The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the most widely recognized fighter jets in the world due in part to its overall success in design and its multiple appearances in a variety of movies, television shows and media coverage. There have been more than four thousand F-16s built to date. The primary customer being the United States Air Force but it has also been to sold to over 25 other countries for use in their air force. The Fighting Falcon is a lightweight, multi-role jet fighter that has a variety of available configurations in order to carry out a variety of missions. The F-16 is a highly maneuverable aircraft that is a very capable dog fighter and it was the first fighter jet to employ fly by wire technology. The jet also utilizes a frameless bubble canopy which provides the pilot with an increased view of their surroundings and giving them a higher degree of control.
The overall design of the F-16 Fighting Falcon makes this a superior lightweight fighter jet that is a very effective aircraft and is very low in cost when compared to other similarly capable fighters. The Fighting Falcon is used by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team for showcasing its flying abilities and maneuvers at airshows.
Design
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was designed as a multi-role tactical fighter aircraft with a single engine, lightweight design and supersonic capabilities. It was designed to be very reliable, mission ready at a moments notice, and able to carry out a variety of missions when called upon. The design employs technology that was all new at the time and it was the first fighter jet to use many of the technological systems it features. The cockpit features a reclined seat position which allows the pilot to withstand higher g-forces, thus enabling the jet to perform maneuvers that were previously unheard of. The cockpit also features a side mounted control stick which allows for greater pilot control while performing strenuous maneuvers at high g-force. The F-16 was the first fighter aircraft designed with the specific goal of attaining 9-g turns. The light weight and high power also enable the aircraft to perform absolute vertical climbs, as it has a power to weight ratio greater than 1.
The F-16 features an internal M-61 Vulcan Cannon located at the base of the left wing and is also equipped with eleven points for mounting a variety of armaments. These can be configured to carry a mixture of air to air missiles, air to ground missiles, rockets, bombs and a variety of other weapons. Some models are also configured to carry up to six AIM-9 sidewinder short range air to air heat seeking missiles or AIM-7 medium range radar guided air to air missiles. The hard point configuration on the aircraft allows for six missiles under the wings, two on the wingtips and three under the fuselage.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was also the first fighter jet to be designed for aerodynamic instability. By doing so this actually increases the overall maneuverability of the jet, although making it more difficult to handle. The thought process behind this thinking was that with a design that keeps the aircraft stable, when you try to make a turn the aircraft fights it and wants to be flying straight and level. Whereas, if the aircraft is always on the verge of being out of control, when you go to make a turn it responds quickly because it does not have a tendency to come back to straight and level flight.
Development
At the conclusion of the Vietnam War it was clear to military leaders that there was never a greater need for a fighter jet that could achieve air superiority. They came to the conclusion that a lightweight fighter jet was needed and started the research for the project. The request for proposals were sent out on January 6, 1972 and five companies responded. General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman were both chosen for the initial design and test phase. The General Dynamics prototype was the first to complete a test flight, which occurred on January 20, 1974. Less than a year later on January 13, 1975 the Air Force announced that the General Dynamics design was chosen for production.
The F-16 began operational service with the US Air Force on October 1, 1980 with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base and has been in use ever since. There was an initial estimate that around 1,500 units would be produced overall. With over 4,000 units produced to date it is fair to say that the program was an overall success.
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