F-16 Fighting Falcon

Israel Defence Force names: F-16A/B Netz (Falcon), F-16C Barak (Lightning) and F-16D Brakeet (Thunderbolt)

F-16 Wing: span 31 ft 0 in (9.45 m) without tip-mounted AAMs and 32 ft 9.75 in (10.00 m) with tip-mounted AAMs; aspect ratio 3.09; area 300.00 sq ft (28.87m2) Fuselage and tait length 49 ft 4 in (15.03 in); height 16 ft 8.5 in J5.09 m); tailplane span 18 ft 3.75 in J5.58 m); wheel track 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m); wheel base 13 It 1.5 in J4.00 m) Powerplant (see text for sub-variant) one Pratt & Whitney FlOO-P-220 turbotan rated at 23,450 lb st 1104.31 kN) with afterburning or one General Electric FIIO-GE-100 turbofan rated at 27,600 lb st (122.77 kN) with afterburning Weights: empty 19,100 lb (8663 kg) with F110turbofan or 18,335 lb (8316 kg) with F100 turbofan; typical combat take-off 21,585 lb (9791 kg); maximum take-off 25,071 lb (11372 kg) for an air-to-air mission without drop tanks or 42,300 lb (19187 kg) with maximum external load Fuel and load: internal fuel 6,972 lb (3162 kg); external fuel up to 6,760 lb (3066 kg) in three 300-, 370-, 450- and 600-US gal (1136, 1400-,1703- and 2271 -litrel drop tanks; maximum ordnance 15,200 lb J6894 kq) Speed: maximum level speed 'clean' at 40,000 It (12190 m) more than 1,146 kt (1,320 mph; 2124 km/h) and at sea level 795 kt (915 mph; 1472 km/h) Range: ferry range more than 2,100 nm (2,418 miles; 3891 km) with drop tanks; combat radius 295 nm (340 miles; 547 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 454 kg (1,000 lb) bombs Performance: maximum rate of climb at sea level more than 50,000 ft (15240 m) per minute; service coiling more than 50,000 ft (15420 ml g limits: +9

Combat Actions:

June 7, 1981. Eight Israeli Air Force F-16s, escorted by F-15s, attack the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad, Iraq, disabling its core.

April 10, 1994. In NATO's first air attacks on ground positions since the Alliance was founded forty-five years previously, two Air Force F-16C fighters destroy a Bosnian Serb Army command post with Mk. 82 500-pound bombs.

F-16's were used in an attack role against Iraqi fortifications in the KTO. One squadron of F-16's was used primarily as "spotter" aircraft, flying into an area and identifying targets for other aircraft to attack. F-16 were also used for combat air patrols, but given the Iraqi's unwillingness to fly against American planes, they did not engage many Iraqi planes.

251 F-16s participated in Operation Desert Storm. They were used in an attack role against a variety of Iraqi miliary targets. On January 19, 56 F-16s attacked the Baghdad Nuclear Research Center in the largest single raid of the war. Five F-16s were lost in combat (four in this one air strike.)

Emerged from YF-16 of US Air Force Lightweight Fighter prototype programme 1972 (details under General Dynamics in 1977-78 and 1978-79 Jane's); first flight of prototype YF-16 (72-01567) 2 February 1974; first flight of second prototype (72-01568) 9 May 1974; selected for full-scale development 13 January 1975; day fighter requirement extended to add air-to-ground capability with radar and all-weather navigation; production of six single-seat F-16As and two two-seat F-16Bs began July 1975; first flight of full-scale development aircraft 8 December 1976; first flight of F-16B 8 August 1977. Fleet of 3,300 F-16s achieved 5 millionth flying hour late in 1993 and 3,500th aircraft delivered 27 April 1995. Backlog of over 400 aircraft in 1996, plus anticipated orders for further 500 F-16s, expected to maintain production line in operation until 2005-10. F-16 air combat score was 69 for no losses, with three air forces, by mid-1996.

Under original procurement plan, final 12 F-16s for USAF ordered in FY94, but anticipated shortfall in fighter assets resulted in USAF considering plan to purchase 120 F-16C/Ds by 2010; initial batch of six included in FY96 budget, and similar quantity in FY97 requests, with further contracts expected.

