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F16
Fighting Falcon
The F-16 Fighting Falcon
is a modern US-built, multi-role jet fighter aircraft. It
is in use by dozens of countries all over the world.
From the very
beginning, F-16 was intended to be neither a technical
break-through, nor an enormously powerful weapons
platform, but rather a cost-effective
"workhorse", that could perform various kinds
of missions and maintain around-the-clock readiness. This
distinguishes the F-16 from its predecessors, many of
which were not designed for all-weather operation (F-104) or were extremely expensive / made
for aircraft carrier operations (F-14).
From the point of view of design,
the F-16 is closer to a fighter than to a ground attack
aircraft. It is small and agile, and its canopy is
designed for the pilot's optimal visibility, a feature
vital during air-to-air combat. For this purpose, the
F-16 carries an M61 Vulcan cannon, and can be equipped
with air-to-air missiles. However, the F-16 can also
perform ground-support tasks if necessary. For that task,
it can be equipped with missiles or bombs.
The F-16 originates in a set of
specifications the United States Department of Defense
issued in 1974. Two companies were chosen during the
concept stage: General Dynamics with the XF-16 design and
Northrop with a design which bore the name XF-17. The
F-16 was chosen from the two prototypes; however the
two-engined XF-17 was not abandoned and later on became
the F/A-18 Hornet.
Initially, the F-16 was
manufactured in two models: A (combat version) and B (two
seats, used for training). The first time an F-16A took
off was in December 1976; the first aircraft was
delivered to the US Air Force in January 1979. In the
1980s, the F-16A/B was superseded by the F-16C/D with
improved avionics and engine.
Due to their ubiquitousness, the
F-16s have participated in numerous conflicts, most of
them in the Middle East. In 1981, 4 Israeli F-16s
participated in a raid that destroyed an Iraqi nuclear
reactor near Baghdad. The following year, during the
invasion into Lebanon, Israeli F-16s engaged on numerous
occasions with Syrian aircraft, ending up victorious at
all times but one. F-16s were also used afterwards in
their ground-attack role for strikes against Lebanon. In
the Gulf War of 1991, F-16 from the air forces of the
Coalition participated in the strikes against Iraq.
The figures are
as of 1992.
- General Dynamics / Lockheed
Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (USA)
- TAI (Turkey)
- Fokker (Netherlands)
- SABCA (Belgium)
- Denmark
- Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk and
others (Norway)
- Powerplant:
- F16 A/B: Pratt and Whitney
F100-PW-200 turbofan engine with
afterburner, 10,800 Kgf thrust.
- F16 C/D: Pratt and
Whitney F-100-PW-200/220 or General
Electric F110 -GE-100 turbofan engine
with afterburner, 12,150 Kgf thrust.
- Size:
- Length: 14.8 m.
- Height: 4.8 m.
- Wingspan: 9.8 m.
- Speed:
- Ceiling: classified, above 15
Km.
- Takeoff weight: 16,875 Kg
- Range:
- Combat (without
refueling): 860 Km
- Ferry: more than 3200
Km
- Unit cost:
- F-16A/B: USD 9.5
million
- F-16C/D: USD 12.8
million
- late models, around
1998: 1998USD 25 million
- Armament:
- 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon
- For air-to-air combat:
AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAM
misiles.
- For ground attack:
AGM-65 Maverick, various kinds of bombs
("dumb", laser-guided and
cluster), weighting up to 2000 lbs.
- For anti-ship attack:
Kongsberg Penguin Mk 3 (Royal Norwegian
Air Force F-16's)
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