of Radar whose Transmitter and The Block 60’s General Electric F110-GE-132 is a development of the -129 model and is rated at 32,500 lbf (144 kN). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Block 60 allows the carriage of all Block 50/52-compatible weaponry as well as AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM). The AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile is a British Infrared homing ("heat seeking" Air-to-air missile. The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated The CFTs provide an additional 450 US gallon (2,045 L) of fuel, allowing increased range or time on station. This has the added benefit of freeing up hardpoints for weapons that otherwise would have been occupied by underwing fuel tanks. The MIL-STD-1553 data bus is replaced by MIL-STD-1773 fiber-optic data bus which offers a 1000 times increase in data-handling capability. MIL-STD-1553 is military standard published by the United States Department of Defense that defines the mechanical, Electrical and functional In Computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components inside a Computer or between computers MIL-STD-1553 is military standard published by the United States Department of Defense that defines the mechanical, Electrical and functional An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length
Technology demonstrators and other variants
- YF-16
- Two single-seat YF-16 prototypes were built for the Light Weight Fighter (LWF) competition. The Lightweight Fighter (LWF program was a US Air Force technology evaluation program initiated in the 1960s by a cabal of officers and defense analysts known as the The first YF-16 was rolled out at Fort Worth on 13 December 1973 and accidentally accomplished its first flight on 21 January 1974, followed by its scheduled “first flight” on 2 February 1974. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The second prototype first flew on 9 March 1974. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Both YF-16 prototypes participated in the flyoff against Northrop’s YF-17 prototypes, with the F-16 winning the Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition, as the LWF program had been renamed. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [76]
- F-16 FSD
- In January 1975, the Air Force order eight full-scale development (FSD) F-16s – six single-seat F-16A and a pair of two-seat F-16B – for test and evaluation. The first FSD F-16A flew on 8 December 1976 and the first FSD F-16B on 8 August 1977. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Over the years, these aircraft have been used as test demonstrators for a variety of research, development and modification study programs. [77]
- LTV Aerospace Model 1600/1601/1602
- Following the YF-16’s victory over the Northrop YF-17 for the U. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout S. Air Force’s ACF competition, General Dynamics decided a “navalized” variant could also best it in the Navy’s revived Naval Fighter Attack Experimental (VFAX) program. VFAX for Naval Fighter Attack Experimental was actually two specifications for two US Naval fighter projects Having no carrier aircraft experience, GD teamed up with LTV Aerospace, which had designed the successful carrier-capable F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II for the Navy; if successful, LTV would have produced the carrier version of the F-16. Vought is the name of several related Aerospace firms These have included in the past Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought Sikorsky WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [78]
- LTV created three concepts for the navalized F-16. The main proposal was the Model 1600, which was based on the Block 10 F-16. It featured structural strengthening, an arrestor hook, and a more robust undercarriage to accommodate the rigors of carrier launch and recovery operations. In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi The Model 1600 employed the General Electric F404 (which would be selected for the F/A-18), but two other powerplant choices were also explored. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Model 1601 had an improved Pratt & Whitney F100, while the Model 1602 used the General Electric F101. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, the Navy preferred a twin-engine aircraft, and on 2 May 1975 it selected the Northrop-McDonnell Douglas YF-17-based F/A-18 Hornet proposal. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. McDonnell Douglas was a major American Aerospace manufacturer and Defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [79]
- YF-16 CCV
- The initial YF-16 prototype was reconfigured in December 1975 to serve as the USAF Flight Dynamics Laboratory's Control-Configured Vehicle (CCV) testbed. The CCV concept entails “decoupling” the aircraft’s flight control surfaces so that they can operate independently. This approach enables unusual maneuvers such as being able to turn the airplane without banking it. The ability to maneuver in one plane without simultaneously moving in another was seen as offering novel tactical performance capabilities for a fighter. The CCV YF-16 design featured twin pivoting ventral fins mounted vertically underneath the air intake, and its triply redundant FBW flight control system was modified to permit use of flaperons on the wings’ trailing edges which would act in combination with an all-moving stabilator. A flaperon is a type of control surface that combines aspects of both flaps and Ailerons. A stabilator ( stabil izer-elev' ator') is an aircraft control surface that combines the functions of an elevator and a Horizontal stabilizer The fuel system was redesigned to enable adjustment of the aircraft’s center of gravity by transferring fuel from one tank to another. The CCV aircraft achieved its first flight on 16 March 1976. Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The flight test program ran until 31 June 1977, and was marred only by a hard landing on 24 June 1976 that delayed testing until repairs were effected. Events in June Madaraka Day June 1 to commemorate when Kenya gained internal self-rule Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The CCV program was judged successful, and led to a more ambitious follow-on effort in the form of the "Advanced Fighter Technology Integration" (AFTI) F-16. [80][81][82]
- F-16 SFW
- General Dynamics was one of several U. S. aircraft makers awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 1976 to develop proposals for an experimental forward-swept wing test aircraft. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new Technology GD’s entry, the Swept Forward Wing (SFW) F-16, had a slightly lengthened fuselage to accommodate the larger, advanced composites wing. In January 1981, DARPA selected Grumman’s entry, which became known as the X-29A. The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Although the SFW F-16 was not chosen, the X-29 incorporated some of the F-16’s features, particularly its fly-by-wire flight control system and its undercarriage. [83]
- F-16/79
- In response to President Jimmy Carter's February 1977 directive to curtail arms proliferation by selling only reduced-capability weapons to foreign countries, General Dynamics developed a modified export-oriented version of the F-16A/B designed for use with the outdated General Electric J79 turbojet engine. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 Northrop competed for this market with its F-20 Tigershark. The Northrop Corporation was a leading Aircraft manufacturer of the United States from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Accommodating the J79-GE-119 engine required modification of the F-16’s inlet, the addition of steel heat shielding, a transfer gearbox (to connect the engine to the existing F-16 gearbox), and an 18-inch (46 cm) stretch of the aft fuselage. First flight occurred on 29 October 1980. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The total program cost to develop the F-16/J79 was $18 million (1980), and the unit flyaway cost was projected to be about $8 million. South Korea, Pakistan and other nations were offered these fighters but rejected them, resulting in numerous exceptions being made to sell standard F-16s; with the later relaxation of the policy under President Carter in 1980 and its cancellation under President Ronald Reagan, no copies of either the F-16/79 or the F-20 were ultimately sold. [84]
- F-16/101
- In February 1979 General Electric was awarded a $79. 9 million (1979) contract under the joint USAF/Navy Derivative Fighter Engine (DFE) program to develop a variant of its F101 turbofan engine, originally designed for the B-1A bomber, for use on the F-16 (in lieu of the standard P&W F100) and the F-14A (in place of the P&W TF30). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The first FSD F-16A (#75-0745) was fitted with the F101X DFE engine and flew for the first time on 19 December 1980. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Although the F101 performed better than the F100 and it was adopted for use; however, data from testing the F-16/101 assisted in the development of the F110 turbofan, for which the F101 would serve as the core, and the F110 would become an alternate engine for both the F-16 and F-14. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [85][86]
- F-16XL
- The F-16XL featured a novel ‘cranked-arrow’ type of delta wing with more than twice the area of the standard F-16 wing. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The delta wing is a Wing Planform in the form of a triangle named after the Greek uppercase delta which is a triangle (Δ Developed under a program originally known as the Supersonic Cruise and Maneuvering Program (SCAMP), the design was intended to offer low drag at high subsonic or supersonic speeds without compromising low-speed maneuverability. As a result, the F-16XL can cruise efficiently at supersonic speeds without use of an afterburner. [87] In late 1980, the USAF agreed to provide GD with the third and fifth FSD F-16s for modification into single-seat and twin-seat F-16XL prototypes. To accommodate the larger wing, the aircraft was lengthened 56 in (142 cm) by the addition of a 30-inch (76 cm) plug in the forward fuselage and a 26-inch (66 cm) section to the aft fuselage just behind the landing gear. The rear fuselage was also canted up by three degrees to increase the angle of attack on takeoff and landing. The F-16XL could carry twice the payload of the F-16 on 27 hardpoints, and it had a 40% greater range due to an 82% increase in internal fuel carriage. The single-seat F-16XL first flew on 3 July 1982, followed by the two-seater on 29 October 1982. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The F-16XL competed unsuccessfully with the F-15E Strike Eagle in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) program; if it had won the competition, the production versions were to have been designated F-16E/F. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [88] Following the February 1984 selection announcement, both examples of the F-16XL were placed in flyable storage. [89]
- In late 1988, the two prototypes were taken out of storage and turned over to NASA for use in a program designed to evaluate aerodynamics concepts to improve laminar airflow over the wing during sustained supersonic flight. From 1989–1999, both aircraft were used by NASA for several experimental research programs, and in 2007, NASA was considering returning the single-seat F-16XL to operational status for further aeronautical research. [89][90]
- AFTI/F-16
- In March 1980, General Dynamics began converting the sixth FSD F-16A to serve as the technology demonstrator aircraft for the joint Flight Dynamics Laboratory-NASA Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) program. The AFTI F-16 built upon GD’s experience with its YF-16 CCV program, and the AFTI F-16 even received the twin pivoting vertical ventral fins from the CCV aircraft, which were likewise installed under the air intake. The aircraft was also fitted with a narrow dorsal fairing along its spine to house additional electronics. Technologies introduced and tested on the AFTI F-16 include a full-authority triplex Digital Flight Control System (DFCS), a six-degree-of-freedom Automated Maneuvering Attack System (AMAS), a 256-word-capacity Voice-Controlled Interactive Device (VCID) to control the avionics suite, and a helmet-mounted target designation sight that permitted the FLIR and radar to be automatically “slaved” to the pilot’s head movement. A forward looking infrared (FLIR is an imaging device that senses infrared radiation First flight of the AFTI F-16 occurred on 10 July 1982. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Air Force Association gave its 1987 Theodore von Karman Award for the most outstanding achievement in science and engineering to the F-16/AFTI team. The Air Force Association ( AFA) is an independent nonprofit civilian organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power headquartered in Arlington Virginia [91][92]
- The AFTI F-16 participated in numerous research and development programs:[93]
- AFTI Phase I testing (1981–1983): a two-year effort focused on proving the DFCS system.
