F 16 Fighting Falcon Full Specifications, Design, Weapons and Combat Use

F 16 Fighting Falcon Full Specifications – In 1974, the F-16 took off into the air. The fighter is still in production today.

MilitaryEzyinfo.com – Over the course of 40 years of development, the aircraft transformed from a light fighter to a multi-purpose machine capable of day and night combat missions and launching guided air-to-air missiles beyond the visibility range. However, because the aircraft does not use stealth technology, it is vulnerable to modern radar attacks.

F 16 Fighting Falcon Full Specifications: Story of the new version

The F-16 is a fourth-generation American fighter. Due to its flight and technical parameters, as well as its low cost (34 to 50 million), the aircraft has become the most purchased. In 1975, the F-16 was worth only $4.5 million. The lightweight fighter is the basis of the military fleets of the United States and other countries.

The Americans called the F-16 the “Fighting Falcon”. The developer of this series was General Dynamics Aviation. The F-16 first took off in 1974. The development company won a competition to design a light fighter for the U.S. military as early as 1972. The U.S. Army needed a light aircraft that weighed no more than nine tons. The aircraft had to participate in close combat at altitudes of up to 12,200 meters at speeds of up to Mach 1.6.

In the announced competition, General Dynamics, along with Northrop, bypassed such notable airlines as Lockheed (which later merged with Martin Marietta), Boeing, and LTV. Northrop also received design funding and introduced the development of the F-17, which formed the basis for the U.S. Navy’s F/A18 aircraft.

The Department of Defense signed a $39 million contract with General Dynamics. The F-16 was produced in small quantities beginning in 1975, and 650 of the vehicles were produced in large quantities from 1978 to 1980. General Dynamics Aerospace joined the Lockheed Martin Group in the mid-1990s. Until 2017, more than 45,000 of these fighters were produced. The U.S. Department of Defense purchased about 2,200 vehicles. The rest of the planes were purchased by the militaries of Israel, Turkey, and Egypt.

Is the F-16 obsolete? Yes and no.

F 16 Fighting Falcon Full Specifications: Crew, Speed, Size and Weapons

The F-16 can fly nearly 4,000 kilometers without landing and climb 12,000 and 18,000 meters at a speed of 2,120 kilometers per hour. The vehicle has an operational radius of 1361-1759 km. The flight range is 3.9 kilometers with conformal fuel tanks (3.9 kiloliters for PTB) and 4.4 kilometers without conformal fuel tanks (5.5 kiloliters for PTB).

F 16 Fighting Falcon: Crew

The fighter is flown by one person. Some models were converted to 2-person models (F-16B, F-16D, F-16I).

Fighting Falcon Speed

Speed parameters

• Cruising speed – 0.93 m.
• Maximum speed – 2 145 km / h.
• Maximum surface speed – 1,432 mph.
• Maximum lift speed – 18,900 m/min.

Fighting Falcon: Practical Ceiling

The machine is capable of climbing to an altitude of 17,000-18,000 meters. The practical ceiling is 14,000-16,000 meters. Climbing speed – 275 m/s.

Fighting Falcon: Aircraft size

Size of the fighter jet:

• Length: 15.03 meters
• Height: 5.09 meters.
• Wingspan and wing area: 9.45 m and 27.87 m2.
• Wing load: 781.2 kg/m2.
• Unladen weight: 7-9 tons.
• Maximum takeoff weight: 17-21 tons.
• Tank volume: 3.9 kilolitres.
• Fuel weight: 2.5 to 3.2 tons.
• Motor type: Pratt & Whitney F100 or General Electric F110.
• Power: 129.40 kroner.
• External load weight: 8.7 tons.
• Total combat load weight for all nine suspension units: 5.42 tons.

F 16 Fighting Falcon: Weapons

The fighter has nine stoppages. The combat load is 5420 kg. However, at the expense of maneuverability, it can be 9276 kg. the F-16 can carry 1 GPU-5/A gun case with a 30mm cannon.

