Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Fiza'ya) is the air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role to provide air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role to provide strategic air transport and logistics capability to Pakistan. The PAF employs 65,000 full-time personnel (including approximately 3,000 pilots) and operates approximately 400 combat aircraft alongside various transport and training aircraft.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Mission
* 2 History
o 2.1 1947–1951: The Formative Years
o 2.2 1951–1961: PAF enters the Jet Age
o 2.3 1959: PAF Draws 'First Blood'
o 2.4 1965 India-Pakistan Rann of Kutch Border Skirmish
o 2.5 1965 India-Pakistan War
o 2.6 1967 Arab-Israeli 'Six-Day' War
o 2.7 1971 India-Pakistan War
o 2.8 1973 Arab-Israeli 'Yom Kippur' War
o 2.9 1979–1988 Soviet-Afghan War
o 2.10 1990–2001: The Lost Decade
o 2.11 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil Conflict
o 2.12 2001–Present: Counter Terrorism Operations
* 3 Organisation
o 3.1 Commands
o 3.2 Bases
* 4 Personnel
o 4.1 Awards for valor
o 4.2 List of commanders
+ 4.2.1 All Chiefs of Air Staff
+ 4.2.2 Air Headquarters
+ 4.2.3 Commands
+ 4.2.4 External billets
o 4.3 Special Forces
o 4.4 Women in the PAF
* 5 Inventory
o 5.1 Combat aircraft
o 5.2 Transport aircraft
o 5.3 Surface-to-air missile systems
* 6 See also
* 7 Footnotes
* 8 References
* 9 External links
[edit] Mission
The primary mission statement of the PAF was given by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, during his address to the passing out cadets of the Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur on 13 April, 1948, and has been taken as an article of faith by all coming generations of PAF personnel:
“ A country without a strong air force is at the mercy of any aggressor, Pakistan must build up its own Air Force as quickly as possible, it must be an efficient Air Force, second to none.[1] ”
But the present scenario has required and enabled the Force to come up with an improved and up-to-date Mission Statement: "To provide, in synergy with other Armed Forces, an efficient, assured and cost-effective aerial defense of Pakistan."
[edit] History
Main article: History of the Pakistan Air Force
[edit] 1947–1951: The Formative Years
PAF Hawker Sea Fury two-seat trainer
The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was established on 14 August 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from British India. The RPAF began with 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24 Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16 Hawker Typhoon fighters (also called Tempest I), two H.P.57 Halifax bombers, 2 Auster aircraft, twelve North American Harvard trainers and ten de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes. It also got eight C-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the 1947 War in Kashmir against India. However, it never received all the planes it was alloted at the time of independence of South Asia.[2] It started with 7 operational airbases scattered all over the provinces. The prefix Royal was removed when Pakistan gained the status of Republic on 23 March 1956. It has since been called Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
Operating these inherited aircraft was far from ideal in Pakistan's diverse terrains, deserts and mountains; frequent attrition and injuries did not make the situation any better. However, by 1948 the air force acquired better aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Fury fighter-bomber and the Bristol Freighter. These new aircraft gave a much-needed boost to the morale and combat capability of the Pakistan Air Force; 93 Hawker Fury and roughly 50-70 Bristol Freighter aircraft were inducted into the PAF by 1950.
[edit] 1951–1961: PAF enters the Jet Age
The F-86 Sabre was in PAF service from 1955 to 1980.
Flying Officer Waleed Ehsanul Karim poses in front of his F-86.
Although the Pakistan Air Force had little funds to use and markets to choose from, it entered the jet age quite early. Initially it had planned to acquire US-built F-94Cs, F-86s, or F-84s and produce its order in Pakistan. However, lack of funds and strong British pressure persuaded the PAF to acquire the British Supermarine Attacker. The first squadron equipped with these aircraft was the Number-11 "Arrow". The Supermarine Attacker had a rather unsatisfactory service in the Pakistan Air Force with frequent attrition and maintenance problems. In 1957 the Pakistan Air Force received 100 American-built F-86 Sabres under the U.S. aid program. Squadron after squadron in the PAF retired its Hawker Furys and Supermarine Attackers, and replaced them with F-86 jet fighters. In 1957 thirty-six year old Air Marshal Asghar Khan became the Pakistan Air Force's first commander-in-chief.
[edit] 1959: PAF Draws 'First Blood'
On 10 April 1959, on the occasion of the Islamic Eid ul-Fitr festival holiday in Pakistan, an Indian Air Force (IAF) English Electric Canberra B(I)58 intruded into Pakistani airspace on a photo reconnaissance mission. Two PAF F-86F Sabres from No. 15 Squadron on Air Defence Alert (ADA) were scrambled from Peshawar Air Base to intercept the IAF intruder. The Sabre pilots were Flt. Lt. M. N. Butt (leader) and Flt. Lt. M. Yunus (wingman) whereas Pilot Officer Rab Nawaz was the on-duty Air Defence Controller for this mission. Nawaz successfully vectored both Sabres to the location of the high-flying Canberra. Butt attempted to bring down the Canberra by firing his Sabre's machine guns but the Canberra was flying at an altitude of more than 50,000 feet - beyond the operational ceiling of the F-86F. When Yunus took over from his leader, the Canberra suddenly lost height while executing a turn over Rawalpindi. Yunus grabbed this opportunity and fired a burst from his 12.7 mm guns that struck the Canberra at an altitude of 47,500 feet and brought it down over Rawat, near Rawalpindi. Thus, PAF drew 'first blood' against the IAF. '55-5005' was the serial number of the F-86F Sabre that was flown by Flt. Lt. Yunus that day. Both the occupants of the IAF Canberra, namely Sqn. Ldr. J.C. Sen Gupta (pilot) and Flt. Lt. S.N. Rampal (navigator) from the IAF's No. 106 Sqn., ejected and were taken prisoner by Pakistani authorities and were subsequently released after remaining in detention for some time.[3]
[edit] 1965 India-Pakistan Rann of Kutch Border Skirmish
In June 1965, prior to the outbreak of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, India and Pakistan had a border skirmish in the Rann of Kutch region near the south-eastern coastline of Pakistan. The PAF was tasked with providing point-defence to the Rann of Kutch region to prevent the Indian Air Force (IAF) from intruding into Pakistani airspace and attacking Pakistan Army positions. On 24 June 1965, an IAF Ouragan fighter (Serial No. IC 698), flown by Flt. Lt. Rana Lal Chand Sikka of No. 51 Auxiliary Squadron from the IAF's Jamnagar Air Station intruded into Pakistani airspace. A PAF F-104A Starfighter from No. 9 Squadron intercepted the IAF fighter near Badin in Sindh, Pakistan. Just as the PAF pilot locked on to the Indian fighter and was about to release his AIM-9B Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile (AAM), much to the surprise and amusement of the PAF pilot, the Indian pilot lowered his aircraft's landing gear (an internationally-recognized sign of aerial surrender). The IAF pilot landed at an open field near Jangshahi village near Badin. The IAF pilot was taken prisoner and released on 14 August 1965 - as a goodwill gesture on the 18th Anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day - minus the IAF Ouragan fighter, which was retained by the PAF as a trophy and flown by a PAF pilot to an airbase in Karachi. (NOTE: This event is not to be confused with the surrender of an IAF Gnat on 4 September 1965 during the 1965 India-Pakistan War, which is on display at the PAF Museaum Karachi)[4][5]
[edit] 1965 India-Pakistan War
Main article: Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
PAF B-57 bombers lined up at an airbase.
Muhammad Mahmood Alam downed 5 Indian aircraft in less than a minute.[6][7]
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 the PAF was out-numbered 5:1 against the Indian Air Force and, initially, both sides claimed to have downed around 100 aircraft of the opposition during the 23 day war. The PAF fleet at the time consisted of 12 F-104 Starfighters, some 120 F-86 Sabres and around 20 B-57 Canberra bombers.[8] The Indian claim of 100 PAF aircraft downed was proven to be highly exaggerated when 86 F-86 Sabres, 10 F-104 Starfighters and 20 B-57 Canberra bombers were flown in a parade after the war. The InAF is later believed to have admitted the loss of at least 75 aircraft, while the PAF admitted to losing 19 aircraft. The PAF's claim was confirmed by the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group. The PAF also claims to have had complete air superiority over the battle area from the second day of operations [9] and it is believed that the Indian Army would agree.[10] Close air support to the Pakistan Army was unexpectedly effective and the PAF is widely considered to have single-handedly neutralised the large difference in military strength of India and Pakistan.[9]
Many publications have credited the PAF's successes to U.S. equipment, claiming it to be superior to the aircraft operated by the InAF and giving the PAF a "qualitative advantage". However this was not the case as the InAF's MiG-21, Hawker Hunter and Folland Gnat aircraft had better performance than the PAF's F-86 fighters.[11] According to Air Cdre (retired) Sajad Haider, the F-86 Sabre was inferior in both power and speed to the InAF's Hawker Hunter.[12] The PAF's advantage during the conflict was in superior tactics, as well as pilot training and morale.[11]
According to Air Commodore (retired) Sajjad Haider who flew with No. 19 squadron, the F-104 Starfighter did not deserve its reputation as "the pride of the PAF" because it "was unsuited to the tactical environment of the region. It was a high-level interceptor designed to neutralise Soviet strategic bombers in altitudes above 40,000 feet." Nevertheless the InAF is believed to have feared the Starfighter [13] although, according to some, it was not as effective as the InAF's Folland Gnat.[14] The F-86F performed reasonably well over IAF's Hawker Hunters but had trouble in dealing with the Gnats, which earned the nickname Sabre Slayers.[15][16]
[edit] 1967 Arab-Israeli 'Six-Day' War
Main article: Six-Day War
RJAF and IrAF were flying under a joint command. Flt. Lt. S. Azam became the only pilot from the Arab side to have shot down 3 IDF/IAF aircraft within 72 hours and also the only pilot to have shot down 3 different aircraft types of the IDF/IAF. He was, subsequently, decorated by Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.[17]
[edit] 1971 India-Pakistan War
Main articles: Bangladesh Liberation War and Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
A PAF Shenyang F-6, F-104 Starfighter and Dassault Mirage III flying in formation. The Mirage is being flown by (retired) Air Cdre Murad Khan.
In December 1971, India and Pakistan went to war over erstwhile East Pakistan. At the start of the war the PAF was outnumbered 4:1 in West Pakistan and 10:1 in East Pakistan, the PAF inventory contained around 270 combat aircraft [18] while the InAF had over 1,200. The PAF also faced modern air defence systems, such as the S-75 (SA-2 Guideline) surface-to-air missile, defending Indian bases. Serviceability of the PAF's American fighters and bombers, the F-86, F-104 and B-57, was severely affected by a U.S. arms embargo imposed after the 1965 Indo-Pak War. This meant that the PAF was forced to rely on five squadrons of Shenyang F-6 [18] (around 80 aircraft) for air defence and 24 Dassault Mirage III [18] for offensive strikes.[19]
On November 22, 10 days before the start of a full-scale hostilities, four PAF F-86 Sabres attacked Indian and Mukti Bahini positions near the Indian-Bangladeshi border in the Battle of Garibpur, and hostilities commenced. In what became the first ever dogfight over Bangladeshi skies, three of the 4 PAF Sabres were shot down by IAF Gnats.[citation needed]
December 3 saw the formal declaration of war following preemptive strikes by the Pakistan Air Force against Indian Air Force installations in the west. The PAF targets were Indian bases in Srinagar, Ambala, Sirsa, Halwara and Jodhpur on the lines of Israeli Operation Focus. At the time it was reported that the InAF had anticipated the attack and it failed as no major losses were suffered.[20] However, statements made since then by then InAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal P. C. Lal, seem to contradict this to some extent.
ACM Lal writes that two major craters on the runway at InAF base Halwara were made by 3 of 8 bombs dropped by PAF B-57 Canberra bombers. At the InAF base Amritsar, an attack by four Mirage III fighters, which caused little damage, was followed up by several attacks which made 4 to 5 craters in the runway. Although the runway was repaired within an hour, the commander of the InAF's Western Air Command decided that a retaliatory attack against Pakistani bases would not be launched from Amritsar as originally planned. Some hours after the attack by the PAF's Mirage III fighters, only one lane of the runway was able to launch fighters. B-57 bombers then made another attack on the base. The InAF's Pathankot base required repairs after being bombed by PAF Mirage III fighters, InAF fighter patrols had to be launched from another base while repairs were under way. Attacks on InAF base Sirsa by PAF B-57 bombers disabled the runway for the rest of that night. At InAF base Jaisalmer, an underground power line was damaged resulting in loss of telephone communications. The runway at InAF base Uttarlai was bombed three times, which forced InAF pilots to use taxiways for taking off and landing for 6 days. The InAF's Bhuj airbase was bombed "fairly accurately" according to ACM Lal and there were difficulties in gathering enough manpower to repair it.[21]
After the IAF retaliated, the PAF carried out more defensive sorties.[22]
As the war progressed, the Indian Air Force continued to battle the PAF over conflict zones[23], but the number of sorties flown by the PAF gradually decreased day-by-day.[24] The lack of coordination between Pakistan's air force and army[25] was evident during the Battle of Longewala when the PAF was unable to come to aid the ground forces despite repeated requests by the Pakistan Army.[26] The PAF did not intervene during the Indian Navy's raid on Karachi, a Pakistani naval port city. Some sources state that a commander decided it was the task of the Pakistan Navy alone to defend Karachi.[27]
At the end of the war, the Indian Air Force claimed it had shot down 94 PAF aircraft, including 54 F-86 Sabres.[28] According to some sources, the overall attrition rate (losses per 100 sorties) was 0.48 for the IAF and 1.42 for the PAF,[29] the PAF flying 2914 combat sorties while the IAF flew 7,346 combat sorties[30][31] during the conflict.[32] According to a PAF officer, 61.5% of PAF's sorties were defensive while 65.5% of IAF's sorties were offensive.[24]
[edit] 1973 Arab-Israeli 'Yom Kippur' War
Main article: Yom Kippur War
During the war 16 PAF pilots volunteered to go to the Middle East in order to support Egypt and Syria but by the time they arrived, Egypt had already been pushed into a ceasefire. Syria remained in a state of war against Israel.
On 23 October 1973, PAF pilot Flt. Lt. M. Hatif on deputation to Egyptian Air Force (EAF) was flying a EAF MiG-21 in a defensive combat air patrol (CAP) over Egypt when he was vectored towards an intruding Israeli Air Force (IDF/AF) F-4 Phantom. In the ensuing dogfight, Flt. Lt. M. Hatif shot down the Israeli Phantom.[33]
Eight (8) PAF pilots started flying out of Syrian Airbases; they formed the A-flight of 67 Squadron at Dumayr Airbase. The Pakistani pilots flew Syrian MiG-21 aircraft conducting CAP missions for the Syrians.
On 26 April 1974, PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi on deputation to No. 67 Squadron, Syrian Air Force (SAF) was flying a SAF MiG-21FL Fishbed (Serial No. 1863) out of Dumayr Air Base, Syria in a two-ship formation with a fellow PAF pilot and the Flight Leader, Sqn. Ldr. Arif Manzoor. The Ground Controller, also a PAF officer, Sqn. Ldr. Salim Metla, vectored the two PAF pilots to a formation of 2 Israeli Air Force Mirage IIICJs and 2 F-4 Phantoms that had intruded into Syrian airspace over the Golan Heights. In the engagement that took place at 1532 hours, Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi shot down an Israeli Mirage IIICJ using his MiG-21's R(K)-13 Air-to-Air Missile. The pilot of the downed Israeli Mirage was Capt. M. Lutz of No. 5 Air Wing, who ejected. The remaining Israeli fighters aborted the mission. The 2 IAF Mirage IIICJs were from Hatzor AFB and the 2 IAF F-4 Phantoms were from No. 1 Air Wing, Ramat David AFB, Israel.[34][35]
Flt. Lt. A. Sattar Alvi became the first Pakistani pilot, during the Yom Kippur War, to shoot down an Israeli Mirage in air combat.He was honored by the Syrian government.[36] Other aerial encounters involved Israeli F-4 Phantoms; Pakistan Air Force did not lose a single pilot or aircraft during this war.
[edit] 1979–1988 Soviet-Afghan War
Main articles: Soviet war in Afghanistan and Soviet-Afghan War
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 in support of the pro-Soviet government in Kabul, which was being hard-pressed by Mujahadeen rebel forces, marked the start of a decade-long occupation. Mujahadeen rebels continued to harass the occupying Soviet military force as well as the forces of the Afghan regime that it was supporting. The war soon spilled over into neighbouring Pakistan, with a horde of refugees fleeing to camps across the border in an attempt to escape the conflict. In addition, many of the rebels used Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to carry out forays into Afghanistan, and a steady flow of US-supplied arms was carried into Afghanistan from staging areas in Pakistan near the border. This inevitably resulted in border violations by Soviet and Afghan aircraft attempting to interdict these operations.