- AFTI Phase II testing (1983–1987): evaluation of the wing-root-mounted FLIR and the AMAS system.
- CAS/BAI (1988–1992): a five-phase evaluation program testing a variety of low-level close air support/battlefield air interdiction (CAS/BAI) techniques, including an Automatic Target Handoff System (ATHS) (which transferred target data from ground stations or other aircraft to the AFTI/F-16) and off-axis weapons launch.
- Talon Sword Bravo (1993–1994): demonstration of cooperative engagement techniques where the aircraft fires at a target based on targeting information datalinked from a distant sensor; the weapon principally investigated was the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM). Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting
- EGI (1994 & 1997): testing of embedded GPS/INS (EGI) navigation systems, including evaluation of the reliability of GPS in jamming environments.
- AGCAS (1994–1996): testing of an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS or Auto-GCAS) to help reduce the incidence of “controlled flight into terrain" (CFIT); lessons learned from this program were further evolved on the F-16 GCAS.
- J/IST (1997–2000): testing of the world’s first all-electric flight control system under the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Subsystem Technologies (J/IST) program.
- F-16A(R)
- About two dozen F-16As of the Royal Netherlands Air Force were supplied with indigenous Oude Delft Orpheus low-altitude tactical reconnaissance pods transferred from its retiring RF-104G. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Designated F-16A(R), the first flew on 27 January 1983, and they entered service with the RNLAF’s 306 Squadron in October 1984. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Beginning in 1995, the Belgian Air Force replaced its own Mirage 5BR reconnaissance aircraft with at least a dozen F-16A(R) equipped with loaned Orpheus pods and Vinten cameras from the Mirages; these were replaced with more capable Per Udsen modular recce pods from 1996–1998. The F-16A(R) remained primarily combat aircraft with a secondary reconnaissance role. [94][95][96]
- F-16 Recce and RF-16A/C
- The first reconnaissance variant was a USAF F-16D experimentally configured in 1986 with a centerline multi-sensor bathtub-style pod; it was referred to as “F-16 Recce” (and not “RF-16D” as it has sometimes been misreported). Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information The USAF decided in 1988 to replace the aging RF-4C Phantom fleet with RF-16C Block 30s fitted with the Control Data Corporation’s Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ATARS) centerline pod, which could carry a variety of sensors. Control Data Corporation (CDC, was one of the pioneering Supercomputer firms Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ATARS is a system for image acquisition data storage and data link used by the United States Marine Corps on it Problems with the ATARS program, however, led to the USAF’s departure in June 1993. During the mid-1990s, the U. S. Air Force experimented with a series of centerline recce pod designs, beginning with a prototype pod, the Electro-Optical 1 (EO-1) pod. This was followed by four “Richmond recce pods”, which saw service in the Balkans. The USAF finally settled on what would become the definitive AN/ASD-11 Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS). The first F-16 flight with a prototype TARS flew on 26 August 1995, and on 27 September 1996 the USAF placed its first production order for the pods. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Block 30s and Block 25s of five Air National Guard squadrons have received the system since mid-1998. The USAF, however, does not designate them “RF-16s”. [94][97][82]
- The designation RF-16A is used, though, by the Royal Danish Air Force. In early 1994, 10 Danish F-16A were redesignated as RF-16A tactical recce aircraft, replacing the RF-35 Drakens withdrawn at the end of 1993. The Saab 35 Draken ( Swedish: "kite" or "dragon" is a Fighter aircraft manufactured by Saab between 1955 and 1974 As a temporary measure they were originally fitted with the Drakens’ optical cameras and E-O sensors repackaged in a Per Udsen ‘Red Baron’ recce pod, which were replaced a few years later by Per Udsen’s Modular Reconnaissance Pod (MRP). [94][98]
- F-16 Agile Falcon
- The F-16 Agile Falcon was a variant proposed by GD in 1984 that featured a 25% larger wing, uprated engines, and some already planned MSIP IV improvements for the basic F-16. The F-16 Agile Falcon was an engineering concept developed by General Dynamics in the 1980s Unsuccessfully offered as a low-cost alternative for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition, some of its capabilities were incorporated into the Block 40 F-16C/D, and the Agile Falcon would serve as the basis for developing Japan’s F-2 fighter. The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF contract was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [99]
- F-16D ‘CK-1’
- MANAT, the Israeli Air Force’s flight test center, is known to operate a specially built Block 40 F-16D delivered in 1987 as a testbed aircraft designated ‘CK-1’. It is used by the IAF for testing new flight configurations, weapon systems and avionics. [99]
- A-16 and F/A-16
- F-16 variants modified to serve as dedicated close air support (CAS) aircraft. In Military tactics, close air support ( CAS) is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to The A-16 was a late-1980s GD project to develop a CAS version of the basic F-16 by adding armor and strengthening the wings for a heavier weapons load, including a 30 mm cannon and 7. 62 mm Minigun pods. The minigun is a multi-barrel Machine gun with a high rate of fire (several thousand Rounds per minute) employing Gatling -style rotating barrels and an Two F-16A Block 15 aircraft were modified to this configuration. Envisioned as a successor to the A-10, the type was to have received the ‘Block 60’ designation; however, the A-16 never went into production due a 26 November 1990 Congressional directive to the USAF mandating that it retain two wings of A-10s. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) [75]
- A second outcome of that directive was a decision by the Air Force that, instead of upgrading the A-10, it would seek to retrofit 400 Block 30/32 F-16s as with new equipment to perform both CAS and battlefield air interdiction (BAI) missions. Air interdiction (AI is the use of aircraft to attack tactical ground targets that are not in close proximity to friendly ground forces The new systems for this “F/A-16” Block 30 included a digital terrain-mapping system[100] and GPS integration for improved navigational and weapons delivery accuracy, as well as an Automatic Target Handoff System (ATHS) to allow direct digital target/mission data exchange between the pilot and ground units. This approach, however, was dropped in January 1992 in favor of equipping Block 40/42 F-16C/Ds with LANTIRN pods. [75]
- In 1991, 24 F-16A/B Block 10 aircraft belonging to the 174th TFW, a New York ANG unit that had transitioned from the A-10 in 1988, were armed with the 30 mm GAU-13/A four-barrel derivative of the seven-barrel GAU-8/A cannon used by the A-10A. The Air National Guard 's 174th Fighter Wing is an fighter support unit located at Hancock Field in Syracuse New York. The General Electric GAU-13/A is a 30 mm electric Gatling Gun derived from the GAU-8 Avenger cannon This weapon was carried in a General Electric GPU-5/A Pave Claw pod on the centerline station, and was supplied with 353 rounds of ammunition. There were also plans to convert F-16C’s to this configuration and to incorporate the A-10’s AN/AAS-35V Pave Penny laser spot tracker. The Lockheed-Martin AN/AAS-35V Pave Penny is a Laser spot tracker carried by US Air Force Attack aircraft and Fighter-bombers to enable The vibration from the gun when firing proved so severe as to make both aiming and flying the aircraft difficult, and trials were suspended after two days. Although the 174th’s aircraft were employed for CAS during Desert Storm, they did not use the gun pods in action, and the Block 10 F/A-16 were phased out after the war. [75][101]
- F-16AT Falcon 21
- In 1990 General Dynamics proposed the F-16AT 'Falcon 21' as a low-cost alternative for the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program that would eventually lead to the F-22 Raptor. The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF contract was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation It was a single-engined fighter based on the F-16XL, but with a trapezoidal wing. [99]
- NF-16D / VISTA / MATV
- In the late 1980s, General Dynamics and General Electric began exploring the application of thrust vector control (TVC) technology to the F-16 under the F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust-Vectoring (MATV) program. Thrust vectoring is the ability of an Aircraft or other vehicle to direct the Thrust from its main Engine (s in a direction other than parallel to Originally the Israel Defense Force/Air Force was going to supply an F-16D for this effort; however, the USAF, which had initially declined to support the program, changed its mind and took over the MATV project in 1991, and Israel withdrew from it the following year. [102]
- Meanwhile, General Dynamics had received a contract in 1988 to develop the Variable-stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft (VISTA). The F-16 VISTA effort was funded by the USAF, the U. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout S. Navy, and NASA. Calspan, a subcontractor to GD, fitted a Block 30 F-16D belonging to Wright Labs with a center stick (in addition to the sidestick controller), a new computer and digital flight control system that allowed it to imitate, to a degree, the performance of other aircraft. Aircraft flight control systems consist of Flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls connecting linkages and the necessary operating mechanisms to control Redesignated NF-16D, its first flight in the VISTA configuration occurred on 9 April 1992. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) [82][102]
- In 1993, the variable-stability computers and center stick were temporarily removed from the VISTA for flight tests for the MATV program, under which the first use of thrust-vectoring in flight was accomplished on 30 July. Events 1419 - First Defenestration of Prague. 1502 - Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off Thrust-vectoring was enabled through the use of the Axisymmetric Vectoring Exhaust Nozzle (AVEN). Following the conclusion of MATV testing in March 1994, the VISTA variable-stability computers were reinstalled. In 1996 a program was begun to fit the NF-16D with a multi-directional thrust-vectoring nozzle, but the program was canceled due to lack of funding later that year. Although the F-16 VISTA program was considered successful, thrust vectoring was not taken up for the F-16 by the U. S. Air Force. [102][103]
