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The General Dynamics F-16
Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft .The F-16 is a
single-engine, very maneuverable, supersonic, multi-role tactical fighter
aircraft. The F-16 was designed to be a cost-effective combat
"workhorse" that can perform various kinds of missions and maintain
around-the-clock readiness. It is much smaller and lighter than its
predecessors, and uses advanced aerodynamics and avionics. including
the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire (RSS/FBW)
flight control system, to achieve enhanced maneuver performance. Highly nimble,
the F-16 can pull 9-g maneuvers
and can reach a maximum speed of over Mach 2.
The Fighting Falcon includes innovations such as a frameless bubble
canopy for better
visibility, side-mounted control stick, and reclined seat to reduce g-force effects on the pilot. The F-16 has an
internal M61 Vulcan cannon in the left wing
root and has multiple locations for mounting various missiles, bombs and pods.
It was also the first fighter aircraft purpose built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing power to climb and accelerate
vertically.
Although no
longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are still being built for export customers. The
F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. Due
to the slow pace of F-35 development, the USAF will spend $2.8 billion to
upgrade and retain 350 F-16s. The more versatile multirole F-16s are being
retained as the USAF reduces more focused platforms such as the A-10.
THE F-16'S OFFICIAL
NAME IS "FIGHTING FALCON", BUT "VIPER" IS COMMONLY USED BY
ITS PILOTS, DUE TO A PERCEIVED RESEMBLANCE TO A VIPER SNAKE AS WELL AS THE
BATTLE STAR GALATICA
Design
It includes
# The
F-16 has a cropped-delta planform including wing-fuselage blending and
forebody vortex-control strakes(leading edge extension); a
fixed-geometry, underslung air intake to the single turbofan jet engine; a conventional
tri-plane empennage arrangement with
all-moving horizontal "stabilator" tailplanes.
It
is with bird-proof bubble canopy; and a tricycle landing gear configuration.
. Split-flap speedbrakes are located at the
aft end of the wing-body fairing, and an arrestor hook is mounted
underneath the fuselage.
Several
later F-16 models, such as the F-16I, also have a long dorsal fairing
"bulge" along the "spine" of the fuselage from the cockpit's rear to the tail fairing, it can be used for additional
equipment or fuel.
The
F-16 was designed to be relatively inexpensive to build and simpler to maintain
than earlier-generation fighters. The airframe is built with about 80% aviation-grade aluminum alloys, 8% steel, 3% composites, and 1.5% titanium.
The
F-16 was the first production fighter aircraft intentionally designed to be
slightly aerodynamically unstable, also known as "relaxed static stability"
(RSS), to improve maneuverability. Most aircraft are designed with positive
static stability, which induces aircraft to return to straight and level flight attitude if the pilot releases the controls. This reduces
maneuverability as the aircraft must overcome its inherent stability in order
to maneuver. Aircraft with negative stability are designed to deviate
from controlled flight and thus be more maneuverable. At supersonic speeds the
F-16 gains stability (eventually positive) due to changes in aerodynamic
forces.
Cockpit
One
feature of the F-16 for air-to-air combat performance is the cockpit's
exceptional field of view. The single-piece, bird-proof polycarbonate bubble
canopy provides 360° all-round visibility, with a 40° look-down angle over
the side of the aircraft, and 15° down over the nose (compared to the more
common 12–13° of preceding aircraft); the pilot's seat is elevated for this
purpose. Furthermore, the F-16's canopy lacks the forward bow frame found on
many fighters, which is an obstruction to a pilot's forward vision.
The
pilot flies primarily by means of an armrest-mounted side-stick controller
(instead of a traditional center-mounted stick) and an engine throttle;
conventional rudder pedals are also employed. To enhance the pilot's degree of
control of the aircraft during high-g combat maneuvers, various switches
and function controls were moved to centralised "hands on
throttle-and-stick (HOTAS)" controls upon both the controllers and
the throttle. Hand pressure on the side-stick controller is transmitted by
electrical signals via the FBW system to adjust various flight control surfaces
to maneuver the F-16.
The
F-16 has a head-up display (HUD), which projects visual flight and
combat information in front of the pilot without obstructing the view; being
able to keep his head "out of the cockpit" improves a pilot's situational
awareness.
Arnaments
Early
models could be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), including
rail launchers on each wingtip. Some F-16s can employ the AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range AAM; more recent versions can equip the AIM-120 AMRAAM. It can also carry other AAM; a wide variety of air-to-ground
missiles, rockets or bombs; electronic
countermeasures (ECM), navigation, targeting or weapons pods; and fuel tanks on 9 hardpoints –
six under the wings, two on wingtips, and one under the fuselage; two other
locations under the fuselage are available for sensor or radar podsVariants
F-16
models are denoted by increasing block numbers to denote
upgrades. The blocks cover both single- and two-seat versions. A variety of
software, hardware, systems, weapons compatibility, and structural enhancements.
F-16A/B
The
F-16A (single seat) and F-16B (two seat) were initial production variants. These
variants include the Block 1, 5, 10 and 20 versions. Block 15 was the first
major change to the F-16 with larger horizontal stabilizers. It is the most
numerous F-16 variant with 475 produced.
F-16C/D
The
F-16C (single seat) and F-16D (two seat) variants entered production in 1984.
The first C/D version was the Block 25 with improved cockpit avionics and radar
which added all-weather capability with beyond-visual-range (BVR)
AIM-7 and AIM-120 air-air missiles. Block 30/32, 40/42, and 50/52 were later C/D
versions
F-16E/F
The
F-16E (single seat) and F-16F (two seat) are newer F-16 variants. The Block 60
version is based on the F-16C/D Block 50/52 and has been developed especially
for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
F-16IN
For
the Indian MRCA competition for the Indian Air Force, Lockheed Martin offered the F-16IN Super Viper.
F-16IQ
In
September 2010, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency informed the United
States Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale of 18 F-16IQ aircraft
along with the associated equipment and services to the newly reformed Iraqi
Air Force. Total value of sale is estimated atUS$4.2 billion
F-16V
Lockheed
Martin unveiled plans for a new variant of F-16 (which carries a V suffix,
referencing to its Viper nickname) at the 2012 Singapore Air Show.
SPECIFICATION
|
Primary Function
|
Multirole fighter
|
|
Builder
|
Lockheed Martin Corp.
|
|
Power Plant
|
F-16C/D:
one Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-200/220/229 or one General Electric F110-GE-100/129 |
|
Thrust
|
F-16C/D, 27,000 pounds(12,150
kilograms)
|
|
Length
|
49 feet, 5 inches (14.8 meters)
|
|
Height
|
16 feet (4.8 meters)
|
|
Wingspan
|
32 feet, 8 inches (9.8 meters)
|
|
Speed
|
1,500 mph (Mach 2 at altitude)
|
|
Ceiling
|
Above 50,000 feet (15 kilometers)
|
|
Maximum Takeoff Weight
|
37,500 pounds (16,875 kilograms)
|
|
Combat Radius [F-16C]
|
|
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