Between May 1986 and November 1988, PAF F-16s have shot down at least eight intruders from Afghanistan. The first three of these (one Su-22, one probable Su-22, and one An-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, two MiG-23s, and one Su-25). Most of these kills were by the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but at least one (a Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mahmood is credited with three of these kills. One F-16 was lost in these battles during an encounter between two F-16s and six Afghan Air Force aircraft on 29 April 1987, stated by the PAF to have been an "own-goal" because it was hit by an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired from the other F-16. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Shahid Sikandar Khan, ejected safely.[37]
The PAF is believed to have evaluated the Dassault Mirage 2000 in early 1981 and was planning to evaluate the F-16 afterwards.[38]
[edit] 1990–2001: The Lost Decade
Desperate for a new high-tech combat aircraft, between late 1990 and 1993 the PAF evaluated the European Panavia Tornado MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) and rejected it. The Mirage 2000E and an offer from Poland for the supply of MiG-29 and Su-27 were also considered but nothing materialised. In 1992 the PAF again looked at the Mirage 2000, reviving a proposal from the early 1980s to procure around 20-40 aircraft, but again a sale did not occur because France did not want to sell a fully-capable version due to political reasons. In August 1994 the PAF was offered the Saab JAS-39 Gripen by Sweden, but again the sale did not occur because 20% of the Gripen's components were from the U.S. and Pakistan was still under U.S. sanctions.[39]
In mid-1992 Pakistan was close to signing a contract for the supply of 40 Dassault Mirage 2000, equipped with Thomson-CSF RDM/7 radars, from France.[40]
In mid-1994 it was reported that the Russian manufacturers Sukhoi and Mikoyan were offering the Su-27 and MiG-29.[41] But Pakistan was later reported to be negotiating for supply of the Dassault Mirage 2000-5.[42] French and Russian teams visited Pakistan on 27 November 1994 and it was speculated that interest in the Russian aircraft was to pressure France into reducing the price of the Mirage 2000. Stated requirement was for up to 40 aircraft.[43]
[edit] 1999 India-Pakistan Kargil Conflict
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) did not see active combat during the low-intensity Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan during the summer of 1999 but remained on high air defence alert (ADA) and performed F-16 and F-7MP combat air patrols (CAPs) near the eastern border with India. The PAF closely monitored and tracked the IAF's movements near the Line of Control in Kashmir as well as the India-Pakistan international border. Occasionally, PAF F-16s and IAF Mirage 2000s locked on to each other across the Line of Control but did not engage.[44]
The IAF was involved in strike operations on the Line of Control and, on 37 occasions, intruded into Pakistani airspace at very low altitude, for only a few seconds and up to a few miles, thus, not giving the PAF an opportunity to shoot down any of their aircraft. Most of these intrusions were considered to be 'technical violations' relating to the layout of the Line of Control and not considered to be deliberate.[44]
[edit] 2001–Present: Counter Terrorism Operations
A pair of JF-17 Thunder at the 2007 National Parade
In light of Pakistan's significant contribution to the War on Terror[45][46], the United States and Western European countries, namely Germany and France, lifted their defense related sanctions on Pakistan; enabling the country to once again seek advanced Western military hardware. Since the lifting of sanctions, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) became heavily active in evaluating potential military hardware; such as new fighter planes, radars, land based air-defense systems, etc. The key factor had been the lifting of American sanctions on Pakistan; including restrictions on military combat aircraft - namely the Lockheed Martin F-16. However the urgent relief needed in Kashmir after the October 8 Earthquake forced the Pakistan Military to stall its modernization programme; so it could divert its resources for fuel and operations during the rescue effort.
The Bush administration on July 24, 2008 informed the US Congress it plans to shift nearly $230 million of $300 million in aid from counterterrorism programs to upgrading Pakistan's aging F-16s.[47] The Bush administration previously announced on June 27, 2008 it was proposing to sell Pakistan ITT Corporation's electronic warfare gear valued at up to $75 million to enhance Islamabad's existing F-16s.[48] Pakistan has asked about buying as many as 21 AN/ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite pods, or AIDEWS, and related equipment.[49] The proposed sale will ensure that the existing fleet is "compatible" with new F-16 Block 50/52 fighters being purchased by Islamabad. Electronic warfare targets such things as radars, communications links, computer networks and advanced sensors.
The modernisation stall would end in April 2006 when the Pakistani cabinet approved the PAF's proposals to procure new aircraft and systems from several sources, including modern combat aircraft from the U.S. and China. The AFFDP 2019 (Armed Forces Development Programme 2019) would oversee the modernisation of the Pakistan Air Force from 2006 to 2019.[50]
Between 2005 and 2008, 14 F-16A/B Block 15 OCU fighters were delivered to the PAF under renewed post-9/11 ties between the U.S. and Pakistan. These had originally been built for Pakistan under the Peace Gate III/IV contracts but were never delivered due to the U.S. arms embargo imposed in 1990.[51]
On 13 December 2008, the Government of Pakistan stated that two Indian Air Force aircraft were intercepted by the PAF kilometres within Pakistani airspace. This charge was denied by the Indian government.[52]
During talks with a delegation from the French Senate on Monday 28 September 2009, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stated that the PAF had used most of its stockpile of laser-guided munitions against militants in the Malakand and FATA regions and that replacements for such types of equipment were urgently required.[53]
[edit] Organisation
The Air Force has about 65,000 active personnel with about 10,000 reserves. The Chief of the Air Staff holds the operational and administrative powers. He is assisted by a Vice Chief of Air Staff and six Deputy Chiefs of the Air Staff who control and administer the Administration, Operations, Engineering, Supply (logistics), Personnel, and Training divisions of the PAF respectively. Recently, the Air Headquarters (AHQ) has been moved from Chaklala to Islamabad. Major Air force bases are at Shorkot, Karachi, Quetta, Kamra, Peshawar, Mianwali, Sargodha and Risalpur. There are many war-time operational forward bases, civilian airstrips and runways as well as emergency motorways.
[edit] Commands
* Northern Air Command (NAC) Peshawar
* Central Air Command (CAC) Lahore
* Southern Air Command (SAC) Faisal, Karachi
* Air Defence Command (ADC) Chaklala, Rawalpindi
* Air Force Strategic Command (AFSC) Islamabad
[edit] Bases
Main article: Air Bases of Pakistan Air Force
These are the bases from which the PAF planes operate during peace time. They have complete infrastructure of hardened shelters, control towers, workshops, ordnance depots etc. These are ten in number and are:
* PAF Mushaf (Sargodha)
* PAF Masroor (Karachi)
* PAF Faisal (Karachi)
* PAF Rafiqui (Shorkot)
* PAF Peshawar (Peshawar)
* PAF Samungli (Quetta)
* PAF Mianwali (Mianwali)
* PAF Minhas (Kamra)
* PAF Chaklala (Rawalpindi)
* PAF Risalpur (Risalpur)
* Multan Airport (Multan)
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Awards for valor
Rashid Minhas
Main article: Nishan-e-Haider
The Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu: نشان حیدر) (Order of Ali), is the highest military award given by Pakistan. Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (1951–August 20, 1971) is the only officer of the PAF to be awarded the Nishan-e-Haider for sacrificing his life to save a plane hijacking. Others awarded of the PAF include:
* Squadron Leader Muhammad Mahmood Alam also known as M. M. Alam Who is credited in Pakistan with downing nine Indian fighters six of them are Hunters of the Indian Air Force in air-to-air combats, 5 of them in less than a minute.[6]
* Squadron Leader Sarfraz Rafiqui who did not leave the battle, and even with his jammed guns continued to chase an Indian Air Force pilot until finally being shot down by a Hunter aircraft, flown by the IAF.[54]
[edit] List of commanders
[edit] All Chiefs of Air Staff
Main article: Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
1. Air Vice Marshal Allan Perry-Keene (August 15, 1947 – February 17, 1949)
2. Air Vice Marshal Richard Atcherley (February 18, 1949 – May 6, 1951)
3. Air Vice Marshal Leslie William Cannon (May 7, 1951 – June 19, 1955)
4. Air Vice Marshal Arthur McDonald (June 20, 1955 – July 22, 1957)
5. Air Marshal Asghar Khan (July 23, 1957 – July 22, 1965)
6. Air Marshal Nur Khan (July 23, 1965 – August 31, 1969)
7. Air Marshal Abdul Rahim Khan (September 1, 1969 – March 2, 1972)
8. Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry (March 3, 1972 – April 15, 1974)
9. Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan (April 16, 1974 – July 22, 1978)
10. Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim (July 23, 1978 – March 5, 1985)
11. Air Chief Marshal Jamal A. Khan (March 6, 1985 – March 8, 1988)
12. Air Chief Marshal Hakimullah (March 9, 1988 – March 9, 1991)
13. Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan (March 9, 1991 – November 8, 1994)
14. Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak (November 8, 1994 – November 7, 1997)
15. Air Chief Marshal Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi (November 7, 1997 – November 20, 2000)
16. Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (November 20, 2000 – February 20, 2003)
17. Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat (March 18, 2003 – March 18, 2006)
18. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed (March 18, 2006 – March 18, 2009)
19. Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman (March 19, 2009 – present)
[edit] Air Headquarters
* Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman — Chief of Air Staff (CAS)
* Air Marshal Hifazat Ullah Khan — Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS)
* Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Personnel)
* Air Marshal Waseem-ud-Din — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Administration)
* Air Marshal Mohammad Hassan — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations)
* Air Vice Marshal Syed Athar Hussain Bukhari — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Training)
* Air Vice Marshal Asim Suleiman — DG Air Intelligence (DG AI)
* Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Jamshed Khan — DG C4I
* Air Vice Marshal Syed Azhar Hasan Bokhari — DG Air Force Strategic Command (DG AFSC)
* Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Arif — Chief Project Director JF-17 Thunder (CPD JF-17)
* Air Vice Marshal Qasim Masood Khan — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Engineering)
* Air Vice Marshal Syed Razi Nawab — Inspector General Air Force (IGAF)
* Air Vice Marshal Syed Hassan Raza — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Support)
[edit] Commands
* Air Vice Marshal Tubrez Asif — Commandant, PAF Air War College, Karachi
* Air Vice Marshal Aftab Hussain — Air Officer Commanding, Air Defence Command (ADC), Chaklala
* Air Vice Marshal Sohail Gul Khan — Air Officer Commanding, Northern Air Command (NAC), Peshawar
* Air Vice Marshal Hafeez Ullah — Air Officer Commanding, Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur
* Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus — Air Officer Commanding, Southern Air Command (SAC), Karachi
* Air Vice Marshal Sohail Aman — Air Officer Commanding, Central Air Command (CAC), Lahore
[edit] External billets
* Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan — Chairman, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra
* Air Vice Marshal Riaz-ul-Haq — Deputy DG, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Karachi
* — DG Logistics at Joint Staff HQ, Chaklala
* Air Vice Marshal Kamal Alam Siddiqui — Director, Precision Engineering Complex (PEC), Karachi
* Air Vice Marshal Sajid Habib — DG Joint Operations, GHQ, Rawalpindi
* Air Vice Marshal Syed Najam-ul-Asar — Additional Secretary-II (PAF) at Ministry of Defence, Rawalpindi
* Air Vice Marshal Tariq Matin — Managing Director, Technology Commercialization Corp (STEDEC) (under Ministry of Science and Technology), Lahore
* Air Vice Marshal Zubair Iqbal Malik — DG Air Weapons Complex (AWC), Wah Cantonment
* Air Vice Marshal Asif Raza — Pro Rector, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad
* Air Vice Marshal Aminullah Khan — Managing Director, Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) at PAC Kamra
[edit] Special Forces
Main article: Special Service Wing
PAF Special Services Wing carrying FN F2000 rifles while on training at the Fort Lewis, Wash. in USA on, July 23, 2007.
Special Service Wing (SSW) is an independent commando division of the Pakistan Air Force. It is an elite special operations force based upon the US Air Force's 1st Special Operations Wing unit and the US Army's Ranger units. This the newest component to the Special Forces of Pakistan. The division has recently been created and is fielding between 700 to 1,000 men in one company.
[edit] Women in the PAF
Females have been enrolled in the Pakistan Air Force since its creation, but their induction had been limited to administrative branches only. However, females are now allowed to enroll in the aerospace engineering and other programs of the nation's air force academy. Two batches of female fighter pilots graduated in year 2006 bringing out the first female pilots of the Pakistan Air Force.[55]
On March 31 2006, Saba Khan, Nadia Gul, Mariam Khalil and Saira Batool were among 36 aviation cadets who received their wings after three and a half years of regular training. Saira Amin, a female cadet, has made history by being the first woman pilot to have won the Sword of Honour in any defence academy of Pakistan, at the passing out parade of the 117th GD (P) at Risalpur[56] Of the first four female pilots, none qualified for a fighter aircraft squadron of the Air Force. They are therefore now part of the light communication squadron of Pakistan Air Force. Later on PAF High command decided to close women induction in future fighter courses.
[edit] Inventory
[edit] Combat aircraft
Main article: List of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force
The PAF currently operates approximately 400 combat aircraft of 5 different types, planned to be reduced to 3 types by 2015. There are around 20 front-line squadrons.[57]
A Chengdu F-7P in flight over Lahore.
The primary air defence fighter is the Chengdu F-7, of which two variants are in service; 120 F-7P and 60 F-7PG. An upgraded variant of the F-7M, F-7P incorporates many PAF-specific modifications such as Martin-Baker ejection seat, two extra weapon stations for a total of 5, an extra 30 mm cannon and an Italian-designed FIAR Grifo 7 multi-mode radar. F-7P was inducted in the late 1980s and early 1990s, intended to supplement a fleet of more advanced F-16 fighters. The Grifo 7 radar was later upgraded to the Grifo 7 mk.II version. The F-7PG variant incorporates a "cranked delta" wing which improves take-off, landing and turning performance considerably, as well as extra space in the nose to accommodate the much improved Grifo 7PG radar. F-7 replaced around 250 Shenyang J-6 fighters which were the PAF's workhorse throughout the 1970s and 1980s. F-7 is also used to perform limited strike duties.
The second most numerous type is the French-designed Dassault Mirage III and Dassault Mirage 5, which differ mainly in nose shape and avionics fit. Mirage III fighters are geared towards performing multiple mission types, including interception and strike, whereas Mirage 5 fighters are more focused towards strike missions. Around 150 Mirage fighters are in service, many of which are second-hand examples procured from other countries, making the PAF the largest operator of the type in the world. In the 1990s and early 2000s, 33 Mirage III and 34 Mirage 5 fighters were upgraded under Project ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) with modern avionics, significantly improving their capabilities. Mirage III ROSE fighters are configured for multiple mission types such as air superiority and strike, whereas Mirage 5 ROSE fighters specialise in the day/night strike role.
A F-16A Block 15 with landing gear extended.
The most capable fighter in PAF service from 1983 to 2007 has been the F-16 Fighting Falcon. 40 of the F-16A Block 15 models were delivered from 1983 to 1987. On 12 April 2006, the government of Pakistan authorized the purchase of up to 77 F-16C/D fighters from the U.S. but, due to financial constraints, eventually only 12 F-16C and 6 F-16D Block 52+ were ordered with a further 18 aircraft optional. Lack of new-build F-16s is to be made up by procuring second-hand F-16s and upgrading them with Block 52+ avionics.[58][59]
A Nanchang A-5 tactical bomber in service with China.
The Nanchang A-5C (or A-5III) is a Chinese-designed light bomber based on the Shenyang J-6 fighter which was operated by the PAF until 2002. Inducted in 1982 to help defend against a possible attack from the Soviet Union, it replaced the last of the PAF's B-57 Canberra bombers and around 100 were procured in total for a reported flyaway cost of USD$1 million each. Numbers were reduced later and around 42 remain in service. Retirement of the type was initially planned in the late 1990s and shortfall in capabilities was to be met by upgraded Mirage 5 fighters modified under Project ROSE, but the aircraft's excellent flight safety record ensured it stayed operational.
The JF-17 during a flypast performance on 23 March 2007 in Islamabad.
The JF-17 Thunder, a new fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan, is currently being inducted by the PAF and it is expected to gradually replace all Dassault Mirage III/5, Nanchang A-5 and Chengdu F-7 by 2015. A total of 250-300 aircraft are planned to be built, with later aircraft featuring improved airframes, avionics and engines. Currently 8 pre-production aircraft are in service and the first JF-17 squadron is planned to be made officially operational in early 2010. The first Pakistani-built JF-17, manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, was rolled out and handed over to the PAF on on 23 November 2009.