- F-16U
- In F-16U was one of several configurations proposed for the United Arab Emirates in the early 1990s. The F-16U was a two-seat aircraft that combined many features of the F-16XL and the delta wing of the F-16X. [104]
- F-16X Falcon 2000
- In 1993 Lockheed Martin proposed development of a new version of the venerable F-16. This F-16X ‘Falcon 2000’ featured a delta-wing planform like that of the F-22; together with the fuselage stretch to accommodate the new wing design, the F-16X would have 80% more internal fuel volume. The design also permitted conformal carriage of the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile LM claimed the F-16X could be built for two-thirds the cost of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [105][72]
- F-16 ES
- The F-16 Enhanced Strategic (ES) was an extended-range variant of the F-16C/D fitted with conformal fuel tanks that granted it a 40% greater range over the standard Block 50. The F-16ES also featured an internal forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which offered the capabilities of the LANTIRN navigation and targeting system without the drag associated with external pods. Unsuccessfully offered to Israel as an alternative to the F-15I Strike Eagle in late 1993, it was one of several configuration options offered to the United Arab Emirates that would ultimately lead to the development of the F-16E/F Block 60 for that nation. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout An F-16C Block 30 was modified to the ES configuration to test the conformal tanks and simulated FLIR sensor turrets fitted above and below the nose of the aircraft. The F-16ES first flew on 5 November 1994 and flight testing was completed in January 1995. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) [106][107]
- F-16 LOAN
- The F-16 Low-Observable Asymmetric Nozzle (LOAN) demonstrator was an F-16C fitted in late 1996 with a prototype nozzle with significantly reduced radar and infrared signatures and lowered maintenance requirements. It was tested in November 1996 to evaluate the technology for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [108][109]
- F-16AM/F-16BM
- These designations have been applied to F-16A/B that have received the F-16 Mid-Life Update (MLU), which improves improve the reliability, supportability and maintainability of the aircraft, and upgrades the cockpit to a standard similar to that of the Block 50. F-16 Mid-Life Update (MLU is a capability Upgrade to F-16 A/B aircraft which allowed for the older F-16 A/B's to compete with modern aircraft today Conversion work began in January 1997. F-16AM/BM were first introduced by the air forces of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway; their use has since been extended to Chile, Jordan, Pakistan, and Portugal. [110]
- F-16 GCAS
- Due to the unavailability of the AFTI F-16 following the AGCAS effort, a Block 25 F-16D was modified for continued investigation of ground collision-avoidance system (GCAS) technologies to reduce CFIT incidents; this joint effort by the USAF, Lockheed Martin, NASA and the Swedish Air Force was conducted during 1997–1998. The Swedish Air Force (Swedish Flygvapnet) is the Air force Branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. [111]
- F-16IN
- Lockheed Martin has proposed an advanced variant, the F-16IN, as its candidate for India’s 126-aircraft Indian Air Force Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition. The Indian Air Force Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA Competition, commonly known as the MRCA Tender, is an ongoing competition to supply the Indian Air Force According to Chuck Artymovich, the company's business development director for the program, "The F-16IN is the most advanced F-16 ever. " Notable F-16IN features include an AN/APG-79 AESA radar, advanced electronic warfare suites, and an infrared search and track (IRST) system. Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly An infra-red search and track ( IRST) system (sometimes known as infra-red sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off If selected as the winner of the competition, Lockheed Martin will supply the first 18 aircraft, and will set up an assembly line in India in collaboration with Indian partners for production of the remainder. The program is reportedly worth up to Rs. 55,000 crore (US$14 billion). The rupee (रुपया ( code: INR) is the Currency of India. A crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system and was formerly a unit in the Persian numbering system still widely used in Bangladesh, India, Maldives The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been [112][113]
- GF-16
- Small numbers of each type of F-16 are used for non-flying ground instruction of maintenance personnel.
- QF-16
- The USAF is considering converting older-model F-16s into full-scale target drones under the QF-16 Air Superiority Target (AST) program. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV is an unpiloted Aircraft. UAVs can be remote controlled or fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic These AST drones are used in Weapon System Evaluation Programs (WSEP) for assessing upgrades or replacements for air-to-air missiles (AAM), and they are also useful for giving pilots the experience of a live AAM shot and kill prior to entering combat. QF-16s would replace the current QF-4 drones, the last of which are expected to have be expended around 2010. The Air Force’s Air Armament Center hosted its first “Industry Day” for interested vendors at Eglin AFB, Florida on 16-19 July 2007. Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States [114]
Major upgrade programs
- F-16 MSIP
- In 1980, General Dynamics, the USAF’s F-16 System Program Office (SPO), and the EPG partners initiated a long-term Multinational Staged Improvement Program (MSIP) to evolve new capabilities for the F-16, mitigate risks during technology development, and ensure its currency against a changing threat environment. The F-16 Falcon Century program, a survey and evaluation of new technologies and new capabilities that began in 1982, was also relied upon to identify new concepts for integration onto the F-16 through the MSIP derivative development effort. Altogether, the MSIP process permitted quicker introduction of new capabilities, at lower costs, and with reduced risks compared to traditional stand-alone system enhancement and modernization programs. [115]
- The first stage, MSIP I, began in February 1980 and it introduced the new technologies that defined the Block 15 aircraft. Fundamentally, MSIP I improvements were focused on reducing the cost of retrofitting future systems. These included structural and wiring provisions for a wide-field-of-view raster head-up display (HUD); multifunction displays; advanced fire control computer and central weapons interface unit; integrated Communications/Navigation/Identification (CNI) system; beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, electro-optical and target acquisition pods, and internal electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems; and increased-capacity environmental control and electrical power systems. Delivery of the first USAF MSIP I Block 15 aircraft occurred in November 1981, and work on the first EPG MSIP I aircraft began in May 1982. [116][72]
- MSIP II, begun in May 1981, led to the F-16C/D Block 25/30/32. For the Block 25, it basically added the systems which the MSIP I provisions had enabled. The first MSIP II F-16C Block 25 was delivered in July 1984. The Block 30/32 take advantage of the Alternative Fighter Engine program that offered a choice between two engines for the F-16: the General Electric F110-GE-100 (Block 30) as well as the newly upgraded Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 (Block 32). To take full advantage of the higher-thrust GE engine, a larger, modular air inlet duct was fitted on the Block 30s. MSIP II capabilities introduced on the Block 30/32 also included the ability to target multiple aircraft with the AMRAAM; range, resolution and signal processor improvements to the AN/APG-68 radar; a ring laser gyroscope; ALQ-213 electronic warfare system; added cooling air capacity for the more powerful avionics suite; employment of the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles. History The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft The first Block 30 was delivered in July 1986. [117][72]
- MSIP III produced the Block 40/42/50/52. Initiated in June 1985, the first MSIP III Block 40 was delivered in December 1988, and the first Block 50 followed in October 1991. Introduced in the MSIP III Block 40/42 were LANTIRN navigation and targeting pods, along with the related diffractive optics HUD; the increased-reliability APG-68V fire-control radar; an aft-seat HUD monitor in the F-16D; a four-channel digital flight-control system; GPS; advanced EW and IFF equipment; and further structural strengthening to counter the aircraft’s growing weight. The Block 50/52 received uprated F100-GE-129 and F110-PW-229 engines; an upgraded programmable display generator; an upgraded programmable display generator with digital terrain mapping; an improved APG-68V5 fire-control radar; an automatic target hand-off system; an anti-jam radio; the ALE-47 chaff dispenser; and integration of AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles. Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting [118]
- Although only three stages had been originally planned, GD proposed an MSIP IV segment (marketed as ‘Agile Falcon’), but this was rejected by the Air Force in 1989. However, most of its elements – such as extensive avionics upgrades, color displays, an electronic warfare management system (EWMS), reconnaissance pods, AIM-9X Sidewinder infrared air-to-air missile integration, and helmet-mounted sights – have been introduced since that time. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters [119][120][72]
- Pacer Loft I & II
- F-16A/B Blocks 1 and 5 were upgraded to the Block 10 standard under a two-phase program: Pacer Loft I (1982–1983) and Pacer Loft II (1983–1984). [121]
- F-16A/B Block 15 OCU
- Beginning in January 1988, all Block 15 F-16A/B were delivered with an Operational Capability Upgrade (OCU). The Block 15 OCU aircraft incorporate the wide-angle HUD that was first introduced on the F-16C/D Block 25, more reliable F100-PW-220 turbofans, updated defensive systems, and the ability to fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, and the AGM-119 Penguin Mk.3 anti-shipping missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg. The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM designed for close air support An air-to-surface missile (also air-to-ground missile, AGM, ASM or ATGM) is a Missile designed to be launched from Military The Penguin Anti-ship missile (US designation AGM-119) made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA of Norway from the early 1970s and continually Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of Kongsberg Gruppen ( (lit "The Kongsberg Group" is Norway 's major defence contractor and maritime automation supplier located in and named after former mining Many foreign customers upgraded their aircraft to the F-16A/B Block 15OCU standard. [122]