F-16A: First production version for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions; production for USAF completed March 1985, but still available for other customers; international sales continue; powered since late 1988 (Block 15OCU) by P&W F100-PW-220 turbofan; Westinghouse AN/APG-66 range and angle track radar; first flight of first aircraft (78-0001) 7 August 1978; entered service with 388th TFW at Hill AFB, Utah, 6 January 1979; combat ready October 1980, when named Fighting Falcon; most now serving ANG and AFRES; power plants being upgraded to F100-PW-220E, between 1991 and 1996. In 1994, first AFRes F-16A/Bs gained BAe Terprom (terrain profile matching) software for ground collision avoidance. Also produced in Europe. Built in Blocks 01, 05, 10 and 15, of which Blocks 01 and 05 retrofitted to Block 10 standard 1982-84; Block 15 retrofitted to OCU standard from late 1987. First GF-16A ground trainers relegated to instructional use at 82nd Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, by 1993.

F-16C/D: Single-seat and two-seat USAF Multinational Staged Improvement Program (MSIP) aircraft respectively, implemented February 1980. MSIP expands growth capability to allow for ground attack and beyond-visual-range missiles, and all-weather, night and day missions; Stage I applied to Block 15 F-16A/Bs delivered from November 1981 included wiring and structural changes to accommodate new systems; Stage II applied to Block 25 F-16C/Ds from July 1984 includes core avionics, cockpit and airframe changes. Stage III includes installation of systems as they become available, beginning 1987 and extending up to Block 50/52, including selected retrofits back to Block 25. Changes include Westinghouse AN/APG-68 multimode radar with improved range, resolution, more operating modes and better ECCM than AN/APG-66; advanced cockpit with upgraded interfaces and upfront controls, GEC-Marconi wide-angle HUD, two multifunction displays, Fairchild mission data transfer equipment and radar altimeter; expanded base of fin giving space for proposed later fitment of AN/ALQ-165 Airborne Self-Protection Jamming system (since cancelled); increased electrical power and cooling capacity; structural provision for increased take-off weight and manoeuvring limits; and MIL-STD-1760 weapons interface for use of smart weapons such as AIM-120A AMRAAM and AGM-65D IR Maverick. First AIM-120 operational launch (by any aircraft), 27 December 1992: F-16D (90-0778) of 33rd FS/363rd FW destroyed Iraqi MiG-25.

Common engine bay introduced at Block 30/32 (deliveries from July 1986) to allow fitting of either P&W F100-PW-220 (Block 32) or GE F110-GE-100 (Block 30) Alternate Fighter Engine. Other changes include computer memory expansion and seal-bonded fuselage fuel tanks. First USAF wing to use F-16C/Ds with F110 engines was 86th TFW at Ramstein AB, Germany, from October 1986. Additions in 1987 included full Level IV multitarget compatibility with AMRAAM (as Block 30B), voice message unit, Shrike anti-radiation missiles (from August), crash survivable flight data recorder and modular common inlet duct allowing full thrust from F110 at low airspeeds.

(refers mainly to Block 40 F-16C/D): Cropped delta wings blended with fuselage, with highly swept vortex control strakes along fuselage forebody and joining wings to increase lift and improve directional stability at high angles of attack; wing section NACA 64A-204; leading-edge sweepback 40o; relaxed stability (rearward CG) to increase manoeuvrability; deep wing-roots increase rigidity, save 113 kg (250 lb) structure weight and increase fuel volume; fixed geometry engine intake; pilot's ejection seat inclined 30o rearwards; single-piece birdproof forward canopy section; two ventral fins below wing trailing-edge. Baseline F-16 airframe life planned as 8,000 hours with average usage of 55.5 per cent in air combat training, 20 per cent ground attack and 24.5 per cent general flying; structural strengthening programme for pre-Block 50 aircraft required during 1990s.

Menasco hydraulically retractable type, nose unit retracting rearward and main units forward into fuse-lage. Nosewheel is located aft of intake to reduce the risk of foreign objects being thrown into the engine during ground operation, and rotates 90o during retraction to lie horizontally under engine air intake duct. Oleo-pneumatic struts in all units.

One 131.6 kN (29,588 lb st) General Electric F110-GE-129, or one 129.4 kN (29,100 lb st) Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofan as alternative standard. These Increased Performance Engines (IPE) installed from late 1991 in Block 50 and Block 52 aircraft. Immediately prior standard was 128.9 kN (28,984 lb st) F110-GE-100 or 105.7 kN (23,770 lb st) F100-PW-220 in Blocks 40/42. Of 1,416 F-16Cs and F-16Ds ordered by USAF, 555 with F100 and 861 with F110. IPE variants have half share each in FY92 procurement of 48 F-16s for USAF, following eight reliability trial installations including six Block 30 aircraft which flew 2,400 hours between December 1990 and September 1992. F100s of ANG and AFRes F-16A/Bs upgraded to -220E standard from late 1991.