The PAF also plans to induct a number of Chengdu FC-20 fighters, a PAF-specific variant of the Chinese Chengdu J-10. 36 aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2015.[60]
[edit] Transport aircraft
PAF C-130 Hercules
The C-130 Hercules has been the PAF's primary tactical transport aircraft since its induction in the early 1960s. Currently around 5 C-130B and 7 C-130E models are in service, upgraded with Allison T56-A-15 turboprops and extended fatigue lives by Lockheed-Georgia Company. The C-130 is supplemented by 4 CASA CN-235 STOL transports, although the 4th aircraft is equipped with an interior for transporting VIPs such as the PAF Chief of Air Staff. Heavy-lift transports comprise 3 Boeing 707s transferred from Pakistan International Airlines starting 1986.
PAF Super Mushak Trainer
[edit] Surface-to-air missile systems
* Crotale 4000 - A short to medium range air defence system. 11 Crotale 2000 acquisition units and 23 missile batteries were inducted in 1976. These were later upgraded to Crotale 4000 standard in Pakistan, increasing missile range from 20 km to 30 km.[61] Crotale is expected to be replaced by Spada 2000.[62]
* MBDA Spada 2000 - A low to medium altitude air defence system consisting of a radar with 60 km range and four 6-cell missile launchers. The Aspide 2000 missile can intercept enemy missiles and aircraft at a range of over 20 km. A contract for 10 batteries was signed after Spada 2000 was selected over competing systems from Raytheon, Diehl BGT and Saab and pre-contract firing tests in Pakistan, which were assisted by the Italian Air Force.[63] According to some sources, Pakistan ordered 20 Spada 2000 air defence systems and 750 Aspide 2000 missiles in 2007.[64]
* HQ-2 - Chinese version of SA-2 Guideline high altitude air defence system, 12 or more batteries procured circa 1970s.[65]
* HQ-9 - In October 2003 it was reported that China had closed a deal with Pakistan to supply an unspecified number of FT-2000 systems, an anti-radiation variant of the HQ-9 long range air defence system,[66] although in March 2009 a report was published stating that Pakistan was not considering importing the missile.[67] It was reported in mid-2008 that Pakistan intended to purchase a high altitude air defence and missile defence system and the FD-2000, another variant of HQ-9, was expected to be chosen.[62][68]
* RBS 70: Low-altitude air defence system that fires laser beam-riding missiles.[69][70]
* Anza Mk.1/Mk.2/Mk.3: Man-portable air defence system of Pakistani origin which is made by Kahuta Research Laboratories.[71]
* Mistral: Low altitude man-portable air defence system of French origin.[72]
* FIM-92 Stinger: Low altitude man-portable air defence system of U.S. origin.[73]
Monday, November 30, 2009
The USA has been working on secret, new-generation space planes
In the beginning of the 1990s, Russian intelligence uncovered the fact that the USA was testing a super-secret plane at one of its airbases. Russian agents attempted to see the new object with their own eyes and take pictures of it, but all attempts failed. The Americans provided incredible security for their secret weapon, and they tested the plane only at night. However, Russian agents managed to get some information about the new plane, which the USA calls Aurora, in honor of the Goddess of the Dawn.
The mystery aircraft is capable of flying very high, at a height of 40 and more kilometers. Even the latest pursuit planes cannot fly so high. The Aurora plane also possesses fantastic supersonic speed, the so-called 6M speed, as scientists call it. One M is equal to 340 meters a second. In other words, Aurora can fly at a speed of two kilometers a second, and this is not the limit. This speed is achieved due to extremely powerful engines and the special design of the plane's hull and wings.
The aircraft was constructed based on Stealth technology, which was selected by the American defense industry long ago. The technology poses great difficulties for both ground and air radar systems.
A picture of the real Aurora aircraft is even more rare than a picture of an UFO. So far, Russia has only one picture of the mysterious American plane. The picture was taken by a Russian intelligence officer at the moment when the Aurora plane was refueling in the air. Later, it became known that before the “flying tank of fuel” (KC-135 aircraft) refueled the Aurora, a spy plane flew across Russia from east to west and was not detected by any radar systems.
The Americans invented a new aircraft, which is almost like a rocket. The new plane was invented by American defense scientists with an eye towards the future. The most powerful pursuit planes can fly at heights of 35-40 kilometers. Russia is capable matching its strength with the USA in this respect. Russia has such aircraft: Su-2711, MiG-29, and MiG-31. However, these planes can only fly in the near-Earth environment, whereas the environment between the Earth’s atmosphere and space is still vacant, so to speak. That is why, the development of the near-Earth space environment weapon is so relevant for defense. Who gets there first becomes the winner.
Here, we are talking about totally new kinds of aircraft: spy planes, fighter planes, transport planes, ect. They will be able to fly from the atmosphere into space and then return to Earth. The Americans have been working on this kind of aircraft for years already, developing several “star wars” projects. The United States has been designing and testing such planes for a long time. They already have the X-33, X-34, X-37, and X-38 planes.
X-33: This supersonic aircraft was designed based upon up-to-date titanic alloys. It is equipped with oxygen-hydrogen jet engines. This plane can reach speeds up to 4,420 meters per second. Graphite and ceramic (thermostable) technologies are used in its engines. Some of this technology was either bought or stolen from Russia. The maximum flight height is 120 kilometers.
X-34: A more modern supersonic aircraft. It is equipped with unique electronic devices and has a special heat-shielding coating. One of its peculiar features is the fact that the plane takes off from an aircraft-carrier, which is also a plane, not a vessel. The X-34 can reach speeds up to 5,440 meters a second. The maximum height is up to 150 kilometers.
Supersonic aircraft of the X class can be both unmanned and piloted planes, with vertical and horizontal takeoffs. It was officially reported that such planes are meant to considerably reduce the amount of money spent on delivering cargo into space. At the present moment, one such delivery costs 22 thousand dollars per one kilo of cargo. These new aircraft will definitely serve defense purposes, such as launching military satellites into orbit. Supersonic space planes can also be equipped with super-powerful telescopes and other equipment. Scientists and engineers are developing ways to equip these planes with missiles, laser weapons, and so on.
In other words, America is working on the first ever space army, which would provide the United States with complete domination in near-Earth orbit. It will not be possible for any anti-missile defense complexes to hit such planes, as they will be completely out of reach. The American space army will be able to hit any target on planet Earth at any moment.
Soviet engineers tried to challenge the Americans and designed a unique aircraft called the Buran. Unfortunately, the aircraft proved to be unsuccessful, and competition with the USA failed. When military opposition between the USSR and the USA was over, the Buran became a part of an exhibition in Moscow’s Park of Culture. The first Soviet space aircraft became a dull memory of a bygone power and might-have-been hopes.
Major General Sergey Kolganov, an academician of the Russian Space Academy, said that the USA's work on the development of supersonic space aircraft poses yet another potential threat to Russia. “I doubt that Russia is ready to fight with these American space planes. Some of our anti-missile defense complexes can hit targets up to 100 kilometers high. However, these new American aircraft can fly higher. Russia has very good ideas for defense, I am certain of that. The Americans have not even dreamed about them. However, they are only ideas, nothing more. Our scientists are not working on any projects that might counteract the American space planes,” Kolganov said.
The mystery aircraft is capable of flying very high, at a height of 40 and more kilometers. Even the latest pursuit planes cannot fly so high. The Aurora plane also possesses fantastic supersonic speed, the so-called 6M speed, as scientists call it. One M is equal to 340 meters a second. In other words, Aurora can fly at a speed of two kilometers a second, and this is not the limit. This speed is achieved due to extremely powerful engines and the special design of the plane's hull and wings.
The aircraft was constructed based on Stealth technology, which was selected by the American defense industry long ago. The technology poses great difficulties for both ground and air radar systems.
A picture of the real Aurora aircraft is even more rare than a picture of an UFO. So far, Russia has only one picture of the mysterious American plane. The picture was taken by a Russian intelligence officer at the moment when the Aurora plane was refueling in the air. Later, it became known that before the “flying tank of fuel” (KC-135 aircraft) refueled the Aurora, a spy plane flew across Russia from east to west and was not detected by any radar systems.
The Americans invented a new aircraft, which is almost like a rocket. The new plane was invented by American defense scientists with an eye towards the future. The most powerful pursuit planes can fly at heights of 35-40 kilometers. Russia is capable matching its strength with the USA in this respect. Russia has such aircraft: Su-2711, MiG-29, and MiG-31. However, these planes can only fly in the near-Earth environment, whereas the environment between the Earth’s atmosphere and space is still vacant, so to speak. That is why, the development of the near-Earth space environment weapon is so relevant for defense. Who gets there first becomes the winner.
Here, we are talking about totally new kinds of aircraft: spy planes, fighter planes, transport planes, ect. They will be able to fly from the atmosphere into space and then return to Earth. The Americans have been working on this kind of aircraft for years already, developing several “star wars” projects. The United States has been designing and testing such planes for a long time. They already have the X-33, X-34, X-37, and X-38 planes.
X-33: This supersonic aircraft was designed based upon up-to-date titanic alloys. It is equipped with oxygen-hydrogen jet engines. This plane can reach speeds up to 4,420 meters per second. Graphite and ceramic (thermostable) technologies are used in its engines. Some of this technology was either bought or stolen from Russia. The maximum flight height is 120 kilometers.
X-34: A more modern supersonic aircraft. It is equipped with unique electronic devices and has a special heat-shielding coating. One of its peculiar features is the fact that the plane takes off from an aircraft-carrier, which is also a plane, not a vessel. The X-34 can reach speeds up to 5,440 meters a second. The maximum height is up to 150 kilometers.
Supersonic aircraft of the X class can be both unmanned and piloted planes, with vertical and horizontal takeoffs. It was officially reported that such planes are meant to considerably reduce the amount of money spent on delivering cargo into space. At the present moment, one such delivery costs 22 thousand dollars per one kilo of cargo. These new aircraft will definitely serve defense purposes, such as launching military satellites into orbit. Supersonic space planes can also be equipped with super-powerful telescopes and other equipment. Scientists and engineers are developing ways to equip these planes with missiles, laser weapons, and so on.
In other words, America is working on the first ever space army, which would provide the United States with complete domination in near-Earth orbit. It will not be possible for any anti-missile defense complexes to hit such planes, as they will be completely out of reach. The American space army will be able to hit any target on planet Earth at any moment.
Soviet engineers tried to challenge the Americans and designed a unique aircraft called the Buran. Unfortunately, the aircraft proved to be unsuccessful, and competition with the USA failed. When military opposition between the USSR and the USA was over, the Buran became a part of an exhibition in Moscow’s Park of Culture. The first Soviet space aircraft became a dull memory of a bygone power and might-have-been hopes.
Major General Sergey Kolganov, an academician of the Russian Space Academy, said that the USA's work on the development of supersonic space aircraft poses yet another potential threat to Russia. “I doubt that Russia is ready to fight with these American space planes. Some of our anti-missile defense complexes can hit targets up to 100 kilometers high. However, these new American aircraft can fly higher. Russia has very good ideas for defense, I am certain of that. The Americans have not even dreamed about them. However, they are only ideas, nothing more. Our scientists are not working on any projects that might counteract the American space planes,” Kolganov said.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft, particularly bombers, usually relying on great speed. A number of such aircraft were built in the period starting just prior to World War II and ending in the late 1960s, when they became less important due to the shifting of the strategic bombing role to ICBMs.
Contents [hide]
1 Design
1.1 Point defense
1.2 Area defense
2 See also
[edit] Design
There are two types of interceptors, emphasizing different aspects of performance. Point defense interceptors were the first type, designed to take off and climb as quickly as possible to the attacking aircraft's altitude. This was a necessity in the era of relatively short range radar, which meant defenders had very short warning times before having to engage the enemy. Area defense interceptors are larger designs intended to protect a much larger area from attack. These were important only during the Cold War, when the US and USSR needed to provide a defense over their respective large land areas.
Both types of aircraft sacrifice performance in the air superiority fighter role (ie fighting enemy fighter aircraft) by tuning their performance for either fast climbs or high speeds, respectively. The result is that interceptors often look very impressive on paper, typically outrunning, outclimbing and outgunning less specialized fighter designs. Yet they tend to fare poorly in combat against those same "less capable" designs due to limited maneuverability.
In the 1970s, the utility of interceptors waned as the role became blurred into the roles of the heavy air superiority fighters dominant in military thinking at the time. In addition, it is arguable that the change of the great threat of the era – nuclear weapons that were carried on bombers being moved to various missile systems – left the interceptor-style aircraft without its primary target. Today interceptor missions are generally relegated to "mainline" fighters; for instance, the US Air Force bases its defense on its F-15 and F-16 fighters. The exceptions are the USSR, who maintained a number of dedicated interceptors in order to provide coverage over its huge and little inhabited coastline, and, perhaps oddly, the UK, who introduced a fleet of modified Panavia Tornados in the 1980s and continued to use them while awaiting the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2005. The Eurofighter Typhoon has now replaced the role of an interceptor and the Tornado is now used for air superiority and attack.
[edit] Point defense
RAF English Electric Lightning.Point defense interceptors, usually of European origin, are designed to defend specific targets. They are designed to take off and climb to altitude as quickly as possible, destroy the incoming bombers, and then land. A particularly extreme example of a point defense interceptor is the rocket-powered Bachem Ba 349.
At the start of the Second World War, most single engine fighters were "short-legged", with limited internal fuel capacity. These were not designed specifically as interceptors, but the long-range bomber escort role had not been envisaged. This proved to be a critical problem for German single-engined fighters (essentially, only one design at that time, the Bf 109), during the Battle of Britain, which could escort bombers across the channel, but only had sufficient fuel for a few minutes of combat if they were also to return to their airfields in France. At this stage, the similar limitation of British single-engined fighters was less of a problem for the defending Royal Air Force (RAF).
When RAF Bomber Command began its own bombing campaign over Germany, most of its missions were flown at night, unescorted, or escorted by larger, longer-ranged and twin-engined night fighters. As the war progressed, however, Bomber Command flew increasing numbers of daylight missions. The Spitfire, designed several years before the war, was adapted to other roles – older machines were re-assigned to fighter-bomber squadrons, based nearer the front, while newer marks developed into more highly-focused interceptors. These later, Griffon-engined Spitfires were primarily retained in Britain to defend against V-1s and bombing raids by single, high-speed or high-altitude, German bombers. Newer designs, like the Hawker Tempest, and P-51 Mustangs bought under Lend-Lease, would fill the conventional and long-range fighter gap.
The Germans, quickly losing their ability to project their airpower over enemy territory, no longer had much requirement for a long-range escort fighter. They were obliged to keep using the Bf 109 throughout the war, although it and newer designs were developed as fighter bombers, the Luftwaffe's most critical requirement was for interceptors as the Commonwealth and American air forces pounded German targets day and night. As the bombing effort grew, notably in early 1944, the Luftwaffe attempted to introduce a number of high-performance designs like the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and even odder designs like the Bachem Ba 349 Natter in the very-short-range interceptor role. In general these designs proved difficult to operate, and had little effect on the bombing effort.
A Shenyang J-8 interceptor in flight.
An F-8 Crusader of USS Oriskany intercepts a Tu-95 'Bear-B'.In the Cold War, bombers were expected to attack flying higher and faster (near supersonic). This led to fighter designs emphasizing acceleration and operational ceiling, such as the mixed power (jet/rocket) Saunders Roe SR.53, or Convair XF-92, or Soviet trials with catapult launched MiG-19s, although none of them found practical use. Improvements in jet engines made the rocket assistance redundant, and a new series of designs evolved that were purely jet powered, including the MiG-21, English Electric Lightning and F-104 Starfighter. This class of aircraft has since disappeared completely; ever increasing engine power has made even small aircraft suitable for practically any role, and aircraft that would have fallen into this class are generally multi-role and find most of their use in the attack role.
Examples of point defense interceptors:
Messerschmitt Me 163
English Electric Lightning
Saab Draken
Saab Viggen (JA 37 variant)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
F-104 Starfighter
[edit] Area defense
Lockheed YF-12Area defense interceptors, usually of North American or Soviet origin, are designed to defend a large area of territory from attack. The design emphasis is on range, missile carrying capacity and radar quality rather than on acceleration and climb rate. They usually carry long-range or medium-range air-to-air missiles, and often had no bomb carrying capability.
In the Soviet Union during the Cold War, an entire military service, not just an arm of the pre-existing air force, was designated for their use. The planes of the PVO-Strany differed from those of the Red Air Force in that they were designed for airfield use only; they couldn't take off from grass, only concrete runways, they couldn't be towed for hundreds of kilometres from airfield to airfield by tractor across open fields; they couldn't be disassembled and shipped back to a maintenance center in a boxcar; and they were by no means small as necessary and rudely simple, but huge and refined with large, powerful radars. Similarly, they were not given the same training in combat maneuvers, but were directed to their targets by radio. Until the 1980s, they were fitted with medium-range or long-range missiles only, unsuitable for dogfight or destroying maneuvring targets. The basic interceptor was Sukhoi Su-9, then Sukhoi Su-15 and MiG-25. The newest and most advanced interceptor aircraft is MiG-31. Soviet Tupolev Tu-28 was the heaviest fighter aircraft ever to see service.