- F-16 MLU
- In 1989 a two-year study began regarding possible mid-life upgrades for the USAF’s and European Partner Air Forces’ (EPAF’s) F-16A/B’s. The resulting F-16 Mid-Life Update (MLU) package was designed to upgrade the cockpit and avionics to the equivalent of that on the F-16C/D Block 50; add the ability to employ radar-guided air-to-air missiles; and to generally enhance the operational performance and improve the reliability, supportability and maintainability of the aircraft. Development began in May 1991 and continued until 1997; however, the USAF withdrew from the MLU program in 1992, although it did procure the modular mission computer for its Block 50/52 aircraft. [123][124]
- The first of five prototype conversions flew on 28 April 1995, and installation of production kits began in January 1997. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Original plans called for the production of 553 kits (110 for Belgium, 63 for Denmark, 172 for the Netherlands, 57 for Norway, and 130 for the USAF), however, final orders amounted to only 325 kits (72 for Belgium, 61 for Denmark, 136 for the Netherlands, and 56 for Norway). The EPAFs redesignated the F-16A/B aircraft receiving the MLU as F-16AM/BM, respectively. Portugal later joined the program and the first of 20 aircraft was redelivered on 26 June 2003. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. In recent years, Chile, Jordan, and Pakistan have purchased surplus Dutch and Belgian F-16AM/BM for their air forces. [124]
- Development of new software and hardware modifications continues under the MLU program. The M3 software tape was installed in parallel with the Falcon STAR structural upgrade to bring the F-16AM/BM up to the standards of the USAF’s Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP). A total of 296 M3 kits (72 for Belgium, 59 for Denmark, 57 for Norway, and 108 for the Netherlands) were ordered for delivery from 2002–2007; installation is anticipated to be completed in 2010. An M4 tape has also been developed that adds the ability to use additional weapons and the Pantera targeting pod; Norway began operating flying combat operations in Afghanistan with these upgraded aircraft in 2008. The Lockheed Martin Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod (Sniper ATP provides positive target identification autonomous tracking coordinate generation and precise weapons guidance An M5 tape is in development that enable employment of a wider array of the latest smart weapons, and the first aircraft upgraded with it are due to be delivered in 2009. [124]
- Falcon UP
- Although the F-16 was originally designed with an expected service life of 8000 flying hours, actual operational usage has proven to be more severe than expected and this has been exacerbated by its growing weight as more systems and structure have been added to the aircraft. As a result, the anticipated average service life of the F-16A/B had fallen to only 5500 flying hours. Beginning in the early 1990s, the Falcon UP program restored the 8000-hour capability for the USAF’s Block 40/42 aircraft. Pleased with the results, the USAF extended the Falcon UP effort to provide a Service Life Improvement Program (SLIP) for its Block 25 and 30/32 aircraft to ensure 6000 flying hours, and a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for its F-16A/B aircraft to assure their achieving 8000 hours. [125][126]
- Falcon STAR
- Falcon STAR (STructural Augmentation Roadmap) is a program to repair and replace critical airframe components on all F-16A/B/C/D aircraft; like Falcon UP, it is intended to ensure an 8000-hour service life, but is based on more recent operational usage statistics. The first redelivery occurred in February 2004, and in 2007 the USAF announced that it would upgrade 651 Block 40/42/50/52 F-16’s; this is expected to extend the Falcon STAR program, which began in 1999, through 2014. [125][126]
- F-16 ACE
- Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) developed an open-architecture avionics suite upgrade for its F-16s known as the Avionics Capabilities Enhancement (ACE). Israel Aerospace Industries ( Hebrew: התעשייה האווירית לישראל ha-ta`aSiyyâh ha-'awîrît lë-yiSrâ'êl) or IAI (תע"א ta`a' It introduced the first “full-glass cockpit” on an operational F-16, and featured an advanced fire-control radar, an Up Front Control Panel (UFCP), and an option for a wide-angle head-up display (HUD) or a helmet-mounted display. A fire-control radar is a Radar which is designed specifically to provide information (mainly target azimuth elevation range and velocity to a Fire-control system A head-up display, or HUD, is any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpont A head-mounted display or Helmet mounted display, both abbreviated 'HMD' is a display device worn on the head or as part of a helmet that has a small display optic First flight of an F-16B equipped with ACE was accomplished in May 2001. The ACE upgrade was not taken up by the Israeli Air Force, which ordered a second batch of the F-16I instead; IAI offered ACE to Venezuela but the U. S. government blocked it and stated that it would only permit elements of ACE, not the whole suite, to be exported. [127][128]
- F-16 Falcon ONE
- Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero) has also developed a state-of-the-art, “glass cockpit” avionics suite as an alternative to the MLU offering. ST Engineering (Singapore Technologies Engineering is an integrated engineering group providing solutions and services in the Aerospace, Electronics, land systems The Falcon ONE suite includes a wide-angle HUD that can display FLIR imagery, the Striker Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), a datalink capability, and the FIAR Grifo radar. In Telecommunication a data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information First revealed at the Farnborough Air Show on 25 July 2000, it has yet to find a customer. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. [129][130]
- F-16 CCIP
- The Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP) is a $2 billion modernization effort that seeks to standardize all USAF Block 40/42/50/52 F-16s to a common Block 50/52-based avionics software and hardware configuration for simplified training and maintenance. General Dynamics received a contract to develop the first phase CCIP configuration upgrade packages in June 1998; kit production work started in 2000, and deliveries began in July 2001. [131][132]
- Phase 1 of the CCIP introduced new Modular Mission Computers, color cockpit display kits and advanced IFF systems to domestically based Block 50/52 aircraft, and introduced the new Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). The Lockheed Martin Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod (Sniper ATP provides positive target identification autonomous tracking coordinate generation and precise weapons guidance The ability of the F-16CJ/DJ to employ GPS-guided weapons was extended to the rest of the Block 50/52 fleet. Upgraded Phase 1 aircraft redeliveries began in January 2002. The second phase extended these upgrades to overseas-based Block 50/52 Falcons, and redeliveries ran from July 2003 to June 2007. Phase II also included the introduction of autonomous beyond-visual-range air-intercept capability, the Link-16 datalink, and the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). A Beyond Visual Range Missile usually refers to an Air-to-air missile that is capable of engaging at ranges beyond 20 Nautical Link 16 is a Military inter-computer Data exchange format of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation [131]
- The ongoing Phase 3 effort is focused on Block 40/42 F-16s. Development began in July 2003 and by June 2007 Lockheed Martin had completed roughly a quarter of the USAF’s Block 40/42 fleet. Phase 3 incorporates the M3+ Operational Flight Program (OFP) which extends the capabilities of the first two phases to the Block 40/42 fleet and adds Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS), the new NATO-standard datalink network. Multifunctional Information Distribution System MIDS is the NATO name for the communication component of Link-16. The North Atlantic Treaty Development of an M4+ OFP began in late 2002; this update will allow use of the Raytheon AIM-9X on Block 40/42/50/52 aircraft. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract in early 2004 to develop an M5+ upgrade kit to update the AN/APG-68(V)5 radars on the Block 40/42/50/52 Falcons to the AN/APG-68(V)9 standard; upgrading of Block 40/42 aircraft began in 2007 and is to become operational on the Block 50/52 aircraft by 2010. Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. An M6+ OFP is under consideration, and could include integration of the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) on CCIP aircraft, which is planned to begin in fiscal year 2012. The GBU-39 Small-Diameter Bomb ( SDB) is a 250 pound (113 kg) Guided bomb that is intended to provide Aircraft with the ability [131]
- Turkey became the first international customer for the CCIP update with the signing of a $1. 1 billion contract on 26 April 2005 to upgrade an initial 76 Block 40/50 and 41 Block 30 F-16C/Ds to an equivalent of the Phase 3/M5+ OFP standard under the ‘Peace Onyx III’ Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This work will be performed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and is due to be completed in 2012; however, Turkey holds on option on the upgrade of the remainder of its 100 Block 40s, which could extend the program. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc [131][133]
- CUPID
- The Combat Upgrade Plan Integration Details (CUPID) effort is an ongoing initiative to bring older U. S. Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Block 25/30/32 F-16s closer to Block 50/52 specifications. CUPID focuses on adding improved precision attack capabilities, night vision equipment, datalinks, carriage of the Litening II infrared targeting pod, and laser- and GPS-guided weapons. The LITENING targeting pod is a precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of combat aircraft [125][126]
Derivatives
The performance and flexibility of the F-16 has been an important and visible influence on aircraft development programs of three nations seeking to advance the design and manufacturing skills of their indigenous aerospace industries. The resulting aircraft are not copies of the basic F-16, but the inspiration of the Fighting Falcon on their design is readily apparent.