Pilot only in F-16C, in pressurised and air conditioned cockpit. McDonnell Douglas ACES II zero/zero ejection seat. Bubble canopy made of polycarbonate advanced plastics material. Inside of USAF F-16C/D canopy (and most Belgian, Danish, Netherlands and Norwegian F-16A/Bs) coated with gold film to dissipate radar energy. In conjunction with radar-absorbing materials in air intake, this reduces frontal radar signature by 40 per cent. To enable the pilot to sustain high g forces, and for pilot comfort, the seat is inclined 30o aft and the heel line is raised. In normal operation the canopy is pivoted upward and aft by electrical power; the pilot is also able to unlatch the canopy manually and open it with a back-up handcrank. Emergency jettison is provided by explosive unlatching devices and two rockets. A limited displacement, force-sensing control stick is provided on the right-hand console, with a suitable armrest, to provide precise control inputs during combat manoeuvres.

The F-16D has two cockpits in tandem, equipped with all controls, displays, instruments, avionics and life support systems required to perform both training and combat missions. The layout of the F-16D second station is similar to the F-16C, and is fully systems-operational. A single-enclosure polycarbonate transparency, made in two pieces and spliced aft of the forward seat with a metal bow frame and lateral support member, provides outstanding view from both cockpits.

Comms: Magnavox AN/ARC-164 UHF transceiver (AN/URC-126 Have Quick IIA in Block 50/52); provision for Magnavox KY-58 secure voice system; Collins AN/ARC-186 VHF AM/FM transceiver (AN/ARC-205 Have Sync Group A in Block 50/52), ARC-190 HF radio, government furnished AN/AIC-18/25 intercom and SCI advanced interference blanker, Teledyne Electronics AN/APX-101 IFF transponder with government furnished IFF control, government furnished National Security Agency KIT-1A/TSEC cryptographic equipment.

Radar: Westinghouse AN/APG-68(V) pulse Doppler range and angle track radar, with planar array in nose. Provides air-to-air modes for range-while-search, uplook search, velocity search, air combat, track-while-scan (10 targets), raid cluster resolution, single target track and (later) high PRF track to provide target illumination for AIM-7 missiles, plus air-to-surface modes for ground-mapping, Doppler beam-sharpening, ground moving target, sea target, fixed target track, target freeze after pop-up, beacon, and air-to-ground ranging. Proposed upgrade under study by Westinghouse and Lockheed Martin could provide full night/all-weather interdiction/close air support capability. Improved radar, currently designated as APG-68(I), will have synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping and terrain following (TF) modes and be integrated with a combined FLIR/laser designator, thus eliminating need for external targeting and navigation pods.

Flight: Litton LN-39 standard inertial navigation system (ring laser Litton LN-93 or Honeywell H-423 in Block 50/52 and current FMS F-16A/B: LN-93 for Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, South Korea, Pakistan, Portugal and Taiwan, plus Netherlands retrofit and Greek second batch); Collins AN/ARN-108 ILS, Collins AN/ARN-118 Tacan, Rockwell GPS, Honeywell central air data computer, General Dynamics enhanced stores management computer, Gould AN/APN-232 radar altimeter. BAe Terprom digital terrain system to be installed in all new USAF F-16s, USAF reserve F-16s and 301 European aircraft destined for MLU in first instance, but could be offered to FMS customers from 1996 on Block 20 F-16A/B aircraft. Optional equipment includes Collins VIR-130 VOR/ILS.

Instrumentation: GEC-Marconi wide-angle holographic electronic HUD with raster video capability (for LANTIRN) and integrated keyboard; data entry/cockpit interface and dedicated fault display by Litton Canada and Lockheed Martin; Astronautics cockpit/TV set.

Mission: Honeywell multifunction displays. Lockheed Martin LANTIRN package comprises AN/AAQ-13 (navigation) and AN/AAQ-14 (targeting) pods. Turkish aircraft (150+ to be modified by 1996) to share 60 LANTIRN pod systems; LANTIRN also purchased by Greece and South Korea and required for second Thailand batch. Enhanced capability LANTIRN incorporating second-generation FLIR tested by F-16 at Eglin AFB, early 1993. Sharpshooter pod (down-rated export version of AAQ-14 LANTIRN targeting system) acquired by Bahrain and Israel, but latter to get indigenous Rafael Litening IR targeting and navigation pod as replacement (initial funding already undertaken, with first delivery expected 1996). Pakistan F-16s carry Thomson-CSF Atlis laser designator pods. Singapore announced intention to purchase Lockheed Martin Sharpshooter in late 1995. Texas Instruments AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System (HTS) pod carried by Block 50/52D aircraft.