The USAF maintained a dedicated Air Defense Command (ADC) for some time, consisting primarily of dedicated interceptors. Many post-war designs were of limited performance, including designs like the F-86D and F-89 Scorpion. In the late 1940s ADC started a project to build a much more advanced interceptor under the 1954 interceptor effort, which eventually delivered the F-106 Delta Dart after a lengthy development process. Replacements were studied during the 1960s, but came to nothing as the USSR moved their strategic force to ICBMs. The F-106 ended up serving as the primary USAF interceptor into the 1980s, when the performance of general purpose aircraft like the F-15 Eagle rendered the need for a custom design moot.
Several other countries also introduced wide-area interceptor designs. Avro Canada produced the Avro CF-100, generally similar to the F-89, which went on to serve for a lengthy period of time in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Avro's replacement, the Avro Arrow, was controversially cancelled in the late 1950s. The Royal Air Force operated the Gloster Meteor and then Gloster Javelin in the night/all-weather role. Efforts to replace the Javelin with a supersonic design under Operational Requirement F.155 ever came to fruition, with the expectation that missiles would replace bombers. The Tornado ADV was eventually introduced into this role in the 1980s, and continue to serve in this role to this day.
Other examples of area defense interceptors:
F-101B/F Voodoo
F-102 Delta Dagger
F-14 Tomcat
F-4 Phantom II
Lockheed YF-12
Shenyang J-8
Sukhoi Su-15
Yakovlev Yak-25
Yakovlev Yak-28
[edit] See also
Air superiority fighter
Bomber destroyer
Day fighter
Escort fighter
Night fighter
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Contents [hide]
1 Design
1.1 Point defense
1.2 Area defense
2 See also
[edit] Design
There are two types of interceptors, emphasizing different aspects of performance. Point defense interceptors were the first type, designed to take off and climb as quickly as possible to the attacking aircraft's altitude. This was a necessity in the era of relatively short range radar, which meant defenders had very short warning times before having to engage the enemy. Area defense interceptors are larger designs intended to protect a much larger area from attack. These were important only during the Cold War, when the US and USSR needed to provide a defense over their respective large land areas.
Both types of aircraft sacrifice performance in the air superiority fighter role (ie fighting enemy fighter aircraft) by tuning their performance for either fast climbs or high speeds, respectively. The result is that interceptors often look very impressive on paper, typically outrunning, outclimbing and outgunning less specialized fighter designs. Yet they tend to fare poorly in combat against those same "less capable" designs due to limited maneuverability.
In the 1970s, the utility of interceptors waned as the role became blurred into the roles of the heavy air superiority fighters dominant in military thinking at the time. In addition, it is arguable that the change of the great threat of the era – nuclear weapons that were carried on bombers being moved to various missile systems – left the interceptor-style aircraft without its primary target. Today interceptor missions are generally relegated to "mainline" fighters; for instance, the US Air Force bases its defense on its F-15 and F-16 fighters. The exceptions are the USSR, who maintained a number of dedicated interceptors in order to provide coverage over its huge and little inhabited coastline, and, perhaps oddly, the UK, who introduced a fleet of modified Panavia Tornados in the 1980s and continued to use them while awaiting the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2005. The Eurofighter Typhoon has now replaced the role of an interceptor and the Tornado is now used for air superiority and attack.
[edit] Point defense
RAF English Electric Lightning.Point defense interceptors, usually of European origin, are designed to defend specific targets. They are designed to take off and climb to altitude as quickly as possible, destroy the incoming bombers, and then land. A particularly extreme example of a point defense interceptor is the rocket-powered Bachem Ba 349.
At the start of the Second World War, most single engine fighters were "short-legged", with limited internal fuel capacity. These were not designed specifically as interceptors, but the long-range bomber escort role had not been envisaged. This proved to be a critical problem for German single-engined fighters (essentially, only one design at that time, the Bf 109), during the Battle of Britain, which could escort bombers across the channel, but only had sufficient fuel for a few minutes of combat if they were also to return to their airfields in France. At this stage, the similar limitation of British single-engined fighters was less of a problem for the defending Royal Air Force (RAF).
When RAF Bomber Command began its own bombing campaign over Germany, most of its missions were flown at night, unescorted, or escorted by larger, longer-ranged and twin-engined night fighters. As the war progressed, however, Bomber Command flew increasing numbers of daylight missions. The Spitfire, designed several years before the war, was adapted to other roles – older machines were re-assigned to fighter-bomber squadrons, based nearer the front, while newer marks developed into more highly-focused interceptors. These later, Griffon-engined Spitfires were primarily retained in Britain to defend against V-1s and bombing raids by single, high-speed or high-altitude, German bombers. Newer designs, like the Hawker Tempest, and P-51 Mustangs bought under Lend-Lease, would fill the conventional and long-range fighter gap.
The Germans, quickly losing their ability to project their airpower over enemy territory, no longer had much requirement for a long-range escort fighter. They were obliged to keep using the Bf 109 throughout the war, although it and newer designs were developed as fighter bombers, the Luftwaffe's most critical requirement was for interceptors as the Commonwealth and American air forces pounded German targets day and night. As the bombing effort grew, notably in early 1944, the Luftwaffe attempted to introduce a number of high-performance designs like the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet and even odder designs like the Bachem Ba 349 Natter in the very-short-range interceptor role. In general these designs proved difficult to operate, and had little effect on the bombing effort.
A Shenyang J-8 interceptor in flight.
Examples of point defense interceptors:
Messerschmitt Me 163
English Electric Lightning
Saab Draken
Saab Viggen (JA 37 variant)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
F-104 Starfighter
[edit] Area defense
Lockheed YF-12Area defense interceptors, usually of North American or Soviet origin, are designed to defend a large area of territory from attack. The design emphasis is on range, missile carrying capacity and radar quality rather than on acceleration and climb rate. They usually carry long-range or medium-range air-to-air missiles, and often had no bomb carrying capability.
In the Soviet Union during the Cold War, an entire military service, not just an arm of the pre-existing air force, was designated for their use. The planes of the PVO-Strany differed from those of the Red Air Force in that they were designed for airfield use only; they couldn't take off from grass, only concrete runways, they couldn't be towed for hundreds of kilometres from airfield to airfield by tractor across open fields; they couldn't be disassembled and shipped back to a maintenance center in a boxcar; and they were by no means small as necessary and rudely simple, but huge and refined with large, powerful radars. Similarly, they were not given the same training in combat maneuvers, but were directed to their targets by radio. Until the 1980s, they were fitted with medium-range or long-range missiles only, unsuitable for dogfight or destroying maneuvring targets. The basic interceptor was Sukhoi Su-9, then Sukhoi Su-15 and MiG-25. The newest and most advanced interceptor aircraft is MiG-31. Soviet Tupolev Tu-28 was the heaviest fighter aircraft ever to see service.
The USAF maintained a dedicated Air Defense Command (ADC) for some time, consisting primarily of dedicated interceptors. Many post-war designs were of limited performance, including designs like the F-86D and F-89 Scorpion. In the late 1940s ADC started a project to build a much more advanced interceptor under the 1954 interceptor effort, which eventually delivered the F-106 Delta Dart after a lengthy development process. Replacements were studied during the 1960s, but came to nothing as the USSR moved their strategic force to ICBMs. The F-106 ended up serving as the primary USAF interceptor into the 1980s, when the performance of general purpose aircraft like the F-15 Eagle rendered the need for a custom design moot.
Several other countries also introduced wide-area interceptor designs. Avro Canada produced the Avro CF-100, generally similar to the F-89, which went on to serve for a lengthy period of time in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Avro's replacement, the Avro Arrow, was controversially cancelled in the late 1950s. The Royal Air Force operated the Gloster Meteor and then Gloster Javelin in the night/all-weather role. Efforts to replace the Javelin with a supersonic design under Operational Requirement F.155 ever came to fruition, with the expectation that missiles would replace bombers. The Tornado ADV was eventually introduced into this role in the 1980s, and continue to serve in this role to this day.
Other examples of area defense interceptors:
F-101B/F Voodoo
F-102 Delta Dagger
F-14 Tomcat
F-4 Phantom II
Lockheed YF-12
Shenyang J-8
Sukhoi Su-15
Yakovlev Yak-25
Yakovlev Yak-28
[edit] See also
Air superiority fighter
Bomber destroyer
Day fighter
Escort fighter
Night fighter
[hide]v • d • eLists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · Airports · Airlines · Civil authorities · Museums
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Accidents/incidents General · Military · Commercial (airliners) · Deaths
Records Airspeed · Distance · Altitude · Endurance · Most-produced aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft designed to attack targets on the ground and are often deployed as close air support for, and in proximity to, their own ground forces. The proximity to friendly forces require precision strikes from these aircraft that are not possible with typical bomber aircraft. The resultant proximity to enemy targets also require aircraft that are more robust than other types of military aircraft. Examples include the US Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II and Soviet Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot.
They are typically deployed as close air support to ground forces, their role is tactical rather than strategic, operating at the front of the battle rather than against targets deeper in the enemy's rear. As such, they are often attached to and in the direct command and control structures of army units as opposed to air force units, though tactical air forces attached to army formations are still an organic part of the air force and ultimately under air-force command. A number of names have or are used for ground-attack aircraft: attack aircraft, fighter-bomber, tactical fighter, tank-buster, tactical bomber, strafer, strike aircraft, attack helicopter, gunship, etc.[citation needed] A light strike aircraft is another category, based on adapted trainers or other light aircraft.
Contents [hide]
1 Definition
2 History
3 Post World War II
4 Recent history
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Notes
6.2 Bibliography
[edit] Definition
Like most combat aircraft classifications, the definition of ground attack is somewhat vague. A key difference between it and otherwise similar designs like attack aircraft is the expectation that they will receive small arms fire and are generally armored to protect the pilot against this threat. In general a ground-attack aircraft will also be smaller and less "fighter like" than designs like strike fighters, attack aircraft or interdictors.
In US service ground-attack aircraft have been identified by the prefix A- as in "A-6". British designations have included FB for fighter-bomber and more recently "G" for Ground as in "Harrier GR1".
The NATO reporting names for Soviet/Russian ground attack aircraft classified them as "fighters" instead of "bombers" possibly, because they were often only variants of fighter aircraft, but always similar in size, range and weapons to fighters.
[edit] History
In the First World War Germany was the first country to produce dedicated ground attack aircraft such as the Junkers J.I. The Allies experimented with attack planes such as the Sopwith Salamander and the Boeing GA-1 but the war ended before they could used in combat.
Between the World Wars, as the United States embraced the role of global power with the United States Marine Corps as its preferred force for military intervention, Marine Corps Aviation pioneered ground attack and close air support tactics in the Banana Wars. Marine Aviators pioneered the technique of dive bombing during interventions in Haiti and Nicaragua.[1]
At the start of World War II engine power was scarce and aircraft had to be tailored to individual roles. Ground attack aircraft during this era were generally created for the role, one that was considered largely unimportant and therefore saw little development. Perhaps the only early-war aircraft in this niche was the Henschel Hs 123, a biplane. The Germans worked on a suitable replacement and eventually delivered the Henschel Hs 129, which featured a steel-armored cockpit and windows made of bulletproof glass. Only small numbers were built, however, as the Germans widely used the more flexible Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber in the ground attack role. A more famous example is the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik, a light bomber that was adapted into the ground attack role with it armoured fuselage, powerful artillery and possibility of using air-to-ground missiles. More than 43,000 Ilyushin Il-2 were built through World War II. Stalin credited the Il-2 with winning the war.[citation needed]
P-47 Thunderbolt in flight firing rocketsAs engine power improved, roughly doubling over the course of the war, even the average day fighter was more than capable enough to carry out the ground attack role, and some of the most successful designs were slight modifications of existing designs. One of the most successful of these was the RAF's Hawker Typhoons, although they deployed a variety of other aircraft due to changing availability. The Germans made a series of adapted versions of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the F and G series, serving roughly the same purpose. The same was true of the USAAF, who moved former front-line fighters into the ground attack role during the war, notably the P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt, as newer aircraft took up the air superiority role.
While machine guns and cannon were sufficient against infantry and light vehicles, and one or two small bombs could be easily fitted to most fighters, for operations against tanks heavier weapons such as the 40 mm Vickers S gun or high explosive rockets (such as the RP-3 60 lb rocket) were needed. The former equipped the Hawker Hurricane to good effect in North Africa Campaign, the latter was used by many RAF aircraft among them the Typhoon. Both the US and Soviets also used a variety of rockets in this role. The Germans also deployed rockets, as well as the first cluster bombs.
[edit] Post World War II
Su-22M4K in painting of 7th Tactical Sqn. of Polish Air ForceIn the immediate post war era the piston engined ground attack aircraft remained useful - Royal Navy Hawker Sea Fury fighters and the US Vought F4U Corsair and Douglas A-1 Skyraider operated in the Korea with the latter plane effective into the Vietnam conflict. The long loiter times of the piston powered planes gave an advantage over fuel-thirsty jet planes.
In most of the post-World War II era air forces have been increasingly reluctant to develop combat aircraft specifically for ground attack. Although close air support and interdiction remain crucial to the modern battlefield, attack aircraft are less glamorous than fighters, and both pilots and military planners have a certain well-cultivated contempt for 'mud-movers.' More practically, the extra cost of a dedicated ground attack aircraft is harder to justify as opposed to having multi-role aircraft.
In the late 1960s the United States Air Force requested a dedicated air support plane that became the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. It eventually became a primarily anti-armor weapon with limited capability in the interdiction and tactical bombing role, and even in the anti-tank role it was met with mixed feelings. However, the A-10's performance during Operation Desert Storm negated these criticisms. Current US doctrine increasingly emphasizes the use of United States Army helicopters for close air support and anti-tank missions. The Soviets' similar Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot) found greater success in the flying artillery role, although it, too, shifted to anti-armor use in later versions and has largely been phased out in favor of 'fast mover' fighter-bomber versions of the MiG-29 and Su-27.
Examples of modern ground attack aircraft include the A-10 Thunderbolt II, Sukhoi Su-7, Sukhoi Su-17, Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot), Nanchang Q-5. Ground attack has otherwise become the domain of converted trainers like the BAC Strikemaster, BAE Hawk, and Cessna A-37 and some trainers are already build with this task in mind, like the CASA 101.
[edit] Recent history
RAF Harrier GR7.U.S. experience in the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq War has resulted in renewed interest in fixed-wing ground-attack aircraft.
Under the Key West Agreement which governs the allocation of aircraft between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, fixed-wing ground-attack aircraft were generally allocated to the Air Force, while attack helicopters were generally allocated to the Army. The Army, wishing to have its own resources to support its troops in combat and faced with a lack of Air Force enthusiasm for the ground-attack role, developed the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter for ground-attack roles such as destroying enemy tanks and supporting troops in combat.
One concern involving the Apache arose when a unit of these helicopters was very slow to deploy during U.S. military involvement in Kosovo. The Apache, which is the main alternative for the same airborne anti-tank role in the U.S. military as the A-10, ended up performing more poorly than anticipated, while the A-10 performed well in anti-tank roles in the Gulf War and in Iraq. Indeed, in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, a unit of AH-64 Apaches was severely mauled by the Iraqi Republican Guard's Armoured Division.
According to the Army Times,[2] the Army is shifting its doctrine to favour ground-attack aircraft over attack helicopters for this role because ground-attack helicopters have proved to be highly vulnerable to small-arms fire. The U.S. Marine Corps have noted similar problems.[3]
Officially, the U.S. Air Force planned to replace the only dedicated ground-attack aircraft currently in U.S. service, the A-10, with its new "Joint Strike Fighter", the F-35 Lightning II. But, facing political concerns that the new fighters were not designed for the ground-attack role that had proven particularly useful in Iraq[4] and Afghanistan,[5][6] a plan to decommission the A-10 has been replaced with a plan to upgrade the existing aircraft with improved electronics,[7] extending the service life of the planes until as late as 2028. The U.S. Air Force has not commissioned any new designs for this role (in part, out of concern for the F-35 program).
The UK is replacing its current ground attack aircraft with the F-35 (replacing the Harriers), and the Eurofighter Typhoon (Jaguars and Tornado GRs).
The other major complication to plans of military forces to purchase new ground-attack aircraft is uncertainty over the degree to which manned fixed wing aircraft may be replaced by unmanned combat drones in this role, a possibility illustrated by the armed Predator drone, which has been used in this capacity.