- AIDC F-CK-1A/B Ching Kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF)
- Due to U. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout S. refusal to supply the Republic of China (Taiwan) with either the F-16/79 or F-20, the Taiwanese government tasked its Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) to develop an indigenous fighter. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (漢翔航空工業股份有限公司 is an state owned aerospace company based in Taichung which developed the AIDC Ching-kuo Preliminary design studies began in 1980, and the Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) program was launched two years later. Since Taiwanese industry had not developed a sophisticated fighter before, AIDC sought design and development assistance from General Dynamics and other major American aerospace companies. With such assistance, a design was finalized in 1985. The IDF design is by no means a copy of the F-16, but it was clearly influenced by the F-16, such as the layout of control surfaces, yet it also features design elements from the F-5, like its twin-engine configuration. In December 1988 the IDF aircraft was designated F-CK-1 and named after the late President Chiang Ching-Kuo. Chiang Ching-kuo ( POJ: ChiúⁿKeng-kok ( April 27 1, 1910 – January 13, 1988) Kuomintang (KMT Politician The first of four prototypes (3 single-seat and 1 twin-seat) flew on 28 May 1989. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) A total of 130 Ching Kuo fighters (102 F-CK-1A single-seaters and 28 F-CK-1B two-seaters) were delivered from 1994–2000. [134][135][136]
- Mitsubishi F-2A/B (FS-X/TFS-X)
- In 1982, Japan’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) initiated studies of options for an indigenous fighter design to replace the Mitsubishi F-1 strike fighter. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This initiative would later be designated FS-X (Fighter Support Experimental). (The two-seat trainer version was originally designated ‘TFS-X’. ) Determining that an entirely indigenous development effort would be cost-prohibitive, the Japanese Defense Agency (JDA) sought an off-the-shelf fighter for its FS-X (Fighter Support Experimental) requirement, but none proved entirely acceptable. The is one of Cabinet -level ministries of the Japanese government. As a result, the JDA sought a co-development program based on a variant of an existing fighter type, and on 21 October 1987 announced its selection of a modified version of the F-16C/D based on General Dynamics’ "Agile Falcon" concept. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The F-16 Agile Falcon was an engineering concept developed by General Dynamics in the 1980s The FS-X is larger and heavier than the F-16, has a greater wing area, and is mainly fitted with Japanese-developed avionics and equipment. The program was launched a year later and the first of four XF-2A/B prototypes flew on 7 October 1995. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Japanese Cabinet authorized production on 15 December 1995, with the designation F-2A/B being allocated to the single- and two-seat models, respectively. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 First flight of an F-2A occurred on 12 October 1999, and production aircraft deliveries began on 25 September 2000. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Originally, 141 F-2A/B (83 F-2A and 58 F-2B) were planned, but only 130 (83/47 F-2A/B) were approved in 1995; due to high costs, in December 2004, the total was capped at 98 aircraft, and in early 2007 this was reduced to 94. [137][138][139][140]
- KAI T/A-50 Golden Eagle (KTX-2)
- Building on its licensed manufacture of KF-16s, in 1992 Samsung Aerospace began work on designing a tandem-seat, supersonic, combat-capable jet trainer to replace the BAE Systems Hawk 67 and Northrop T-38 Talon jet trainers operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Samsung Group ( Korean:, Samsung Guerup) is South Korea 's largest company or Chaebol and the world's largest conglomerate BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Republic of Korea Air Force ( ROK Air Force, ROKAF, Hanglul: 대한민국 공군 Hanja: 大韓民國 空軍 is the Air force Samsung worked closely with Lockheed and the basic KTX-2 design had been laid out by 1995. At this point the aerospace units of Samsung, Daewoo and Hyundai were combined to form Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to ensure sufficient industrial “critical mass” to successfully develop the KTX-2. Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (commonly referred to as KAI, Korean: 한국항공우주산업 Hanja: 韓國航空宇宙産業 is a South Korean The T-50 resembles an 80%-scale F-16, but has a number of differences, not least being the fact that it has an engine air intake under each wing root, instead of a single under-belly intake, as well as a leading-edge extension more similar to that on the F/A-18 Hornet. The South Korean government gave its approval on 3 July 1997, and full-scale development work got underway in October. Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar In February 2000, the KTX-2 was designated the T-50 Golden Eagle, and the first of two T-50 flight-test prototypes flew on 20 August 2002; first flight of the first of two T-50 Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) prototypes – designated ‘A-50’ by the RoKAF and capable of combat – followed on 29 August 2003. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The RoKAF plans to acquire 50 T-50 advanced trainers and 44 A-50 LIFT trainer and light attack aircraft. Its first production contract, for 25 T-50, was placed in December 2003 and the first pair of T-50 aircraft was delivered 29 December 2005, and the type entered operational service in April 2007. Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In December 2006, the RoKAF placed a second production contract for 50 T-50 and A-50 aircraft; the first A-50 is scheduled to be delivered in 2009. The further development of an F-50 (or FA-50) air defense variant to replace Korea’s numerous F-5E/F Tiger II aircraft is under consideration. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [141][142][143]
Operators
Bahrain: Royal Bahraini Air Force (22).svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png)
Belgium: Belgian Air Component (68) original order 116 (96 single- and 20 two-seaters), additional order of 44 in 1988 (40 single- and 4 two-seaters)
Chile: Chilean Air Force (28)
Denmark: Royal Danish Air Force (48 + 21 in storage)
Egypt: Egyptian Air Force (220)[1]
Greece: Hellenic Air Force (131 + 30 on order)
Jordan: Royal Jordanian Air Force (58)
Indonesia: Indonesian Air Force (10, originally had 12 but 2 were lost in different accidents); Plans to upgrade their F-16A/B to F-16C/D variants and also plan to replace their F-5E/F by F-16C/D as an option. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf The Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF was formerly known as Bahrain Amiri Air Force (BAAF but since the elections of 14 February 2002, the state The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The Chilean Air Force ( Spanish: Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACH) is the Air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe The Royal Danish Air Force ( Danish: Flyvevåbnet) is the Air force of Denmark, it is an expeditionary Air Force with capability organised This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Egyptian Air Force, or EAF (القوات الجوية المصرية) is the aviation branch of the Egyptian armed forces. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία The Hellenic Air Force ( HAF) (in Πολεμική Αεροπορία ( ΠΑ) Polemikí Aeroporía, literally "Military Aviation" Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF (Arabic سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, Transliterated Silah al-Jaw Almalaki al-Urduni in Arabic The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. See also List of aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara or [144])
Israel: Israeli Air Force (322)[2]
Italy: Italian Air Force (34; leased from USAF)
Morocco: Royal Moroccan Air Force (24 on order)[145][146]
Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Air Force (82+18 in storage)
Norway: Royal Norwegian Air Force (74 delivered, 57 in service as of 2007)
Oman: Royal Air Force of Oman (12)
Pakistan: Pakistan Air Force (34 + 44 on order + option for 36 more) [3]
Poland: Polish Air Force (48)
Portugal: Portuguese Air Force (45)
Singapore: Republic of Singapore Air Force (76)
Republic of China (Taiwan): Republic of China Air Force (150)
South Korea: Republic of Korea Air Force (180)[147] (F-16C/D 40, KF-16C/D 140 ; KF-16C/D built under license by Korean Aerospace Industries)
Thailand: Royal Thai Air Force (61)
Turkey: Turkish Air Force (240+30 on order) F-16s built under license by Turkish Aerospace Industries, They incorporate to a certain degree indigenous sub-systems such as the Aselsan developed Aselsan AN/APX-117 IFF (Identifying friend of foe) system. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Aeronautica Militare is the Air force of Italy. It has held a prominent role in modern Italian military history. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF (Arabic القوات الجوية الملكية المغربية; transliterated 'al-Quwwat al-Jaoiyah al-Malakiyah al-Maghribiyah French The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF, Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, is the aviation branch of the Netherlands armed forces Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF ( Norwegian: Luftforsvaret) is the Air force of Norway. Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast The Royal Air Force of Oman ( RAFO) is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces History The Sultan of Oman's Air Force Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese Air Force ( PoAF) (Força Aérea Portuguesa FAP) is the Air force of Portugal. Singapore REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Republic of China Air Force Personnel53000 South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː The Republic of Korea Air Force ( ROK Air Force, ROKAF, Hanglul: 대한민국 공군 Hanja: 大韓民國 空軍 is the Air force Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (commonly referred to as KAI, Korean: 한국항공우주산업 Hanja: 韓國航空宇宙産業 is a South Korean The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF ( Thai: กองทัพอากาศไทย Kong Thab Akat Thai is the Air force of the Kingdom of Thailand Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc All TuAF F-16 will be CCIP level. [148]
United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates Air Force (80)
United States
- United States Air Force (1,245) - 1 F-16A Block 15, 197 F-16C/D Block 25, 350 F-16C/D Block 30, 51 F-16C/D Block 32, 222 F-16C/D Block 40, 174 F-16C/D Block 42, 198 F-16C/D Block 50, 52 F-16C/D Block 52. The United Arab Emirates Air Force ( UAEAF) is the air force of the United Arab Emirates. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [149]
- Active - 701
- Air National Guard - 490
- Reserve - 54
- United States Navy (40)[150]
- United States Air Force (1,245) - 1 F-16A Block 15, 197 F-16C/D Block 25, 350 F-16C/D Block 30, 51 F-16C/D Block 32, 222 F-16C/D Block 40, 174 F-16C/D Block 42, 198 F-16C/D Block 50, 52 F-16C/D Block 52. The United Arab Emirates Air Force ( UAEAF) is the air force of the United Arab Emirates. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [149]
Venezuela: Venezuelan Air Force (24)
Current sales proposals
