General Dynamics- F-16 Falcon

Quick summary

• Fast, low-cost, multirole intercepter. Beat YF-17 in LWF program
• 1 M-61 20mm machine gun, combination of 20,400 lbs of air to air and air to ground.
• Mach 2.05 (at 40,000 ft.) Ceiling: 50,000 ft. Range: 800mi with drop tanks.
• one 25,000 lb. thrust Pratt and Whitney F100 or 25,200 lb. thrust GE-F110 afterburning turbo jet.

The F-16 was a marvel in the early 70s with its superb handling and the once the most agile fighter in the world. The F-16 was evolved from the Light Weight Fighter program (LWF which basically stated that the United States Airforce was looking for a Light Weight, low cost, small agile fighter that could take on any enemy aircraft with the right weapons. The Airforce got what they wanted, the F-16 was 27,000 lbs at max take off, very light compared to the 70,280 lbs max take off of the F-14 Tomcat, the F-16 cost only $8,200,000 dollars only a third of the cost of the F-15, nd with a span of only 31 ft. The LWF program had two prototypes the YF-16 and the YF-17 which Mcdonnel Douglas soon adopted to become the US Navy's F/A-18 Hornet. The F-16 was so succesful that countrys like Belgium, Egypt, Turkey, Denmark and Isreal soon recognized the F-16's potential and started to purchase them. The F-16 has many roles for its small size. Point Defence: In the interceptor role the F-16 can launch in next to no time, scream upwards and shoot down incoming enemy bombers before they can launch their weapons. Close Support: Over the Battlefield, the F-16 can use a variety of bombs and missiles against enemy tanks and positions. Air Superiority: The F-16 can be used to keep the batle zone clear of enemy aircraft. Defence Suppression: In this role the F-16 uses high tech missiles to kill enemy radars. This allows other friendly aircraft to operate in safety. Precision strike: With Laser guided bombs, the F-16 can attack targets such as nuclear installations and power stations. The F-16 will be armed with a variety of weapons ranging from the short range AIM-9 sidewinder to the AGM-65 Maveric missile. The 20mm 6 barrel Vulcan Machine gun will be the best weapon in a close range fight. Its GE-F110 afterburning turbojets will send the Falcon soaring past mach 2. The F-16 is also one of the smallest fighters today with dimensions like these Span: 31 ft. Length: 47 ft 8in Height: 16 ft. 5in. Wing area: 278 sq ft. its no wonder why. It acheived combat ready status in October 1980. In 1992 Lockheed purchased the General Dynamics fighter division so giving Lockheed the rights to build the F-16.