[edit] See also
Close air support
Multirole combat aircraft
Air-to-ground weaponry
Pace-Finletter MOU 1952
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
^ Corum, James S; Wray R Johnson (2003). Airpower in Small Wars - Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. pp. 23–40. ISBN 0700612408.
^ "TRADOC Cuts Apaches’ Role in Deep Attack". Murdoc Online. 1 May 2006. http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/003682.html#more.
^ Trimble, Stephen (30 July 2003). "General: Deep-Strike, Urban Tactics For Attack Helicopters May Need Review". Aviation Week. http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/urb07303.xml.
^ "CENTAF Releases Airpower Summary Report." U.S. Air Force, 6 April 2006.
^ "Combat Operations in Afghanistan." strategypage.com, 2 May 2006.
^ Gates, Andrew (2004-08-19). "A-10s Rescue Ambushed Ground Forces". 455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs. United States Air Force. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123008450.
^ "A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) Ground Attack Aircraft, USA." Air Force Technology.
[edit] Bibliography
Corum, James S. & Johnson, Wray R. (2003). Airpower in Small Wars - Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 23. ISBN 0-70061-240-8.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-attack_aircraft"
They are typically deployed as close air support to ground forces, their role is tactical rather than strategic, operating at the front of the battle rather than against targets deeper in the enemy's rear. As such, they are often attached to and in the direct command and control structures of army units as opposed to air force units, though tactical air forces attached to army formations are still an organic part of the air force and ultimately under air-force command. A number of names have or are used for ground-attack aircraft: attack aircraft, fighter-bomber, tactical fighter, tank-buster, tactical bomber, strafer, strike aircraft, attack helicopter, gunship, etc.[citation needed] A light strike aircraft is another category, based on adapted trainers or other light aircraft.
Contents [hide]
1 Definition
2 History
3 Post World War II
4 Recent history
5 See also
6 References
6.1 Notes
6.2 Bibliography
[edit] Definition
Like most combat aircraft classifications, the definition of ground attack is somewhat vague. A key difference between it and otherwise similar designs like attack aircraft is the expectation that they will receive small arms fire and are generally armored to protect the pilot against this threat. In general a ground-attack aircraft will also be smaller and less "fighter like" than designs like strike fighters, attack aircraft or interdictors.
In US service ground-attack aircraft have been identified by the prefix A- as in "A-6". British designations have included FB for fighter-bomber and more recently "G" for Ground as in "Harrier GR1".
The NATO reporting names for Soviet/Russian ground attack aircraft classified them as "fighters" instead of "bombers" possibly, because they were often only variants of fighter aircraft, but always similar in size, range and weapons to fighters.
[edit] History
In the First World War Germany was the first country to produce dedicated ground attack aircraft such as the Junkers J.I. The Allies experimented with attack planes such as the Sopwith Salamander and the Boeing GA-1 but the war ended before they could used in combat.
Between the World Wars, as the United States embraced the role of global power with the United States Marine Corps as its preferred force for military intervention, Marine Corps Aviation pioneered ground attack and close air support tactics in the Banana Wars. Marine Aviators pioneered the technique of dive bombing during interventions in Haiti and Nicaragua.[1]
At the start of World War II engine power was scarce and aircraft had to be tailored to individual roles. Ground attack aircraft during this era were generally created for the role, one that was considered largely unimportant and therefore saw little development. Perhaps the only early-war aircraft in this niche was the Henschel Hs 123, a biplane. The Germans worked on a suitable replacement and eventually delivered the Henschel Hs 129, which featured a steel-armored cockpit and windows made of bulletproof glass. Only small numbers were built, however, as the Germans widely used the more flexible Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber in the ground attack role. A more famous example is the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik, a light bomber that was adapted into the ground attack role with it armoured fuselage, powerful artillery and possibility of using air-to-ground missiles. More than 43,000 Ilyushin Il-2 were built through World War II. Stalin credited the Il-2 with winning the war.[citation needed]
P-47 Thunderbolt in flight firing rocketsAs engine power improved, roughly doubling over the course of the war, even the average day fighter was more than capable enough to carry out the ground attack role, and some of the most successful designs were slight modifications of existing designs. One of the most successful of these was the RAF's Hawker Typhoons, although they deployed a variety of other aircraft due to changing availability. The Germans made a series of adapted versions of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the F and G series, serving roughly the same purpose. The same was true of the USAAF, who moved former front-line fighters into the ground attack role during the war, notably the P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt, as newer aircraft took up the air superiority role.
While machine guns and cannon were sufficient against infantry and light vehicles, and one or two small bombs could be easily fitted to most fighters, for operations against tanks heavier weapons such as the 40 mm Vickers S gun or high explosive rockets (such as the RP-3 60 lb rocket) were needed. The former equipped the Hawker Hurricane to good effect in North Africa Campaign, the latter was used by many RAF aircraft among them the Typhoon. Both the US and Soviets also used a variety of rockets in this role. The Germans also deployed rockets, as well as the first cluster bombs.
[edit] Post World War II
Su-22M4K in painting of 7th Tactical Sqn. of Polish Air ForceIn the immediate post war era the piston engined ground attack aircraft remained useful - Royal Navy Hawker Sea Fury fighters and the US Vought F4U Corsair and Douglas A-1 Skyraider operated in the Korea with the latter plane effective into the Vietnam conflict. The long loiter times of the piston powered planes gave an advantage over fuel-thirsty jet planes.
In most of the post-World War II era air forces have been increasingly reluctant to develop combat aircraft specifically for ground attack. Although close air support and interdiction remain crucial to the modern battlefield, attack aircraft are less glamorous than fighters, and both pilots and military planners have a certain well-cultivated contempt for 'mud-movers.' More practically, the extra cost of a dedicated ground attack aircraft is harder to justify as opposed to having multi-role aircraft.
In the late 1960s the United States Air Force requested a dedicated air support plane that became the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. It eventually became a primarily anti-armor weapon with limited capability in the interdiction and tactical bombing role, and even in the anti-tank role it was met with mixed feelings. However, the A-10's performance during Operation Desert Storm negated these criticisms. Current US doctrine increasingly emphasizes the use of United States Army helicopters for close air support and anti-tank missions. The Soviets' similar Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot) found greater success in the flying artillery role, although it, too, shifted to anti-armor use in later versions and has largely been phased out in favor of 'fast mover' fighter-bomber versions of the MiG-29 and Su-27.
Examples of modern ground attack aircraft include the A-10 Thunderbolt II, Sukhoi Su-7, Sukhoi Su-17, Sukhoi Su-25 (Frogfoot), Nanchang Q-5. Ground attack has otherwise become the domain of converted trainers like the BAC Strikemaster, BAE Hawk, and Cessna A-37 and some trainers are already build with this task in mind, like the CASA 101.
[edit] Recent history
RAF Harrier GR7.U.S. experience in the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq War has resulted in renewed interest in fixed-wing ground-attack aircraft.
Under the Key West Agreement which governs the allocation of aircraft between the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force, fixed-wing ground-attack aircraft were generally allocated to the Air Force, while attack helicopters were generally allocated to the Army. The Army, wishing to have its own resources to support its troops in combat and faced with a lack of Air Force enthusiasm for the ground-attack role, developed the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter for ground-attack roles such as destroying enemy tanks and supporting troops in combat.
_Sqm_-_Seitenansicht.jpg)
One concern involving the Apache arose when a unit of these helicopters was very slow to deploy during U.S. military involvement in Kosovo. The Apache, which is the main alternative for the same airborne anti-tank role in the U.S. military as the A-10, ended up performing more poorly than anticipated, while the A-10 performed well in anti-tank roles in the Gulf War and in Iraq. Indeed, in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, a unit of AH-64 Apaches was severely mauled by the Iraqi Republican Guard's Armoured Division.
According to the Army Times,[2] the Army is shifting its doctrine to favour ground-attack aircraft over attack helicopters for this role because ground-attack helicopters have proved to be highly vulnerable to small-arms fire. The U.S. Marine Corps have noted similar problems.[3]
Officially, the U.S. Air Force planned to replace the only dedicated ground-attack aircraft currently in U.S. service, the A-10, with its new "Joint Strike Fighter", the F-35 Lightning II. But, facing political concerns that the new fighters were not designed for the ground-attack role that had proven particularly useful in Iraq[4] and Afghanistan,[5][6] a plan to decommission the A-10 has been replaced with a plan to upgrade the existing aircraft with improved electronics,[7] extending the service life of the planes until as late as 2028. The U.S. Air Force has not commissioned any new designs for this role (in part, out of concern for the F-35 program).
The UK is replacing its current ground attack aircraft with the F-35 (replacing the Harriers), and the Eurofighter Typhoon (Jaguars and Tornado GRs).
The other major complication to plans of military forces to purchase new ground-attack aircraft is uncertainty over the degree to which manned fixed wing aircraft may be replaced by unmanned combat drones in this role, a possibility illustrated by the armed Predator drone, which has been used in this capacity.
[edit] See also
Close air support
Multirole combat aircraft
Air-to-ground weaponry
Pace-Finletter MOU 1952
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
^ Corum, James S; Wray R Johnson (2003). Airpower in Small Wars - Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. pp. 23–40. ISBN 0700612408.
^ "TRADOC Cuts Apaches’ Role in Deep Attack". Murdoc Online. 1 May 2006. http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/003682.html#more.
^ Trimble, Stephen (30 July 2003). "General: Deep-Strike, Urban Tactics For Attack Helicopters May Need Review". Aviation Week. http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/urb07303.xml.
^ "CENTAF Releases Airpower Summary Report." U.S. Air Force, 6 April 2006.
^ "Combat Operations in Afghanistan." strategypage.com, 2 May 2006.
^ Gates, Andrew (2004-08-19). "A-10s Rescue Ambushed Ground Forces". 455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs. United States Air Force. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123008450.
^ "A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) Ground Attack Aircraft, USA." Air Force Technology.
[edit] Bibliography
Corum, James S. & Johnson, Wray R. (2003). Airpower in Small Wars - Fighting Insurgents and Terrorists. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 23. ISBN 0-70061-240-8.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground-attack_aircraft"
Multirole combat aircraft
A multirole (or multi-role) combat aircraft is an aircraft that can be used as both a fighter aircraft and a ground attack aircraft. They are lighter and less powerful than air superiority fighters.
A multirole fighter is differentiated from a strike fighter in that the multirole fighter was designed to equally perform both aerial combat and ground attack, while the strike fighter is typically a fighter aircraft that can also employ air-to-ground munitions.
Contents [hide]
1 History of the term
2 Examples
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
[edit] History of the term
The Su-30MKI a Russian designed multi-role aircraftMulti-Role Combat Aircraft was the title of a multinational European project in 1968 that became the Panavia Tornado aircraft. During its development, the project had also been briefly called Multi-Role Aircraft (MRA).
[edit] Examples
Listed below are examples of multirole combat aircraft and the country where they have been developed:
Region Country Aircraft Notes
Europe United Kingdom,
West Germany
and Italy Panavia Tornado The original aircraft titled "Multi-Role Combat Aircraft" and to have the word "Multi-Role" in its title
United Kingdom,
Germany,
Italy and
Spain. Eurofighter Typhoon Described as a highly agile Air Superiority and Air-to-Surface, multi-role/swing-role fighter" by the manufacturers and users.[1][2]
France Dassault Mirage 2000
Dassault Rafale Alternately described as an "omni-role fighter/fighter-bomber" by the manufacturer
Sweden SAAB JAS 39 Gripen
Russia Sukhoi Su-35
Sukhoi Su-30
Mikoyan MiG-35
Mikoyan MiG-29
North America United States F-4 Phantom II
F-16 Fighting Falcon The F-16 is multirole fighter used by many members of NATO
F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet The 'A' in "F/A" explicitly denotes the joint Attack role of the F/A-18 ('F' = Fighter)
F-35 Lightning II
Asia People's Republic of China Shenyang J-11
People's Republic of China Chengdu J-10
People's Republic of China and Pakistan JF-17 Thunder
People's Republic of China Shenyang J-8
People's Republic of China Xian JH-7A
People's Republic of China Chengdu J-7
China and Russia Sukhoi Su-30MKK Used by the PLA Air Force ('K' = Kitayski, China)
India and Russia Sukhoi Su-30MKI
India HAL Tejas
[edit] See also
Ground attack aircraft
Interceptor aircraft
Tactical bomber
[edit] References
^ Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile Air Superiority and Air-to-Surface, multi-role/swing-role weapon system
^ RAF: F2 standard will be deployed primarily as air-superiority fighters
[edit] External links
This section requires expansion.
[hide]v • d • eLists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · Airports · Airlines · Civil authorities · Museums
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Accidents/incidents General · Military · Commercial (airliners) · Deaths
Records Airspeed · Distance · Altitude · Endurance · Most-produced aircraft
A multirole fighter is differentiated from a strike fighter in that the multirole fighter was designed to equally perform both aerial combat and ground attack, while the strike fighter is typically a fighter aircraft that can also employ air-to-ground munitions.
Contents [hide]
1 History of the term
2 Examples
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
[edit] History of the term
The Su-30MKI a Russian designed multi-role aircraftMulti-Role Combat Aircraft was the title of a multinational European project in 1968 that became the Panavia Tornado aircraft. During its development, the project had also been briefly called Multi-Role Aircraft (MRA).
[edit] Examples
Listed below are examples of multirole combat aircraft and the country where they have been developed:
Region Country Aircraft Notes
Europe United Kingdom,
West Germany
and Italy Panavia Tornado The original aircraft titled "Multi-Role Combat Aircraft" and to have the word "Multi-Role" in its title
United Kingdom,
Germany,
Italy and
Spain. Eurofighter Typhoon Described as a highly agile Air Superiority and Air-to-Surface, multi-role/swing-role fighter" by the manufacturers and users.[1][2]
France Dassault Mirage 2000
Dassault Rafale Alternately described as an "omni-role fighter/fighter-bomber" by the manufacturer
Sweden SAAB JAS 39 Gripen
Russia Sukhoi Su-35
Sukhoi Su-30
Mikoyan MiG-35
Mikoyan MiG-29
North America United States F-4 Phantom II
F-16 Fighting Falcon The F-16 is multirole fighter used by many members of NATO
F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet The 'A' in "F/A" explicitly denotes the joint Attack role of the F/A-18 ('F' = Fighter)
F-35 Lightning II
Asia People's Republic of China Shenyang J-11
People's Republic of China Chengdu J-10
People's Republic of China and Pakistan JF-17 Thunder
People's Republic of China Shenyang J-8
People's Republic of China Xian JH-7A
People's Republic of China Chengdu J-7
China and Russia Sukhoi Su-30MKK Used by the PLA Air Force ('K' = Kitayski, China)
India and Russia Sukhoi Su-30MKI
India HAL Tejas
[edit] See also
Ground attack aircraft
Interceptor aircraft
Tactical bomber
[edit] References
^ Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile Air Superiority and Air-to-Surface, multi-role/swing-role weapon system
^ RAF: F2 standard will be deployed primarily as air-superiority fighters
[edit] External links
This section requires expansion.
[hide]v • d • eLists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · Airports · Airlines · Civil authorities · Museums
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Accidents/incidents General · Military · Commercial (airliners) · Deaths
Records Airspeed · Distance · Altitude · Endurance · Most-produced aircraft
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight, daytime fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The F-16's versatility is a paramount reason it has proven a success on the export market, having been selected to serve in the air forces of 25 nations.[2] The F-16 is the largest Western jet fighter program with over 4,400 aircraft built since production was approved in 1976.[2] Though no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, advanced versions are still being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation,[3] which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.[4]
The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with numerous innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and has 11 hardpoints for mounting various missiles, bombs and pods. It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing power to climb and accelerate vertically — if necessary.[1] Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", due to it resembling a viper snake and after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter.[5][6][7] In addition to active, and reserve USAF units, the aircraft is used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy.
The F-16 is scheduled to remain in service with the U.S. Air Force until 2025.[8] The planned replacement is the F-35 Lightning II, which will gradually begin replacing a number of multirole aircraft among the air arms of the program's member nations.