In November 2006, the Pakistan Air Force signed a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for 18 new-built F-16C/D Block 52+, 26 F-16A/B Block 15 and 60 Mid-Life-Update M3 Tape modules/kits as part of a $5. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the The Air Force of Venezuela, since 2006 Aviación Militar Venezolana (previously Fuerza Aérea Venezolana, FAV) is a professional armed body designed to Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces 1bn deal including fighter aircraft, their related infrastructure, training and ammunition. Deliveries of the F-16A/Bs are expected to begin in 2007, while the initial F-16C/Ds will likely be received sometime in late 2008 or early 2009. The current procurement program of new-built aircraft as well as refurbishment and upgrade of 60 used and serving aircraft is expected to be complete by 2010-2012, as per the Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed. Pakistan Air Force ( Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Faza'ya) ( PAF) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces Air Chief Marshal ( Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a senior Air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force (RAF Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed (born 1952 is the current chief of air staff of Pakistan Air Force. In April 2006, Janes Defence Weekly reported that the PAF may procure an additional 33 F-16C/D Block 52+ - these would likely include the 18 option Block 52+ from the current deal. "JDW" redirects here For the biologist with the same initials see James D In July 2007, Commander of Central Command Air Forces, Lieutenant General Gary L. United States Air Forces Central ( USAFCENT, or AFCENT) formerly United States Central Command Air Forces ( USCENTAF, or informally just Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the North (U. S. Air Force), and another U. S. aviator flew a pair of F-16s to Pakistan for Pakistan Air Force. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and [151]
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) also expressed its interest in the F-16, but its plan to purchase modern multi-role fighter aircraft to replace its retired F-5A/B Freedom Fighters has been shelved due to economic reasons and having counter-insurgency operations as its main priority. The Philippine Air Force (PAF is the Air force of the Republic of the Philippines, and one of the three main services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In the mid-1990s, the PAF did not act on a US offer to sell 28 F-16A/B Block 15 OCU fighters, which were earlier embargoed from Pakistan. [152][153]
The Republic of China (Taiwan)'s Air Force (ROCAF), needing a next generation fighter to replace its fleet of F-16 A/B Block 20s, has expressed interest in the new F-35 Lightning II. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Republic of China Air Force Personnel53000 WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, due to political issues, it is unlikely the island nation will be able to acquire such an advanced fighter in the near future. As a result, the ROCAF has opted for up to 66 new F-16C/D Block50/52 as its interim replacement fighter. [154] As with all military purchases, Beijing has expressed opposition to the sale.
Croatian Air Force will by 2011 purchase 12 or more modern multi-role fighter aircraft to replace its MiG-21 bis/MF. The most-likely candidates are JAS 39 Gripen or F-16C/D. [155]
The Indonesian Air Force is seeking approval to purchase 6 new F-16 C/D variants to strengthen their F-16 squadron. See also List of aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara or [156] Currently 10 F-16s are in service, originally the Indonesian Air Force had 12 but 2 were subsequently lost in separate incidents. [157] From 2000 to 2005 the US imposed an arms embargo on Indonesia which resulted in the F-16 squadron being grounded due to a lack of spare parts. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia.
The U. S. Pentagon said on 19 May 2008 that it had notified Congress of the possible sale to Romania of 24 new Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets and 24 refurbished older F-16s, plus associated equipment, in a deal valued at up to $4. 5 billion.
Incidents
On 8 May 1975, while practicing a 9-g aerial display maneuver at Fort Worth prior to being sent to the Paris Air Show, one of the main landing gear jammed. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The test pilot, Neil Anderson, had to perform an emergency gear-up landing and chose to do so in the grass, hoping to minimize damage and to avoid injuring the many GD employees observing the display. The damage was too expensive to repair. [24]
On 27 March 2000 and Israeli Air Force F-16D into the Mediterranean Sea during a training flight 17 nmi off the coastal village of Atlit in northern Israel. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Israeli Air Force ( IAF; Hebrew: זרוע האויר והחלל Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, "Air and Space Arm" commonly known as חיל A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of Length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of Latitude along any meridian. Atlit (עתלית is a small coastal town in the form of a communal settlement, located south of Haifa in Israel. The pilot, Major Yonatan Begin, was a grandson of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. (מְנַחֵם בְּגִין Mieczysław Biegun Менахем Вольфович Бегин 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992 was the sixth prime minister of the State of Israel Neither he nor his co-pilot, Lt. Lior Harari, had notified their ground controllers of any problems; their remains were not recovered. [158]
On March 14, 2008, an F-16 from 62nd Fighter Squadron from Luke Air Force Base crashed south of Alamo Lake, Arizona. Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The United States Air Force 56th Fighter Wing (56 FW is the host wing for Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located seven miles (11 km west of the Central business district of Glendale, in Maricopa County Alamo Lake State Park is a State park in western Arizona, located about north of Wenden. The F-16 was piloted by a student pilot in combat training with another pilot. The F-16 struck the ground, killing the pilot. [159][160]
Specifications (F-16C Block 30)
Data from USAF sheet,[161] AerospaceWeb,[162] GlobalSecurity. org[163]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 49 ft 5 in (14. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 8 m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 8 m)
- Height: 16 ft (4. 8 m)
- Wing area: 300 ft² (27. 87 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 64A204 root and tip
- Empty weight: 18,200 lb (8,270 kg)
- Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,200 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan
- Dry thrust: 14,590 lbf (64. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor The NACA airfoils are Airfoil shapes for aircraft wings developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine This article deals with the unit of force For the unit of mass see Pound (mass. 9 kN)
- Thrust with afterburner: 23,770 lbf (105. The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs 7 kN)
- Alternate powerplant: 1× General Electric F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan
- Dry thrust: 17,155 lbf (76. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 3 kN)
- Thrust with afterburner: 28,600 lbf (128. 9 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed:
- At sea level: Mach 1. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such Mach number (\mathrm{Ma} or M (generally ˈmɑːk sometimes /ˈmɑːx/ or /ˈmæk/ is the speed of an object moving through air or any Fluid 2 (915 mph, 1,460 km/h)
- At altitude: Mach 2+ (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h)
- Combat radius: 340 NM (295 mi, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
- Ferry range: >2,100 NM (2,420 NM, 3,900 km)
- Service ceiling >50,000 ft (15,239 m)
- Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
- Wing loading: 88. A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of Length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of Latitude along any meridian. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States For Aircraft, ferry range means the maximum range the aircraft can fly In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing 2 lb/ft² (431 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: For F100 engine: 0. Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface 898, For F110: 1. 095
Armament
- Guns: 1× 20 mm (0. 787 in) M61 Vulcan gatling gun, 511 rounds
- Rockets: 2¾ in (70 mm) CRV7
- Missiles:
- Air-to-air missiles:
- 2× AIM-7 Sparrow or
- 6× AIM-9 Sidewinder or
- 6× IRIS-T or
- 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM or
- 6× Python-4
- Air-to-ground missiles:
- 6× AGM-45 Shrike or
- 6× AGM-65 Maverick or
- 4× AGM-88 HARM
- Anti-ship missiles:
- 2× AGM-84 Harpoon or
- 4× AGM-119 Penguin
- Air-to-air missiles:
- Bombs:
- 2× CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
- 2× CBU-89 Gator mine
- 2× CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
- Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
- 4× GBU-10 Paveway II
- 6× GBU-12 Paveway II
- 6× Paveway-series laser-guided bombs
- 4× JDAM
- 4× Mark 84 general-purpose bombs
- 8× Mark 83 GP bombs
- 12× Mark 82 GP bombs
- B61 nuclear bomb
Popular culture
The F-16 can be seen in movies such as Blue Thunder, The Jewel of the Nile, the Iron Eagle series, X2, and The Sum Of All Fears. The M61 Vulcan is a 20 mm Hydraulically or Pneumatically driven six- barreled air-cooled The Gatling gun is considered by some to have been the first Machine gun: although it did not automatically reload under its own power it was capable of firing continuously The CRV7 is a 275 inch folding-fin ground attack Rocket produced by Bristol Aerospace in Winnipeg Manitoba. An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters IRIS-T ( Infra Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled) is a German -led program to develop a short-range Air-to-air missile to replace the The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR air-to-air Missile The Python is a family of air-to-air missiles (AAMs built by the Israeli weapons manufacturer RAFAEL Armament Development Authority. An air-to-surface missile (also air-to-ground missile, AGM, ASM or ATGM) is a Missile designed to be launched from Military History The Shrike was first employed during the Vietnam War by the Navy in 1965 using A-4 aircraft The AGM-65 Maverick is an air-to-ground tactical missile (AGM designed for close air support Gulf War Friendly Fire Incident During the Gulf War, the HARM was involved in a friendly fire incident when the pilot of an F-4G Wild Weasel escorting Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated The Penguin Anti-ship missile (US designation AGM-119) made by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA of Norway from the early 1970s and continually The CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition is a Cluster bomb used by the United States Air Force. Airforce CBU-89/B The Airforce CBU-89/B is a 1000-pound cluster munition containing 72 antitank and 22 antipersonnel mines consists of an SUU-64 Tactical Munitions Dispenser Developed and produced by Textron Defense Systems the CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a United States Air Force 1000-pound-class (450 kg non-guided (freefall Cluster bomb The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a tail kit for use with the TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser family of Cluster bombs to convert them to Precision-guided Paveway is a trademark of Raytheon Company which identifies its variants of Laser Guided Bombs (LGB Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force The Mark 84 is an American General-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons The Mark 83 is part of the Mark 80 series of low- drag General-purpose bombs in United States service The Mark 82 (Mk 82 is an unguided low- drag General-purpose bomb ( Dumb bomb) part of the U The B61 Nuclear bomb is the primary Thermonuclear weapon in the U Blue Thunder is a 1983 Feature film that features a high-tech Helicopter of the same name The Jewel of the Nile is a Sequel to the 1984 romantic adventure Romancing the Stone featuring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Iron Eagle is a 1986 Action film about a teenage boy named Doug Masters ( Jason Gedrick) who commandeers two American F-16 fighter The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series It also appears, in a more negative light, in the 1992 TV movie Afterburn.