Armament weight:

• Central – two 15,800 kg each.
• Under Fuselage: 1,000 kg.
• Internal – 2 x 20,400 kg.
• Both ends – two 193 kg.
• External – two 318 kg.
• Add suspension points on the intake side – two 408kg.
• Complete set.
• Shotgun – M61A1 20mm 6-barrel cannon, capable of firing 511 rounds.
• “Air to Air” – AIM-7(9,120), Python 3(4), Derby, Magic 2, Sky Flash.
• Air-to-Ground – AGM-65 (45, 84, 158).
• Bombs – corrected (GBU-10/31), card bombs – corrected (GBU-103/105), free-fall bombs (Mark 82/84).
• BLAZE-AN/APG-66/80.

F 16 Fighting Falcon Full Specifications: Design

The F-16 is a one-kilogram monoplane built according to a classic scheme. This aircraft has a motor in the tail. The fuselage – semi-hard-shell type. The wings with increased sweep flow smoothly into the fuselage. This design allows you to generate an assisted lift with an increased angle of Fighting.

The angle of the wing leading edge – 40 degrees. Irregular air intakes are located under the fuselage. The undercarriage is hydraulically driven. The front pillar is located behind the air intakes. The fighter has an integrated aerodynamic layout with a forward center of gravity of the panels and a highly sensitive radar.

The F-16 was the U.S. Army’s first aircraft designed for a speed of Mach 2. It had a service life of 8,000 hours and was designed for combat missions and maneuvers with a 9-gram overload.

Innovations in cockpit design: a non-breakable teardrop flashlight; folding seats to reduce the impact of overload on the pilot; and side control handles. Ejection seats evacuate the pilot at any speed and altitude. The fighter glider is made of 80 percent aluminum, 8 percent steel, and 3 percent composites.

There are many modifications to the F-16. Starting with the Block 25 model, the aircraft’s radar visibility was reduced. A thin layer of gold was applied to the surface of the cabin lantern. Due to this innovation, the incident radiation is evenly scattered and does not penetrate deep into the cockpit. From the “Block 32” version onwards, radio-absorbing materials were used to create the air intakes.

The F-16 got a lot of things from the third-generation fighter F-4/E (automatic Soviet missiles and bombs, electronic suppression equipment, devices for suspension and separation mechanisms, the same composition of ammunition). Compared to the F-111 bomber, which had 250 fasteners, the F-16 had only 50 fasteners. In terms of size, the F-16 is smaller than the F-14 or F-15.

The F-16 has a pulse-Doppler radar that can see targets 37 kilometers in the lower hemisphere and 46 kilometers in the upper hemisphere. Onboard are permanent EDUs, ALQ REP, TACAN navigation systems, dipole deflection throwing equipment, early warning radar, air analysis computer, flight, and fire control.

F 16 Fighting Falcon: Modify

The development and production of the latest F16 model are carried out by an international consortium based in the United States. The countries involved in the production of the aircraft: Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Centrifuges, wings, and flaps produced by Fokker Airlines in the Netherlands. Belgian Sabka – fuselage tail and vertical tail fins. F100 engine produced by FN plant in Belgium.

Modifications

• F-16A – basic, single-engine, multirole, daytime use.
• F-16B – a two-seat training and combat engine, in production since 1977.
• F-16C – single, modern, used by the Air Force since 1984.
• F-16D – 2-seat, combat training, issued since 1984.
• The F-16N and TF-16N are single and two-seat models built for the U.S. Navy’s top gun flight school.
• F-16ADF – U.S. National Guard air defense fighter based on the F-16A.
• The F-16C and F-16R are scouts, not RF-4Cs.
• FSX, an F-16-based aircraft to replace the F-1 bomber.

Upgrade plans

The manufacturer plans to further improve the entire family of fighters. The fighter should have CCV and AFTI. improvements will affect configuration and digital flight control systems. the F-16XL will have longer non-stop flight distances and more advanced weapons with tailless circuits and improved maneuverability.