Contents
1 Development
1.1 Origins
1.2 Lightweight Fighter program
1.3 Flyoff
1.4 Air Combat Fighter competition
1.5 Moving into production
1.6 Evolution
2 Design
2.1 Overview
2.2 General configuration
2.3 Wing and strake configuration
2.4 Flight controls
2.4.1 Negative static stability
2.4.2 Fly-by-wire
2.5 Cockpit and ergonomics
2.6 Radar
2.7 Propulsion
3 Operational history
3.1 First combat successes: Bekaa Valley and Osiraq raid (1981)
3.2 Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
3.3 Incidents during the Soviet-Afghan War (1986–1988)
3.4 Operation Desert Storm (1991)
3.5 Interwar Air Operations over Iraq (1991-2003)
3.6 Venezuelan coup attempt (1992)
3.7 Balkans (1994–1995 and 1999)
3.8 Aegean incidents (1996 and 2006)
3.9 Kargil War (1999)
3.10 Operations in Afghanistan (2001–present)
3.11 Invasion of Iraq and post-war operations (2003–present)
3.12 Second Lebanon War (2006)
3.13 Gaza War
3.14 Operations in North-West Pakistan (May 2009–present)
4 Variants
4.1 F-16A/B
4.2 F-16C/D
4.3 F-16E/F
4.4 F-16IN
5 Operators
6 Notable accidents
7 Specifications (F-16C Block 30)
8 Popular culture
9 Gallery
10 See also
11 References
11.1 Notes
11.2 Bibliography
12 External links
[edit] Development
[edit] Origins
F-16 Fighting Falcon.Real-world experience in the Vietnam War revealed some shortcomings in American fighter capabilities, and the need for better air-to-air training for fighter pilots.[9] The need for new air superiority fighters led the USAF to initiate two concept development studies in 1965: the Fighter Experimental (FX) project originally envisioned a 60,000 lb (27,200 kg) class twin-engine design with a variable-geometry wing, and the Advanced Day Fighter (ADF), a lightweight design in the 25,000 lb (11,300 kg) class which would out-perform the MiG-21 by 25%. However, the first appearance of the Mach-3-capable MiG-25 'Foxbat' in July 1967 resulted in the ADF effort being deemphasized in favor of the FX program, which would produce the F-15, a 40,000 lb (18,100 kg) class aircraft.[10]
Based on his experiences in the Korean War and as a fighter tactics instructor in the early 1960s Colonel John Boyd and mathematician Thomas Christie developed the Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory to model a fighter aircraft's performance in combat. Maneuverability was the key to a process Boyd called the "OODA Loop" (for "Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action"). Boyd's work called for a small, lightweight aircraft with an increased thrust-to-weight ratio.[11][12] A 1965 Air Force study suggested equipping its squadrons with a mix of high and low cost fighters as being the most economical.[13]
[edit] Lightweight Fighter program
Main article: Lightweight FighterIn the late 1960s Boyd gathered around him a group of like-minded innovators that became known as the "Lightweight Fighter Mafia". In 1969, the "Fighter Mafia" was able to secure funds for a "Study to Validate the Integration of Advanced Energy-Maneuverability Theory with Trade-Off Analysis". General Dynamics received $149,000 and Northrop $100,000 to develop design concepts that embodied Boyd’s E-M theory – a small, low-drag, low-weight, pure fighter with no bomb racks; their work would lead to the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively.[14][15]
Although the Air Force’s FX proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, the ADF concept (revamped and renamed as the ‘F-XX’) gained civilian political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard, who favored the idea of competitive prototyping. As a result in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member, and two of its six proposals would be funded, one being the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) proposal. The Request for Proposals issued 6 January 1972 called for a 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) class air-to-air day fighter with a good turn rate, acceleration and range, and optimized for combat at speeds of Mach 0.6–1.6 and altitudes of 30,000–40,000 ft (9,150–12,200 m). This was the region in which the USAF expected most future air combat to occur, based on studies of the Vietnam, Six-Day War, and Indo-Pakistani wars. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a production version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF was under no obligation to acquire the aircraft and, in fact, had no firm plans to procure the winner, which was to be announced in May 1975.[16][17]
Five companies responded and in March 1972, the Air Staff announced the winners for the follow-on prototype development and testing phase were Boeing’s Model 908-909 and General Dynamics’ Model 401; however, after further review, the Source Selection Authority (SSA) would demote Boeing’s entry to third place, after Northrop’s P-600. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the 'Fighter Mafia' and other LWF proponents successfully advocated the idea of complementary fighters in a high-cost/low-cost force mix (in part, to be able to afford sufficient fighters to sustain overall USAF fighter force structure requirements); this "high/low mix" concept would gain broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff between the prototypes, and would define the relationship of the F-15 and F-16 – and, subsequently, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.[18][19]
[edit] Flyoff
A right side view of a YF-16 and a Northrop YF-17, each armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute-long maiden first flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards AFB, California, on 2 February 1974. Its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January. While gathering speed, a roll-control oscillation caused a fin of the port-side wingtip-mounted missile and then the starboard stabilator to scrape the ground, and the aircraft then began to veer off the runway. The GD test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid wrecking the machine, and safely landed it six minutes later. The slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time. The YF-16’s first supersonic flight was accomplished on 5 February 1974, and the second YF-16 prototype flew for the first time on 9 May 1974. This was followed by the first flights of the Northrop’s YF-17 prototypes, which were achieved on 9 June and 21 August 1974, respectively. Altogether, the YF-16s would complete 330 sorties during the flyoff, accumulating a total of 417 flight hours; the YF-17s would accomplish 268 sorties.[20]
[edit] Air Combat Fighter competition
Three factors would converge to turn the LWF into a serious acquisition program. First, four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies of the U.S. – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway – were looking to replace their F-104G fighter-bomber variants of the F-104 Starfighter interceptor; furthermore, they were seeking an aircraft that their own aerospace industries could manufacture under license, as they had the F-104G. In early 1974, they reached an agreement with the U.S. that if the USAF placed orders for the aircraft winning the LWF flyoff, they would consider ordering it as well. Secondly, while the USAF was not particularly interested in a complementary air superiority fighter, it did need to begin replacing its F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers. Third, the U.S. Congress was seeking to achieve greater commonality in fighter procurements by the Air Force and Navy. The Congress, in August 1974, redirected funds for the Navy’s VFAX program to a new Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program that would essentially be a navalized fighter-bomber variant of the LWF. These requirements meshed relatively well, but the timing of the procurement was driven by the timeframe needs of the four allies, who had formed a “Multinational Fighter Program Group” (MFPG) and were pressing for a U.S. decision by December 1974. The U.S. Air Force had planned to announce the LWF winner in May 1975, but this decision was advanced to the beginning of the year, and testing was accelerated. To reflect this new, more serious intent to procure a new aircraft, along with its reorientation toward a fighter-bomber design, the LWF program was rolled into a new Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition in an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger in April 1974. Schlesinger also made it clear that any ACF order would be for aircraft in addition to the F-15, which essentially ended opposition to the LWF.[21][22][23]
ACF also raised the stakes for GD and Northrop because it brought in further competitors intent on securing the lucrative order that was touted at the time as “the arms deal of the century”. These were Dassault-Breguet’s Mirage F1M-53, the SEPECAT Jaguar, and a proposed derivative of the Saab Viggen styled the “Saab 37E Eurofighter” (which is not to be confused with the later and unrelated Eurofighter Typhoon). Northrop also offered another design, the P-530 Cobra, which looked very similar to its YF-17. The Jaguar and Cobra were dropped by the MFPG early on, leaving two European and the two U.S. LWF designs as candidates. On 11 September 1974, the U.S. Air Force confirmed firm plans to place an order for of the winning ACF design sufficient to equip five tactical fighter wings. On 13 January 1975, Secretary of the Air Force John L. McLucas announced that the YF-16 had been selected as the winner of the ACF competition.[24]
The chief reasons given by the Secretary for the decision were the YF-16’s lower operating costs; greater range; and maneuver performance that was “significantly better” than that of the YF-17, especially at near-supersonic and supersonic speeds. The flight test program revealed that the YF-16 had superior acceleration, climb rates, endurance, and (except around Mach 0.7) turn rates. Another advantage was the fact that the YF-16 – unlike the YF-17 – employed the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, which was the same powerplant used by the F-15; such commonality would lower the unit costs of the engines for both programs.[23][25]
Shortly after selection of the YF-16, Secretary McLucas revealed that the USAF planned to order at least 650 and up to 1400 of the production version of the aircraft. The U.S. Air Force initially ordered 15 “Full-Scale Development” (FSD) aircraft (11 single-seat and 4 two-seat models) for its flight test program, but this would be reduced to 8 (6 F-16A and 2 F-16B). The Navy, however, announced on 2 May 1975, that it had decided not to buy the navalized F-16; instead, it would develop an aircraft derived from the YF-17, which would eventually become the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.[26]
[edit] Moving into production
A USAF F-16C of the Colorado Air National Guard (COANG) disengages from a refueling boom (fuel port is still open) over Canada.Manufacture of the FSD F-16s got underway at General Dynamics’ Fort Worth, Texas plant in late 1975, with the first example, an F-16A, being rolled out on 20 October 1976, followed by its first flight on 8 December. The initial two-seat model achieved its first flight on 8 August 1977. The initial production-standard F-16A flew for the first time on 7 August 1978 and its delivery was accepted by the USAF on 6 January 1979. The F-16 was given its formal nickname of “Fighting Falcon” on 21 July 1980, and it entered USAF operational service with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB on 1 October 1980.[27]
On 7 June 1975, the four European partners, now known as the European Participation Group, signed up for 348 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. This was split among the European Participation Air Forces (EPAF) as 116 for Belgium, 58 for Denmark, 102 for the Netherlands, and 72 for Norway. These would be produced on two European production lines, one in the Netherlands at Fokker’s Schiphol-Oost facility and the other at SABCA’s Gossellies plant in Belgium; production would be divided among them as 184 and 164 units, respectively. Norway’s Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk and Denmark’s Terma A/S also manufactured parts and subassemblies for the EPAF aircraft. European co-production was officially launched on 1 July 1977 at the Fokker factory. Beginning in mid-November 1977, Fokker-produced components were shipped to Fort Worth for assembly of fuselages, which were in turn shipped back to Europe (initially to Gossellies starting in January 1978); final assembly of EPAF-bound aircraft began at the Belgian plant on 15 February 1978, with deliveries to the Belgian Air Force beginning in January 1979. The Dutch line started up in April 1978 and delivered its first aircraft to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in June 1979. In 1980 the first aircraft were delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force by SABCA and to the Royal Danish Air Force by Fokker.[23][28][29]
Since then, a further production line has been established at Ankara, Turkey, where Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has produced 232 Block 30/40/50 F-16s under license for the Turkish Air Force during the late 1980s and 1990s, and has 30 Block 50 Advanced underway for delivery from 2010; TAI also built 46 Block 40s for Egypt in the mid-1990s. Korean Aerospace Industries opened another production line for the KF-16 program, producing 140 Block 52s from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. If India selects the F-16IN for its Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft procurement, a sixth F-16 production line will be established in that nation to produce at least 108 fighters.[30]
[edit] Evolution
After selection, the YF-16 design was altered for the production F-16. The fuselage was lengthened 10.6 in (0.269 m), a larger nose radome was fitted to house the AN/APG-66 radar, wing area was increased from 280 sq ft (26 m2) to 300 sq ft (28 m2), the tailfin height was decreased slightly, the ventral fins were enlarged, two more stores stations were added, and a single side-hinged nosewheel door replaced the original double doors. These modifications increased the F-16's weight approximately 25% over that of the YF-16 prototypes.[31][32][33]
One needed change that would originally be discounted was the need for more pitch control to avoid deep stall conditions at high angles of attack. Model tests of the YF-16 conducted by the Langley Research Center revealed a potential problem, but no other laboratory was able to duplicate it. YF-16 flight tests were not sufficiently extensive to resolve the issue, but relevant flight testing on the FSD aircraft demonstrated that it was a real concern. As a result, the horizontal stabilizer areas were increased 25%; this so-called "big tail" was introduced on the Block 15 aircraft in 1981 and retrofitted later on earlier production aircraft. Besides significantly reducing (though not eliminating) the risk of deep stalls, the larger horizontal tails also improved stability and permitted faster takeoff rotation.[34][35][36]
In the 1980s, the Multinational Staged Improvement Program (MSIP) was conducted to evolve new capabilities for the F-16, mitigate risks during technology development, and ensure its currency against a changing threat environment. The program upgraded the F-16 in three stages. Altogether, the MSIP process permitted quicker introduction of new capabilities, at lower costs, and with reduced risks compared to traditional stand-alone system enhancement and modernization programs.[37] The F-16 has involved in other upgrade programs including service life extension programs in the 2000s.[38]
[edit] Design
[edit] Overview
The four-vent cannon port on a F-16AThe F-16 is a single-engined, supersonic, multi-role tactical 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, but 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 F-16 is equipped with an M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon in the left wing root with the F-16A distinguished by having four vents behind the port for the M61 cannon whereas the subsequent F-16C has only two vents behind the cannon port.[39]
Early models could also be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), including a single missile mounted on a dedicated rail launcher on each wingtip. Some variants can also employ the AIM-7 Sparrow long-range radar-guided AAM, and more recent versions can be equipped with 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 eleven hardpoints – six under the wings, two on wingtips and three under the fuselage.