Due to its widespread adoption, the F-16 has been a popular model for computer flight simulators, appearing in over twenty games. A flight simulator is a system that tries to copy or simulate, the experience of flying an aircraft Some of them are: Falcon series (1987-2005), F-16 Fighting Falcon (1984), Jet (1989), Strike Commander (1993), iF-16 (1997), F-16 Multi-role Fighter (1998), F-16 Aggressor (1999), and Thrustmaster "HOTAS Cougar" flight simulator controller (exacting reproduction of those found in the F-16 Block 40/50). The Falcon line of computer games is a series of simulations of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft Strike Commander is a flight sim Computer game for MS-DOS released in 1993 by the now defunct Origin Systems and was designed F-16 MRF is a Flight simulation which is focused on the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Company Info Thrustmaster, is a designer and developer of Joysticks game controllers, and Steering The F-16 is also one of two aircraft available in the built-in flight simulator in Google Earth. Google Earth is a Virtual globe program that was originally called Earth Viewer and was created by Keyhole Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
- Chengdu J-10/FC-4
- F/A-18 Hornet
- F-20 Tigershark
- IAI Lavi
- JAS 39 Gripen
- Chengdu FC-1/JF-17 Thunder
- Dassault Mirage 2000
- Mikoyan MiG-29
- HAL Tejas
Related lists
References
Notes
- ^ F-16 Fact Sheet, US Air Force, October 2007. Aircraft classified as fourth generation jet fighters are those in service approximately from 1980–2010 representing the design concepts of the 1970s Dos Gringos is a band started by Chris "Snooze" Kurek and Rob "Trip" Raymond two U The Green Ramp disaster was a 1994 Mid-air collision and subsequent ground collision at Pope Air Force Base (Pope AFB, North Carolina that killed WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout * List of active United States military aircraft This is a list of currently-active Military aircraft in use by the United States A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed
- ^ F-16 Fighting Falcon
- ^ Lockheed Martin, Poland Air Force Celebrate Arrival of Most Advanced F-16 Multirole Fighters in Europe
- ^ General Dynamics history
- ^ Lockheed Martin history, 1990a
- ^ F-16 Fact Sheet, USAF, October 2007.
- ^ F-16 Fighting Falcon, F16, or Viper?
- ^ Richardson, Doug. General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. London: Salamander Books, 1990. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-86101-534-7.
- ^ Jenkins, Dennis R. F/A-18 Hornet: A Navy Success Story. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. ISBN 0071346961.
- ^ Richardson 1990, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Higham, Robin & Williams, Carol. Flying Combat Aircraft of USAAF-USAF (Vol. 2). Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-8138-0375-6.
- ^ Richardson 1990, p. 7.
- ^ Hillaker, Harry (July 1997). “Tribute To John R. Boyd”. Code One. Retrieved 7 June 2008. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Hehs, Eric (April & July 1991). “Harry Hillaker – Father of the F-16”. Code One. Retrieved 7 June 2008. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Coram, Robert. Boyd: the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. New York: Little, Brown, and Co. , 2002. ISBN 0-316-88146-5.
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–9.
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 10–11.
- ^ Richardson 1990, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Richardson 1990, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Richardson 1990, p. 14.
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 12–13.
- ^ a b c d Anon. (undated). “YF-16 : The Birth of a Fighter”. F-16. net. Retrieved 13 June 2008. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 13–16.
- ^ Richardson 1990, p. 13.
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 17–19 & 33–34.
- ^ Peacock 1997, pp. 14–16, 21.
- ^ Spick, Mike ed, Great Book of Modern Warplanes, p. 196. MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.
- ^ http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Partners/F_16.html Partners in Freedom: Highlights of Research by Langley for the F-16 (Curing a Deep Stall)], NASA/LARC.
- ^ Dryden, Joe Bill. "Recovering From Deep Stalls And Departures", Code One magazine, July 1986.
- ^ Making the Best of the Fighter Force, Air Force magazine, March 2007.
- ^ F-16 Cockpit page LockheedMartin.com
- ^ Air Force Technology - F-16 Fighting Falcon - Multirole Fighter Aircraft
- ^ Albano, J. J. and Stanford, J. B. , "Prevention of Minor Neck Injuries in F-16 Pilots". Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine; 1998; 69:1193-9.
- ^ Fuel Tank Airborne Cable Assemblies
- ^ Computers in Aviation, Centennial of Flight
- ^ *Harel, Amos (2006). IDF fighter jet crashes during take-off in Negev; no injuries. Haaretz Newspaper. Retrieved on 2006-07-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold
- ^ a b Iskra, Alex (26 September 2003). Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. “GD/L-M F-16A/B Netz in Israeli Service”. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG). Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Grant, Rebecca (August 2002). “Osirak and Beyond”. Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Schow, Jr. , Kenneth C. , Lt Col, USAF (November 1995). “Falcons Against the Jihad: Israeli Airpower and Coercive Diplomacy in Southern Lebanon”. Air University Press. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Pakistan Border Battles. Pakistan Military Consortium. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Accident Reports for 1991”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “USAF Manned Aircraft Combat Losses 1990-2002”. Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “Aerial Victory Credits”. Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0778”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 86-0262". F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (17 December 1998). For other uses see News Hour. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is an evening Television News program broadcast Events 546 - Gothic War (535–554: The Ostrogoths of King Totila Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) "Secretary Albright" (transcript), PBS. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Accessed 16 May 2008
- ^ Cooper, Tom & Sosa, Juan (1 September 2003). Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. “Venezuelan Coup Attempt, 1992”. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG). Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Palmer, Eric L. (28 February 1994). Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) “USAF F-16s shoot down 4 Serb attack aircraft”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (28 October 2003; updated 18 September 2004). Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " “U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War”. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG). Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 89-2032”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (30 November 2003). Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. “Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s”. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG). Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Roberts, Chris (7 February 2007). Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia". F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0550". F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 91-0023”. F-16. net. Retrieved 18 May 2008. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (28 October 2003; updated 18 September 2004). Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " “Greek & Turkish Air-to-Air Victories”. Air Combat Information Group (ACIG). Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Dewitte, Lieven (22 May 2003). Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. “Deadly 1996 Aegean clash is confirmed”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ “Greek F-16 and Turkish F-16 collide - 1 pilot OK”. F-16. net, 23 May 2006. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Kapisthalam, Kaushik (20 May 2005). Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. “May 20, 2005”. Strategy Page. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (3 January 2006). Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. “F-16s complete one thousand hours of flight operations over Afghanistan”. Dutch Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0424”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Weisman, Jonathan (26 March 2003). Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. “Patriot Missiles Seemingly Falter For Second Time; Glitch in Software Suspected”. Washington Post (via Global Security). Retrieved 17 May 2008. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Iraq Terror Chief Killed in Airstrike", CBS News, June 8, 2006. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Anon. (27 November 2006). Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. US F-16 goes down in Iraq. Al Jazeerah. Retrieved 17 May 2008. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0776”. F-16. net. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Pilot killed in an F-16 fighter crash on takeoff in Iraq, Air Force says.", International Herald Tribune, 2007-06-16. The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international Newspaper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.
- ^ "U.S. F-16 warplane crashes in Iraq, pilot uninjured", Xinhua News Agency, 2007-07-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Retrieved on 2008-05-17. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.
- ^ Harel, Amos (20 July 2007). Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “IDF fighter jet crashes during take-off in Negev; no injuries”. Haaretz. Retrieved 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Ring, Wilson (7 April 2008). Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Vermont Air Guard proud of nation's longest flying F-16. Boston Globe. Retrieved 24 May 2008. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16C/D Block 50/52”. F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c d e Anon. (updated 21 January 2008). Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common “Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon”. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b Anon. (undated). F-16 in South Korea by F-16.net. F-16. net. Retrieved 20 May 2008. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Israeli F-16s. Latest Developments", Air Forces Monthly, Key Publishing, June 2004, pp. 36-39. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 202 BCE - The Battle of Zama results in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal.