Comparison between F-16 and Other Aircrafts

Comparing the parameters of the American aircraft and the Soviet MiG-23MF, it is clear that in some parameters, the domestic aircraft are not inferior to foreign equipment. This was confirmed in the air battle over Afghanistan.

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Night Falcon and Block 50

The Night Falcon Block 40/42 aircraft has been in production since 1988. The fighter is equipped with the LANTIRN system, APG-68(V) radar, digital flight control system, and automatic terrain tracking system. The fighter can carry AGM-88B guided missiles.

Installing additional equipment requires additional takeoff weight and reinforced landing gear. The Block 50 and Block 52 aircraft have been in production since 1991. They are equipped with radar APG-68, modern ILS, and computer, dipole reflector, CIP. installation of new motors (F110-GE-229, F100-PW-220).

Air Defense Fighter-Interceptor
In 1986, 270 F16-A/Bs were converted to anti-aircraft fighters. The aircraft were equipped with a new radar to track small objects and AIM-7 Sparrow missile launchers. The interceptor could lift up to six AIM-120, AIM-7, and AIM-9 missiles.

F-16CJ and F-16DJ

To replace the older F-4GWWV anti-radar fighter, the F-16CJ was created as part of the Block 50 series. The new aircraft was a single-seater. All co-pilot duties were given to computers. Several F-16DJ series 2-seater aircraft were produced. The fighters were used in pairs. They carried anti-radar missiles (AGM-88, AGM-45) and guided missiles (AIM-9 and AIM-120).

F-16V

In 2015, the latest version, the F-16V, was produced and it was called the “Viper”. It is equipped with a scaled APG-83 SABR radar antenna, SNIPER day/night targeting system. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics will upgrade all F-16Cs to F-16V or F-16S standards.

F-16I

The 2 F-16I’s are based on the Israeli Air Force’s 52-seat. The fighter was named “Thunderstorm” (“Sufa”). The F-16I’s onboard rigging and weapons were made by Israelis. It was purchased – 102 vehicles. The cost of one aircraft was $70 million.

Operation

General Dynamics Aviation produces the lightweight and inexpensive F-16, which has been in short supply. The aircraft is in the air force fleets of 25 countries. The F-16 is still being produced and supplied for export.

It is in service

The countries currently operating the fighter are Belgium, Bahrain, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Venezuela. The aircraft is operated by the Israeli Air Force. The countries that have purchased the aircraft are Singapore, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey, Morocco, and Chile.

About 34 fighters of this version are in service in Italy. Under the Caesar Peace Accords, these aircraft were in the Italian Army’s air fleet from 2001 to 2012.

F 16 Fighting Falcon: Combat use

In 1981, for the first time, the Israeli army had aircraft in the air war in Lebanon. The F-16 destroyed about 33-45 Syrian aircraft purchased from the Soviet Union (MiG-23, Su-22). The Syrians shot down about 6 F-16s. The Israeli army used F-16s to carry out combat attacks in Iraq, Tunisia, Syria, and Gaza. In 2018, Israeli aircraft were used in Syria and a car was hit.

The Jordanian Air Force used F-16s in the war in Syria and in the internal conflict in Yemen in 2014-2016. In 2015, the Israeli Air Force used F-16s in the war in Syria and in the internal conflict in Yemen in 2014-2016. In 2015, the Israeli Air Force used F-16s in the war in Syria and in the internal conflict in Yemen. Iraq used a fighter jet to attack an IGIL base. The Venezuelan and Moroccan armies have used the fighter jet for combat missions. From 1980-1988, the U.S. supplied Pakistan with the aircraft to fight in Afghanistan.

At the end of the last century, the U.S. used F-16s in combat in the Persian Gulf. For nearly five years in the early 2000s, U.S. aircraft fought in Iraq. Turkey has used light F-16s in local conflicts and in the Syrian war.