[edit] General configuration
F-16CJ-50C from 20 Fighter Wing (Shaw AFB) armed with air-to-air and SEAD ordnanceThe F-16 design employs a cropped-delta planform incorporating wing-fuselage blending and forebody vortex-control strakes; a fixed-geometry, underslung air intake inlet supplying airflow to the single turbofan jet engine; a conventional tri-plane empennage arrangement with all-moving horizontal “stabilator” tailplanes; a pair of ventral fins beneath the fuselage aft of the wing’s trailing edge; a single-piece, bird-proof “bubble” canopy; and a tricycle landing gear configuration with the aft-retracting, steerable nose gear deploying a short distance behind the inlet lip. There is a boom-style aerial refueling receptacle located a short distance behind the rear of the canopy. Split-flap speedbrakes are located at the aft end of the wing-body fairing, and an arrestor hook is mounted underneath the aft fuselage. Another fairing is situated at the base of the vertical tail, beneath the bottom of the rudder, and is used to house various items of equipment such as ECM gear or drag chutes. Several later F-16 models, such as the F-16I variant of the Block 50 aircraft, also have a long dorsal fairing “bulge” that runs along the “spine” of the fuselage from the rear of the cockpit to the tail fairing; these fairings can be used to house additional equipment or fuel.[30][40]
The air intake was designed to be "far enough forward to allow a gradual bend in the air duct up to the engine face to minimize flow losses and far enough aft so it wouldn’t weigh too much or be too draggy or destabilizing."[41]
The F-16 was designed to be relatively inexpensive to build and much 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. Control surfaces such as the leading-edge flaps, tailerons, and ventral fins make extensive use of bonded aluminum honeycomb structural elements and graphite epoxy laminate skins. The F-16A had 228 access panels over the entire aircraft, about 80% of which can be reached without work stands. The number of lubrication points, fuel line connections, and replaceable modules was also greatly reduced compared to its predecessors.[30][33]
Although the USAF’s LWF program had called for an aircraft structural life of only 4,000 flight hours, and capable of achieving 7.33 g with 80% internal fuel, GD’s engineers decided from the start to design the F-16’s airframe life to last to 8,000 hours and for 9-g maneuvers on full internal fuel. This proved advantageous when the aircraft’s mission was changed from solely air-to-air combat to multi-role operations. However, changes over time in actual versus planned operational usage and continued weight growth due to the addition of further systems have required several structural strengthening programs.[42]
[edit] Wing and strake configuration
F-16CG-40B from Aviano Air Base on display at Paris Air ShowAerodynamic studies in the early 1960s demonstrated that the phenomenon known as “vortex lift” could be beneficially harnessed by the utilization of highly swept wing configurations to reach higher angles of attack through use of the strong leading edge vortex flow off of a slender lifting surface. Since the F-16 was being optimized for high agility in air combat, GD’s designers chose a slender cropped-delta wing with a leading edge sweep of 40° and a straight trailing edge. To improve its ability to perform in a wide range of maneuvers, a variable-camber wing with a NACA 64A-204 airfoil was selected. The camber is adjusted through the use of leading-edge and trailing edge flaperons linked to a digital flight control system (FCS) that automatically adjusts them throughout the flight envelope.[30][42]
This vortex lift effect can be increased by the addition of an extension of the leading edge of the wing at its root, the juncture with the fuselage, known as a strake. The strakes act as a sort of additional slender, elongated, short-span, triangular wing running from the actual wing root to a point further forward on the fuselage. Blended fillet-like into the fuselage, including along with the wing root, the strake generates a high-speed vortex that remains attached to the top of the wing as the angle of attack increases, thereby generating additional lift. This allows the aircraft to achieve angles of attack beyond the point at which it would normally stall. The use of strakes also permits the use of a smaller, lower-aspect-ratio wing, which in turn increases roll rates and directional stability, while decreasing aircraft weight. The resulting deeper wingroots also increase structural strength and rigidity, reduce structural weight, and increase internal fuel volume.[42] As a result, the F-16’s high fuel fraction of 0.31 gives it a longer range than other fighter aircraft of similar size and configuration.[33]
[edit] Flight controls
[edit] Negative static stability
F-16 taxiing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan AirportThe YF-16 was the world’s first aircraft intentionally designed to be slightly aerodynamically unstable. This technique, called "relaxed static stability" (RSS), was incorporated to further enhance the aircraft’s maneuver performance. Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, which induces an aircraft to return to its original attitude following a disturbance. However, positive static stability hampers maneuverability, as the tendency to remain in its current attitude opposes the pilot’s effort to maneuver; on the other hand, an aircraft with negative static stability will, in the absence of control input, readily depart from level and controlled flight. Therefore, an aircraft with negative static stability will be more maneuverable than one that is positively stable. When supersonic, a negatively stable aircraft actually exhibits a more positive-trending (and in the F-16’s case, a net positive) static stability due to aerodynamic forces shifting aft between subsonic and supersonic flight. At subsonic speeds, however, the fighter is constantly on the verge of going out of control.[43][44]
[edit] Fly-by-wire
To counter this tendency to depart from controlled flight—and avoid the need for constant minute trimming inputs by the pilot—the F-16 has a quadruplex (four-channel) fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system (FLCS). The flight control computer (FLCC), which is the key component of the FLCS, accepts the pilot’s input from the stick and rudder controls, and manipulates the control surfaces in such a way as to produce the desired result without inducing a loss of control (known as "departing" controlled flight). The FLCC also takes thousands of measurements per second of the aircraft’s attitude, and automatically makes corrections to counter deviations from the flight path that were not input by the pilot, thereby allowing for stable flight. This has led to a common aphorism among F-16 pilots: “You don’t fly an F-16; it flies you.”[45]
Wisconsin ANG F-16s over Madison, Wisconsin. The tail of the lead ship in this formation was a special 60th Anniversary scheme for the 115th Fighter WingThe FLCC further incorporates a series of limiters that govern movement in the three main axes based on the jet’s current attitude, airspeed and angle of attack, and prevent movement of the control surfaces that would induce an instability such as a slip or skid, or a high angle of attack inducing a stall. The limiters also act to prevent maneuvering that would place more than 9 g's of force on the pilot or airframe.[33][46]
Unlike the YF-17 which featured a FBW system with traditional hydromechanical controls serving as a backup, the F-16’s designers took the innovative step of eliminating mechanical linkages between the stick and rudder pedals and the aerodynamic control surfaces. The F-16’s sole reliance on electronics and wires to relay flight commands, instead of the usual cables and mechanical linkage controls, gained the F-16 the early moniker of "the electric jet". The quadruplex design permits “graceful degradation” in flight control response in that the loss of one channel renders the FLCS a “triplex” system.[47] The FLCC began as an analog system on the A/B variants, but has been supplanted by a digital computer system beginning with the F-16C/D Block 40.[33][48][49]
[edit] Cockpit and ergonomics
One of the more notable features from a pilot’s perspective is the F-16’s exceptional field of view from the cockpit, a feature that is vital during air-to-air combat. The single-piece, bird-proof polycarbonate bubble canopy provides 360° all-round visibility, with a 40° down-look angle over the side of the aircraft, and 15° down over the nose (compared to the more common 12–13° of its predecessors); the pilot’s seat is mounted on an elevated heel line to accomplish this. Furthermore, the F-16's canopy lacks the forward bow frame found on most fighters, which obstructs some of the pilot’s forward vision. (The length of the tandem arrangement of two-seat F-16s does necessitate a frame between the pilots, however.)[30][33][50]
F-16 Ground Trainer Cockpit (F-16 MLU version)The rocket-boosted ACES II zero/zero ejection seat is reclined at an unusually high tilt-back angle of 30°; the seats in older and contemporary fighters were typically tilted back at around 13–15°. The F-16’s seat-back angle was chosen to improve the pilot’s tolerance of high g forces, and to reduce his susceptibility to gravity-induced loss of consciousness. The increased seat angle, however, has also been associated with reports of increased risk of neck ache when not mitigated by proper use of the head-rest.[51] Subsequent U.S. jet fighter designs have more modest tilt-back angles of 20°.[30][33][52] Because of the extreme seat tilt-back angle and the thickness of its polycarbonate single-piece canopy, the F-16’s ejection seat lacks the steel rail canopy breakers found in most other aircraft’s ejection systems. Such breakers shatter a section of the canopy should it fail to open or jettison to permit emergency egress of the aircrew. On the F-16, crew ejection is accomplished by first jettisoning the entire canopy; as the relative wind pulls the canopy away from the plane, a lanyard triggers the seat’s rockets to fire.[53]
The pilot flies the aircraft primarily by means of a side-stick controller mounted on the right-hand armrest (instead of the more common center-mounted stick) and an engine throttle on the left side; conventional rudder pedals are also employed. To enhance the pilot’s degree of control of the aircraft during high-g combat maneuvers, a number of function switches formerly scattered about the cockpit have been moved to "hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS)" controls found on both of these controllers. Simple hand pressure on the side-stick controller causes the transmission of electrical signals via the FBW system to adjust the various flight control surfaces used for maneuvering. Originally, the side-stick controller was non-moving, but this arrangement proved uncomfortable and difficult for pilots to adjust to, sometimes resulting in a tendency to "over-rotate" the aircraft during takeoffs, so the control stick was given a small amount of “play”. Since its introduction on the F-16, HOTAS controls have become a standard feature among modern fighters (although the side-stick application is less widespread).[33][54]
The F-16 cockpit also has a Head-Up Display (HUD), which projects visual flight and combat information in symbological form in front of the pilot without obstructing his view. Being able to keep his head “out of the cockpit” further enhances the pilot’s situational awareness of what is occurring around him.[55] Boeing’s Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) is also available from Block 40 onwards for use with high-off-boresight air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9X. JHMCS permits cuing the weapons system to the direction in which the pilot’s head is facing—even outside the HUD’s field of view—while still maintaining his situational awareness.[56] JHMCS was first operationally deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[57]
The pilot obtains further flight and systems status information from multi-function displays (MFD). The left-hand MFD is the primary flight display (PFD), which generally shows radar and moving-map displays; the right-hand MFD is the system display (SD), which presents important information about the engine, landing gear, slat and flap settings, fuel quantities, and weapons status. Initially, the F-16A/B had only a single monochrome cathode ray tube (CRT) display to serve as the PFD, with system information provided by a variety of traditional “steam gauges”. The MLU introduced the SD MFD in a cockpit made compatible for usage of night-vision goggles (NVG).[35] These CRT displays were replaced by color liquid crystal displays on the Block 50/52.[30] The Block 60 features three programmable and interchangeable color MFDs (CMFD) with picture-in-picture capability that is able to overlay the full tactical situation display on the moving map.[58]
[edit] Radar
The F-16A/B was originally equipped with the Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) solid-state AN/APG-66 pulse-Doppler fire-control radar. Its slotted planar-array antenna was designed to be sufficiently compact to fit into the F-16’s relatively small nose. In uplook mode, the APG-66 uses a low pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) for medium- and high-altitude target detection in a low-clutter environment, and in downlook employs a medium PRF for heavy clutter environments. It has four operating frequencies within the X band, and provides four air-to-air and seven air-to-ground operating modes for combat, even at night or in bad weather. The Block 15’s APG-66(V)2 model added a new, more powerful signal processor, higher output power, improved reliability, and increased range in a clutter or jamming environments. The Mid-Life Update (MLU) program further upgrades this to the APG-66(V)2A model, which features higher speed and memory.[33][59] Taiwan's Block 20 has APG-66(V)3 that added CW mode in order to guide AIM-7M initially sold to Taiwan in the US announced 1992 deal. The APG-66(V)3 radar already able to guide AMRAAM BVR missiles.
The mechanically scanned AN/APG-68 X-band pulse-Doppler radar, an evolution of the APG-66, was introduced with the F-16C/D Block 25. The APG-68 has greater range and resolution, as well as 25 operating modes, including ground-mapping, Doppler beam-sharpening, ground moving target, sea target, and track-while-scan (TWS) for up to ten targets. The Block 40/42’s APG-68(V)1 model added full compatibility with Lockheed Martin Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infra-Red for Night (LANTIRN) pods, and a high-PRF pulse-Doppler track mode to provide continuous-wave (CW) target illumination for semi-active radar-homing (SARH) missiles like the AIM-7 Sparrow. The Block 50/52 F-16s initially received the more reliable APG-68(V)5 which has a programmable signal processor employing Very-High-Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) technology. The Advanced Block 50/52 (or 50+/52+) are equipped with the APG-68(V)9 radar which has a 30% greater air-to-air detection range, and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode for high-resolution mapping and target detection and recognition. In August 2004, Northrop Grumman received a contract to begin upgrading the APG-68 radars of the Block 40/42/50/52 aircraft to the (V)10 standard, which will provide the F-16 with all-weather autonomous detection and targeting for the use of Global Positioning System (GPS)-aided precision weapons. It also adds SAR mapping and terrain-following (TF) modes, as well as interleaving of all modes.[30][33]
The F-16E/F is outfitted with Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, making it only the third fighter to be so equipped.[58][60] Northrop Grumman has continued to develop this system into the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR).[61]
In July 2007, Raytheon announced that it was developing a new Raytheon Next Generation Radar (RANGR) based on its earlier AN/APG-79 AESA radar as an alternative candidate to Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-68 and AN/APG-80 for new-build F-16s as well as retrofit of existing ones.[30][62] On 1 November 2007, Boeing selected this design for development under the USAF’s F-15E Radar Modernization Program (RMP).[63]
[edit] Propulsion
Mechanics actuating an F-16 exhaust nozzle.The powerplant first selected for the single-engined F-16 was the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 afterburning turbofan, a slightly modified version of the F100-PW-100 used by the F-15. Rated at 23,830 lbf (106.0 kN) thrust, it remained the standard F-16 engine through the Block 25, except for new-build Block 15s with the Operational Capability Upgrade (OCU). The OCU introduced the 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) F100-PW-220, which was also installed on Block 32 and 42 aircraft; while not offering a noteworthy difference in thrust, it introduced a Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC) unit that improved reliability and reduced the risk of engine stalls (an unwelcome occasional tendency with the original "-200" that necessitated a midair engine restart). Introduced on the F-16 production line in 1988, the "-220" also supplanted the F-15’s "-100," thereby maximizing commonality. Many of the "-220" jet engines on Block 25 and later aircraft were upgraded from mid-1997 to the "-220E" standard, which further enhanced reliability and maintainability, including a 35% reduction of the unscheduled engine removal rate.[23][33][64][65]
Development of the F100-PW-220/220E was the result of the USAF’s Alternate Fighter Engine (AFE) program (colloquially known as “the Great Engine War”), which also saw the entry of General Electric as an F-16 engine provider. Its F110-GE-100 turbofan, however, required modification of the F-16’s inlet; the original inlet limited the GE jet’s maximum thrust to only 25,735 lbf (114.5 kN), while the new Modular Common Inlet Duct allowed the F110 to achieve its maximum thrust of 28,984 lbf (128.9 kN) in afterburner. (To distinguish between aircraft equipped with these two engines and inlets, from the Block 30 series on, blocks ending in "0" (e.g., Block 30) are powered by GE, and blocks ending in "2" (e.g., Block 32) are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines.)[35][64][66][67][68]
Further development by these competitors under the Increased Performance Engine (IPE) effort led to the 29,588 lbf (131.6 kN) F110-GE-129 on the Block 50 and 29,100 lbf (129.4 kN) F100-PW-229 on the Block 52. F-16s began flying with these IPE engines on 22 October 1991 and 22 October 1992, respectively. Altogether, of the 1,446 F-16C/Ds ordered by the USAF, 556 were fitted with F100-series engines and 890 with F110s.[30] The United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 is powered by the General Electric F110-GE-132 turbofan, which is rated at a maximum thrust of 32,500 lbf (144.6 kN), the highest ever developed for the F-16 aircraft.[58][66][69]
[edit] Operational history
Due to their ubiquity, F-16s have participated in numerous conflicts, most of them in the Middle East.
[edit] First combat successes: Bekaa Valley and Osiraq raid (1981)
Main articles: Lebanese Civil War and Operation OperaThe F-16’s first air-to-air combat success was achieved by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over the Bekaa Valley on 28 April 1981, against a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter, which was downed with cannon fire following an unsuccessful attempt with an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AAM).[70] Several months later, on 14 July 1981, the IAF achieved the first F-16 "kill" of another fighter with a successful AAM shoot-down of a Syrian MiG-21.[71]
On 7 June 1981, eight Israeli F-16s, escorted by F-15s, executed Operation Opera, their first employment in a significant air-to-ground operation. This raid severely damaged Osirak, an Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction near Baghdad, to prevent the regime of Saddam Hussein from using the reactor for the creation of nuclear weapons.[72]
[edit] Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
Main article: Operation Peace for GalileeThe following year, during Operation Peace for Galilee (Lebanon War) Israeli F-16s engaged Syrian aircraft in one of the largest air battles involving jet aircraft, which began on 9 June and continued for two more days. At the end of the conflict, the Israeli Air Force credited their F-16s with 44 air-to-air kills, mostly of MiG-21s and MiG-23s, while suffering no air-to-air losses of their own.[70][73] F-16s were also used in their ground-attack role for strikes against targets in Lebanon.