Self-defence: Dalmo Victor AN/ALR-69 radar warning system replaced in USAF Block 50/52 by Loral AN/ALR-56M advanced RWR, which also ordered for USAF Block 40/42 retrofit and (first export) Korean Block 52s. Provision for Westinghouse AN/ALQ-131 or Raytheon AN/ALQ-184 jamming pods. AN/ALQ-131 supplied to Bahrain, Egypt, Netherlands and Pakistan. Taiwan to get 80 Raytheon AN/ALQ-184 (first export order and first foreign use). Israeli Air Force F-16s extensively modified with locally designed and manufactured equipment, as well as optional US equipment to tailor them to the IAF defence role. This includes Elisra SPS 3000 self-protection jamming equipment in enlarged spines of F-16D-30s and Elta EL/L-8240 ECM in third batch of F-16C/Ds, replacing Loral AN/ALQ-178(V)1 Rapport ECM in Israeli F-16As. Belgian F-16s have Dassault Electronique Carapace passive ECM system in fin-root housing on 100 aircraft (with some reserve systems) from April 1995 (to be used in conjunction with active AN/ALQ-131 jamming pods to be obtained from surplus US stocks).

General Electric M61A1 20 mm multibarrel cannon in the port side wing/body fairing, equipped with a General Electric ammunition handling system and an enhanced envelope gunsight (part of the head-up display system) and 511 rounds of ammunition. There is a mounting for an air-to-air missile at each wingtip, one underfuselage centreline hardpoint, and six underwing hardpoints for additional stores. For manoeuvring flight at 5.5 g the underfuselage station is stressed for a load of up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), the two inboard underwing stations for 2,041 kg (4,500 lb) each, the two centre underwing stations for 1,587 kg (3,500 lb) each, the two outboard underwing stations for 318 kg (700 lb) each, and the two wingtip stations for 193 kg (425 lb) each. For manoeuvring flight at 9 g the underfuselage station is stressed for a load of up to 544 kg (1,200 lb), the two inboard underwing stations for 1,134 kg (2,500 lb) each, the two centre underwing stations for 907 kg (2,000 lb) each, the two outboard underwing stations for 204 kg (450 lb) each, and the two wingtip stations for 193 kg (425 lb) each. There are mounting provisions on each side of the inlet shoulder for the specific carriage of sensor pods (electro-optical, FLIR and so on); each of these stations is stressed for 408 kg (900 lb) at 5.5 g, and 250 kg (550 lb) at 9 g.

Typical stores loads can include two wingtip-mounted AIM-9L/M/P Sidewinders, with up to four more on the outer underwing stations; Rafael Python 3 on Israeli F-16s from early 1991; centreline GPU-5/A 30 mm cannon; drop tanks on the inboard underwing and underfuselage stations; a Lockheed Martin Pave Penny laser spot tracker pod along the starboard side of the nacelle; and bombs, air-to-surface missiles or flare pods on the four inner underwing stations. Stores can be launched from Aircraft Hydro-Forming MAU-12C/A bomb ejector racks, Hughes LAU-88 launchers, or Orgen triple or multiple ejector racks. Non-jettisonable centreline GPU-5/A 30 mm gun pods on dedicated USAF ground-attack F-16As. Weapons launched successfully from F-16s, in addition to Sidewinders and AIM-120A AMRAAM, include radar-guided Sparrow and Sky Flash air-to-air missiles, British Aerospace ASRAAM and French Magic 2 infra-red homing air-to-air missiles, AGM-65A/B/D/G Maverick air-to-surface missiles, HARM and Shrike anti-radiation missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles (clearance trials 1993-94), and, in Royal Norwegian Air Force service, the Penguin Mk 3 anti-ship missile. Israeli TAAS STAR-1 anti-radiation weapon has also begun carriage trials on F-16D, although full-scale development is dependent upon receipt of a firm order.

Data from FAS, Jane's All the World's Aircraft, and Aerospace/Defense Companies.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

Combat Actions:

F-16 Falcon