- ^ a b c d Anon. (undated). A-16, F/A-16, F-16A (30mm gun). F-16. net. Retrieved 21 May 2008. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "YF-16 : The Birth of a Fighter". F-16. net. Retrieved 21 May 2008. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "F-16 Origins". Vectorsite. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 54.
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 54.
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16/CCV : Control Configured Vehicle". F-16. net. Retrieved 25 May 2008. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (updated 31 March 2000). Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. General Dynamics YF-16/CCV. American Military Aircraft. Retrieved 26 May 2008. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "F-16 Variants". Vectorsite. Retrieved 26 May 2008. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 SFW : Swept Forward Wing”. F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16/79 : FX Export Fighter". F-16. net. Retrieved 21 May 2008. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Dabney, Thomas R. and Hirschberg, Michael J. (July 1998). “Engine wars – Competition for U. S. fighter engine production”, paper presented at the 34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, Cleveland, Ohio, July 13-15, 1998.
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16/101 : Derivative Fighter Engine". F-16. net. Retrieved 24 May 2008. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Chambers, Joseph R. “Partners in Freedom: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990’s”; Monographs in Aerospace History Number 19, The NASA History Series (NASA SP-2000-4519). Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2000. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program
- ^ Darling, Kev (2003). F-16 Fighting Falcon: Combat Legend. Airlife. p. 63. ISBN 1-84037-399-7.
- ^ a b Anon. (undated). "F-16 XL : Cranked-Arrow Wing". F-16. net. Retrieved 25 May 2008. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Somerville, Jon (9 July 2007). Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "NASA could put F-16XL back into the air". F-16. net. Retrieved 25 May 2008. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 AFTI : Advanced Fighter Technology Integration". F-16. net. Retrieved 25 May 2008. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "F-16 Variants". Vectorsite. Retrieved 26 May 2008. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Dewitte, Lieven (10 January 2001). Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. "AFTI/F-16 History". F-16. net. Retrieved 26 May 2008. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Anon. (undated). "RF-16/F-16(R) : Recce Versions". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16A/B Block 1/5/10/15/15OCU/20". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Peacock, Lindsay. On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story. RAF Fairford, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. p. 38.
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 48–49.
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 48–49.
- ^ a b c Anon. (undated). "F-16 – Various : Agile Falcon/production extension". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Burnett, Paul C. ; Garrido, Manuel W. ; Morrow, Ronnie K. ; Tucker, Bartow C. (March 1986). F-16 Digital Terrain System: Concept of Operations and Support (Accession Number: ADA177737). Defense Technical Information Center. Retrieved 21 May 2008. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "F-16 Variants". Vectorsite. net. Retrieved 21 May 2008. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Anon. (undated). "F-16 VISTA / MATV / NF-16D : Variable-stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft, Multi Axis Thrust Vectoring". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 47–48.
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 51.
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 51–52.
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 ES : Enhanced Strategic". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Peacock 1997, p. 50.
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 LOAN : Low Observable Asymmetric Nozzle". F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (20 November 1996). Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) “Lockheed Martin Completes Testing of New Engine Nozzle”. Defense Daily. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 MLU : Mid-Life Update". F-16. net. Retrieved 24 May 2008. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). "F-16 GCAS : Ground Collision Avoidance System". F-16. net. Retrieved 26 May 2008. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Pandey, Vinay (17 January 2008). Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common "F-16 maker Lockheed mounts an India campaign". Times of India. Retrieved 24 May 2008. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (11 May 2008). Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common "F-16 maker Lockheed mounts an India campaign". Defense Industry Daily. Retrieved 24 May 2008. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (9 July 2007). Events 455 - Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “Defense Watch : Drone Fest”. Defense Daily. Retrieved 7 June 2008. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Camm, Frank (1993). The F-16 Multinational Staged Improvement Program: A Case Study of Risk Assessment and Risk Management (Accession No. ADA281706). RAND Corp. Retrieved 2 June 2008. Events 455 - The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Camm 1993, pp. 33-35
- ^ Camm 1993, pp. 35-37
- ^ Camm 1993, pp. 37–39
- ^ Anon. (undated). “The legacy of the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" for the emerging C&EE nations”. F-16. net. Retrieved 6 June 2008. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Camm 1993, p. 27
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16A/B : Block 1/5/10/15/15OCU/20”. F-16. net. Retrieved 7 June 2008. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16A/B : Block 1/5/10/15/15OCU/20”. F-16. net. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 MLU : Mid-Life Update”. F-16. net. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Anon. (updated 28 April 2008). Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common “Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon – EPAF Mid-Life Update (MLU)”. Jane’s Aircraft Upgrades. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Anon. (updated 21 November 2007). Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon – Lockheed Martin Falcon UP/Falcon Star”. Jane’s Aircraft Upgrades. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c Anon. (undated). “F-16 Fighting Falcon – Service Life”. Global Security. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (21 June 2001). Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. “IAI's upgraded F-16 on display in Paris”. Defence Systems Daily. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (updated 11 January 2008). Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common “Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon – IAI/ELBIT Avionics Capabilities Enhancement (ACE) Upgrade”. Jane’s Aircraft Upgrades. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Low, Celina (25 July 2000). Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. “ST Aero Signs Up BAE Systems As Strategic Partner In F-16 Upgrade Suite”. ST Engineering press release. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (updated 15 January 2008). Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common “Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon – StAero Falcon One Upgrade”. Jane’s Aircraft Upgrades. Retrieved 30 May 2008. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ a b c d Anon. (updated 21 January 2008). Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common “Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon – Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP)”. Jane’s Aircraft Upgrades. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Dewitte, Lieven (30 June 1998). Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) “Lockheed Martin to develop major F-16C/D upgrade”. F-16. net. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ “F-16 Peace Onyx III program kicks off at TAI”. >
- ^ Anon. (15 January 2004). Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " “AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo”. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “AIDC Ching Kuo Indigenous Fighter”. Vectorsite. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “Ching-Kuo (IDF) Indigenous Defence Fighter, Taiwan”. Airforce-technology. com. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-16 FSX/F-2 : F-16 Inspired Japanese Fighter”. F-16. net. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (updated 9 October 2007). Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “Mitsubishi F-2”. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “Mitsubishi F-2”. Vectorsite. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “F-2 Attack Fighter, Japan”. Airforce-technology. com. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (5 December 2007). Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “KAI T-50 Golden Eagle”. Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Goebel, Greg (1 April 2007). Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. “KAI T-50 Golden Eagle”. Vectorsite. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Anon. (undated). “T-50 Golden Eagle Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, South Korea”. Airforce-technology. com. Retrieved 31 May 2008. Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ ANGKASA No. 07 Edisi April 2007 (page 15)
- ^ Warwick, Graham. "USA details possible $2.6 billion deal with Moroccan air force", Flight International, 27 December 2007. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ "Morocco Orders 24 F-16s", Defense News, 6 June 2008. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ F-16 Air Forces - South Korea
- ^ F-16 Users: Turkey, F-16. net. Retrieved: February 2, 2008. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ Air Forces Monthly, December 2007 issue, p. Air Forces Monthly is a military aviation magazine published by Key Publishing, based in Stamford, United Kingdom. December 2007 is the twelfth month of that year It began on a Saturday and 31 days later ended on a Monday 43-44.
- ^ F-16 Users: US Navy, F-16. net. Retrieved: March 10, 2008. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ F-16 Fighting Falcon
- ^ F-16 Air Forces - Potential Customers
- ^ Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page
- ^ ROC Requested Fighters
- ^ Croatian Air Force, aeroflight. co. uk
- ^ MilAvia Press.com
- ^ Scramble Magazine: Indonesian Air Arms Overview
- ^ Anon. (29 March 2000). Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. “Grandson of Begin Lost in Israeli F-16 Crash”. The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2008. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
- ^ "Pilot killed in Ariz. F-16 crash - Military", MSNBC. com
- ^ "F-16 crashes south of Alamo Lake, Ariz.", USAF.
- ^ F-16 USAF fact sheet
- ^ F-16 page, Aerospaceweb. org
- ^ F-16 Specifications, GlobalSecurity. org.
Bibliography
- Darling, Kev. F-16 Fighting Falcon (Combat Legend). London: Airlife, 2003. ISBN 1-84037-399-7.
- Hehs, Eric. "Harry Hillaker — Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1991.
- Hillaker, Harry. "John Boyd, USAF Retired, Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1997.
- Mehuron, Tamar A. , Assoc. Editor. "2007 USAF Almanac - Equipment". Air Force Magazine, Journal of the Air Force Association 90 (5): May 2007. ISSN: 0730-6784.
- Peacock, Lindsay. On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story. RAF Fairford, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. ISBN 1-899808-01-9. </ref>
External links
- F-16 USAF fact sheet
- F-16 page on LockheedMartin.com
- F-16 page on GlobalSecurity.org
- F-16 profile on Aerospaceweb.org
- F-16.net Extensive and up-to-date Fighting Falcon resource
- F-16C Reference Library, great site with cockpit pictures and schematics (default language is German, use flag to switch to English as needed)
- Example of Virtual Fighter Wing
- Lucky Devils: 3.7 million pounds of ordinance, 1303 sorties, 42 days.
- F-16 Modernization program news release
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