[edit] Incidents during the Soviet-Afghan War (1986–1988)
Main article: Soviet-Afghan WarDuring the Soviet-Afghan war, between May 1986 and January 1989, Pakistan Air Force F-16s shot down at least 10 intruders from Afghanistan. Four of the kills were Afghan Su-22s bombers, three were Afghan transports (two An-26s and one An-24), and one was a Soviet Su-25 bomber. Most of these kills were achieved using the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but a Su-22 was destroyed by cannon fire and the one An-24 crash landed after being forced to land upon interception.[74]
Afghanistan claimed to have shot down one Pakistani F-16A during an encounter on 29 April 1987; the pilot ejected safely and landed in Pakistani territory. Pakistani authorities admitted to having lost a fighter jet to enemy fighters, but suggested that it may have been either an F-16 or an F-6 and insisted it was attacked over Pakistani territory.[75] Subsequently, Pakistani officials confirmed that the loss was an F-16, but asserted it was accidentally shot down in a friendly fire incident during a dogfight with enemy aircraft over Pakistani territory. According to this claim, Flight Lieutenant Shahid Sikandar Khan’s F-16 was hit by an AIM-9 missile fired by another F-16 piloted by Squadron Leader Amjad Javed.[76]
[edit] Operation Desert Storm (1991)
A F-16C on the hardstand at McChord AFB, Washington.Main article: Operation Desert StormIn Operation Desert Storm of 1991, 249 USAF F-16s flew 13,340 sorties in strikes against Iraq, the most of any Coalition aircraft. Falcons often had AGM-65s (up to six), or two Mk84 2,000 lbs bombs (middle underwing pylons), two 1,400 lts tanks fuel, two AIM-9 and a underbelly ECM pod, such as the AN/ALQ-131. F-16Ds from the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB were used as spotter aircraft to search and find Iraqi SAMs and Republican Guard troops. They were armed with up to six Mk82s, Cluster Bombs, and LGBs. These aircraft were also equipped with LANTIRN and binoculars.[citation needed] Three aircraft were lost to confirmed enemy action: two to enemy radar guided SA-6 and SA-3 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs)[77][78] and one to a shoulder launched SA-16 missile.[79] Other F-16s were damaged in accidents and by hostile ground fire but were able to return to base and be repaired.[80][81] In all, seven F-16 were lost during Desert Storm combat operations between January 16 and February 28.[82]
F-16s formed the basis of the largest strike package (72 aircraft) flown during the war - "Package Q", a daylight raid against targets in downtown Baghdad on 19 January. It was during the "Package Q" mission that two F-16s, from 614th TFS 'Lucky Devils', part of the 401st TFW (P), flying from Doha, Qatar were lost to SAMs with their pilots (Capt Mike "Cujo" Roberts and Maj 'Tico' Tice downed, respectively, by a SA-2 and SA-3)becoming POWs.[83] This mission also marked the largest single operational F-16 strike package flown to date.[84]
F-16s were used also as Wild Weasel shooters, with AGM-88 HARM missiles, together with older F-4Gs (480th TFS, 52nd Wing)[85]. There were only 13 F-16s with HARMs, all based at Incirlik Air Base, together with 12 F-4Gs. Phantoms had the powerful AN/APR-47 and with these systems, they did the more difficult tasks (attacking the mobile radar sites); F-16s were only recently fitted with HARMs, and the bulk of USAF SEAD was still the F-4G (another 48 were at Sheik Isa, Bahrain). F-16s flew escort/Wild Weasel missions escorting them and striking pre-planned targets. The 138th Fighter Squadron (174th TFW, New York ANG) used 24 F/A-16s equipped with a 30 mm gunpod, the GPU-5/A 'Pave Claw', a four-barreled derivative of the A-10 Thunderbolt's GAU-13 cannon, but this proved a failure owing to excess vibration and inadequate gunsights.[86][87]
[edit] Interwar Air Operations over Iraq (1991-2003)
Main articles: Northern Watch, Southern Watch, and Operation Desert FoxFrom the end of Desert Storm until the invasion of Iraq in 2003, USAF F-16s patrolled the Iraqi no-fly zones. Two air-to-air victories were scored by USAF F-16s in Operation Southern Watch.[88] On 27 December 1992, a USAF F-16D shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 in UN-restricted airspace over southern Iraq with an AIM-120 AMRAAM; this was the first USAF F-16 kill since the F-16 was introduced; and was also the first AMRAAM kill.[89] On 17 January 1993, a USAF F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an AMRAAM missile for the second USAF F-16 victory.[90]
F-16s returned to Iraq in December 1998 as part of the Operation Desert Fox bombing campaign to "degrade" Iraq's ability to manufacture and use weapons of mass destruction.[91]
[edit] Venezuelan coup attempt (1992)
Main article: Venezuelan coup attempts of 1992On 27 November 1992, two Venezuelan F-16s took part in the November Venezuelan Coup Attempt on the side of the government over the city of Barquisimeto and its Military Air Base. In particular, the two F-16As strafed targets on the ground and shot down two OV-10 Broncos with AIM-9Ps and one AT-27 Tucano with cannon fire as these rebel-flown aircraft attacked loyalist army positions. To avoid hitting civilian targets, the two F-16s flew in the outer perimeter of the city, while one rebel OV-10 Bronco tried to engage combat.[92]
[edit] Balkans (1994–1995 and 1999)
Main articles: Operation Deny Flight, Operation Deliberate Force, and Operation Allied Force
Tail and canopy of F-16CG in Belgrade Aviation Museum, SerbiaF-16s were also employed by NATO during Bosnian peacekeeping operations in 1994-95 in ground-attack missions and enforcing the no-fly-zone over Bosnia (Operation Deny Flight). The first incident took place on 28 February 1994, 4 J-21 and 2 IJ-21 Jastrebs and 2 J-22 Oraos had violated the no-fly-zone to conduct a bombing run on Novi Travnik. The pilots of the 2 J-22s spotted the F-16s above them and after their attack, they left the area in low-level flight towards Croatia, where the U.S. jets could not follow. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was engaged and attacked, first by two USAF F-16Cs, which scored three kills. The remaining J-21 was taken out by a different pair of USAF F-16Cs. Of the six Yugoslavian jets engaged, four were shot down (one by AMRAAM and the others by Sidewinders).[93][94] On 2 June 1995, one F-16C was lost to a Serb 2K12 Kub SAM (NATO reporting name: SA-6 "Gainful") while on patrol over Bosnia. Its pilot, Scott O'Grady, ejected and was later rescued by a USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter on 8 June.[95]
NATO F-16s also participated in air strikes against Serbian forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Deliberate Force in August-September 1995, and again in Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia from March-June 1999. During Allied Force, F-16s also achieved one or two aerial victories: one by a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM, which shot down a Yugoslavian MiG-29 with an AMRAAM, and possibly another by a USAF F-16C which fired two AMRAAMs at a Yugoslavian MiG-29. However, in the latter case, the Serbs claimed to have subsequently found fragments of a 9K32M Strela-2M NATO designation: SA-7b) MANPAD in the wreckage of this MiG-29, suggesting it was mistakenly downed by Serbian infantry.[96]
On 2 May 1999, a USAF F-16CG was lost over Serbia. It was shot down by an S-125 Neva SAM (NATO: SA-3) near Nakucani. Its pilot; Lt. Col David Goldfein, the commander of 555th Fighter Squadron, managed to eject and was later rescued by a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission.[97][98] The remains of this aircraft are on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, Belgrade International Airport.
[edit] Aegean incidents (1996 and 2006)
Main articles: Greco-Turkish relations and Aegean disputeOn 8 October 1996, during an air-to-air confrontation over the Aegean Sea in Athens FIR, a Greek Mirage 2000 fired an R550 Magic and shot down a Turkish F-16D, which the Greek Government claims it violated Greek Airspace, while the Turkish government claims was on a training mission north of the Greek island of Samos, close to the Turkish mainland. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces.[99][100] While the Turkish government admits the loss, the Greek government officially denies the shootdown occurred.[101][verification needed]
On 23 May 2006, two Greek F-16 Block 52+ jets were scrambled to intercept a Turkish RF-4 reconnaissance aircraft and its two F-16 escorts off the coast of the Greek island of Karpathos, within Athens FIR. A mock dogfight ensued between the two sides’ F-16s, which ended in a midair collision between a Turkish F-16 and a Greek F-16. The Turkish pilot ejected safely after his jet was destroyed, but the Greek pilot died when his canopy and cockpit were destroyed during the collision.[102]
[edit] Kargil War (1999)
Main article: Kargil WarAlthough F-16As of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) did not see combat in the 1999 Kargil War, they were initially employed in patrolling the border to ensure Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters did not cross the line of control. Later in the war, lack of spare parts due to sanctions imposed on Pakistan forced the PAF to withdraw its F-16 fleet from regular patrol duties. The PAF's main opposition was the MiG-29, used by the IAF to provide fighter escort for Mirage 2000 which were attacking enemy targets with precision guided munitions. According to Indian sources, IAF MiG-29 of 47 (Black Archers) squadron tracked two PAF F-16As close to Indian air space with their radars, but they were ordered not to attack because no official declaration of war had been issued.[103] Pakistani sources state that the number of border violations by Indian aircraft dropped noticeably when F-16s were on patrol and that there were several cases of PAF F-16 and IAF Mirage 2000 tracking each other with their radars, but again no combat took place.[104]
[edit] Operations in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
An F-16 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force over AfghanistanF-16s have been used by the United States in Afghanistan since 2001. In 2002, a tri-national detachment known as the European Participating Air Forces (Danish, Dutch and Norwegian) of 18 F-16s in the ground attack role deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Since April 2005, eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s in February 2006, have been supporting International Security Assistance Force ground troops the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The detachment is known as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW).[105] On 31 August 2006, a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM crashed in Ghazni province and the pilot, Capt. Michael Donkervoort, was killed.[106] No cause was determined, but the investigation referenced the fact that a camel spider and other creatures had recently been found in the cockpits of Dutch aircraft in Afghanistan.[107][108]
[edit] Invasion of Iraq and post-war operations (2003–present)
Main article: 2003 invasion of IraqUS F-16s participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the only loss suffered over Iraq during this phase was an F-16CG of the 388th Fighter Wing’s 421st Fighter Squadron that crashed near Baghdad on 12 June 2003 when it ran out of fuel.[109]
A US Army MIM-104 Patriot SAM fire-control radar was damaged on 25 March 2003 following a hit by an AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile fired from an USAF F-16C on a patrol over southern Iraq, when the radar established a lock-on onto the fighter and the F-16 RWR classified it as a SA-2 radar.[110] On 7 June 2006, two USAF F-16s dropped two 500 lb (230 kg) guided bombs (one GBU-12 Paveway LGB and one GBU-38 GPS-guided “smart” bomb) destroying an al-Qaeda safehouse, killing Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.[111]
An F-16CG crashed near Fallujah on 27 November 2006 while on a low-altitude ground-strafing run; although under fire, according to the official USAF report, the apparent cause was due to flying into the ground while attempting to maintain visual identification of targeted enemy vehicles. The pilot, Major Troy Gilbert, was killed.[112][113] Two other F-16s were lost in Iraq a month apart, on 15 June and 15 July 2007 in separate noncombat-related accidents,[114][115][116][117] On 12 November 2008, an F-16C was destroyed in a ground fire at Balad Air Base in Iraq after a failed takeoff. The pilot was uninjured.[118] On 25 February 2009, a USAF F-16 shot down an Iranian Ababil-3 UAV that had violated Iraqi airspace. This so far marks the only confirmed air-to-air kill of the war.[119]
[edit] Second Lebanon War (2006)
Main article: 2006 Lebanon War
Israeli Air Force F-16I with CFTs and dorsal spineIsraeli F-16s, the bomber workhorse of the Israel Defense Forces, participated in the 2006 Lebanon War. The only reported F-16 loss was an IDF F-16I that crashed on 19 July when one of its tires burst as it took off for Lebanon from an air base in the Negev. The pilots ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground.[120] Israeli F-16's shot down three Hezbollah-operated Ababil UAVs during the war.[121]
[edit] Gaza War
Main article: Gaza WarIsraelis Defence Force F-16s were used in attacks in the Gaza strip in December 2008. The attacks were aimed at Hamas, and other militants, but also killed many civilians and other non-combatants.[122] No F-16s were lost.
[edit] Operations in North-West Pakistan (May 2009–present)
Main article: War in North-West PakistanThe Pakistan Air Force (PAF) have been using their F-16A fleet to attack militant positions and support the Pakistan Army's operations in North-West Pakistan against the Taliban insurgency. Since May 2009, PAF F-16s have used 500 lb and 2,000 lb unguided and laser-guided bombs to attack caves, tunnels, training camps, ammunition dumps and hide-outs used by the militants. Over 100 combat missions have been flown in South Waziristan and over 300 in the Swat Valley as of 29 July 2009. Prior to the operations in the Swat Valley, approximately 10 of the PAF's F-16s were fitted with high-resolution infra-red sensors for reconnaissance purposes, supplied by the United States, to provide the Pakistani military with detailed imagery of the area.[123]
Lockheed Martin had indicated back in May 2007 that it would be supplying Pakistan with 18 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) with deliveries starting in 2008.[124]
[edit] Variants
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants
F-16 on static display at Farnborough Airshow, 2006.F-16 models are denoted by sequential block numbers to denote significant upgrades. The blocks cover both single- and two-seat versions. A variety of software, hardware, systems, weapons carriage, and structural enhancements have been instituted over the years to gradually upgrade the F-16 and retroactively implement the upgrades in previously delivered aircraft.
While many F-16s were produced according to these block designs, there have been many other variants with significant changes, usually due to modification programs. Other changes have resulted in role-specialization, such as the close air support and reconnaissance variants. Several models were also developed to test new technology. The F-16 design also inspired the design of other aircraft, which are considered derivatives.
[edit] F-16A/B
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16A/BThe F-16A (single seat) and F-16B (two seat) were initially equipped with the Westinghouse AN/APG-66 pulse-doppler radar, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 turbofan, rated at 14,670 lbf (64.9 kN) and 23,830 lbf (106.0 kN) with afterburner. The A and B variants include Blocks 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20. The USAF bought 674 F-16As and 121 F-16Bs, with delivery completed in March 1985. The F-16A/B had a unit cost of US$14.6 million (1992).
Early blocks (Block 1/5/10) featured relatively minor differences between each. Most were later upgraded to the Block 10 configuration in the early 1980s. Block 15 aircraft was the first major change in the F-16. It featured larger horizontal stabilizers, the addition of two hardpoints to the chin inlet, an improved AN/APG-66(V)2 radar, and increased capacity for the underwing hardpoints. Block 15 also gained the Have Quick II secure UHF radio. The horizontal stabilizers were enlarged by 30% to counter the additional weight of the new hardpoints. Block 15 is the most numerous variant of the F-16, with 983 produced.
Block 20 added some F-16C/D block 50/52 capability: Improved AN/APG-66(V)3 radar with added CW mode to guide 2 types of BVR missiles — AIM-7M Sparrow missiles and AIM-120 AMRAAM, carriage of AGM-45 Shrike(not release to Taiwan), AGM-84 Harpoon, and AGM-88 HARM(not release to Taiwan) missiles, as well as the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod. The Block 20 computers are significantly improved in comparison to that of the earlier versions that later integrated into post 1997 Block 50/52, and also getting color MFD. The Republic of China (Taiwan) received 150 F-16A/B Block 20 aircraft.[125]
[edit] F-16C/D
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16C/DF-16C (single seat) and F-16D (two seat) variants were introduced in service in 1984. The Block 25 was the first C/D block. It added all-weather capability with beyond-visual-range (BVR) AIM-7 and AIM-120 air-air missiles.[126] Block 25 introduced a substantial improvement in cockpit avionics, and improved AN/APG-68 radar. Block 25s were first delivered with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 engine and later upgraded to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E. A total of 209 Block 25 aircraft were delivered.[127] The F-16C/D had a unit cost of US$18.8 million (1998).[1]
Block 30/32 was the first block of F-16s affected by the Alternative Fighter Engine project under which aircraft were fitted with the traditional Pratt & Whitney engines or, for the first time, the General Electric F110-GE-100. From this point on, blocks ending in "0" (e.g., Block 30) are powered by GE, and blocks ending in "2" (e.g., Block 32) are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. The first Block 30 F-16 entered service in 1987. Major differences include the carriage of the AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, and the AIM-120 missiles. From Block 30D, aircraft were fitted with larger engine air intakes (called a Modular Common Inlet Duct) for the increased-thrust GE engine. A total of 733 Block 30/32 aircraft were produced and delivered to six countries.[128]
Block 40/42 entered service in 1988. It is the improved all-day/all-weather strike variant equipped with LANTIRN pod; also unofficially designated the F-16CG/DG, the night capability gave rise to the name "Night Falcons". This block features strengthened and lengthened undercarriage for LANTIRN pods, an improved radar, and a GPS receiver. From 2002, the Block 40/42 increased the weapon range available to the aircraft including JDAM, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) and the (Enhanced) EGBU-27 Paveway “bunker-buster”. A total of 615 Block 40/42 aircraft were delivered to 5 countries.[129]
Block 50/52 F-16 was first delivered in late 1991; the aircraft are equipped with improved GPS/INS, and the aircraft can carry a further batch of advanced missiles: the AGM-88 HARM missile, JDAM, JSOW and WCMD. Block 50 aircraft are powered by the F110-GE-129 while the Block 52 jets use the F100-PW-229; said aircraft are unofficially designated F-16CJ.[130]
Block 50/52 Plus (or 50/52+), which is also known as the "Advanced Block 50/52", was first delivered in April 2003 to the Hellenic Air Force. Its main differences are the addition of support for conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), dorsal spine compartment, APG-68(V9) radar, and JHMCS helmet.[130] The CFTs are mounted above the wing, on both sides of the fuselage. They provide an additional 450 US gallon (2,045 L) of fuel for increased range or time on station and free up underwing hardpoints for weapons. They can be easily removed if needed. The optional dorsal spine compartment is located behind the cockpit and extends to the tail. It adds adds 30 cubic feet (850 L) for more internal avionics and chaff/flare dispensers. This option is extremely common in the two-seat versions, but can not be mounted on single seat versions.[131]
USAF F-16C
Three U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 30 aircraft fly in formation over South Korea
An Egyptian Air Force F-16D Block 40
The U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft
An Israeli F-16I (Block 52) at Red Flag July 2009
[edit] F-16E/F
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16E/F
A United Arab Emirates Air Force F-16E Block 60 taking off after taxiing out of the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas (adjacent to NAS Fort Worth JRB).The F-16E (single seat) and F-16F (two seat) are the latest version of the F-16. They do not exist in the USAF inventory and are currently an export variant only. Originally, the single-seat version of the General Dynamics F-16XL was to have been designated F-16E, with the twin-seat variant designated F-16F. This was sidelined by the Air Force's selection of the competing F-15E Strike Eagle in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter fly-off in 1984. The 'Block 60' designation had also previously been set aside in 1989 for the A-16, but this model was also dropped.[132] The F-16E/F designation now belongs to a special version developed especially for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is sometimes unofficially called the "Desert Falcon".
Block 60 is based on the F-16C/D Block 50/52. It features improved radar, avionics and conformal fuel tanks; it has only been sold to the United Arab Emirates. At one time, this version was incorrectly thought to have been designated "F-16U". A major difference from previous blocks is the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which gives the airplane the capability to simultaneously track and destroy ground and air threats. The Block 60's General Electric F110-GE-132 engine is a development of the -129 model and is rated at 32,500 lbf (144 kN). The Block 60 allows the carriage of all Block 50/52-compatible weaponry as well as AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM). The CFTs provide an additional 450 US gallon (2,045 L) of fuel, allowing increased range or time on station and frees up hardpoints for weapons instead of underwing fuel tanks. The MIL-STD-1553 data bus is replaced by MIL-STD-1773 fiber-optic data bus which offers a 1000 times increase in data-handling capability. UAE funded the entire $3 billion Block 60 development costs, and in exchange will receive royalties if any of the Block 60 aircraft are sold to other nations. A press report stated that this is "the first time the US has sold a better aircraft[F-16] overseas than its own forces fly".[133]
[edit] F-16IN
India initially sent the RFI for a F-16C/D Block 52+ configuration aircraft for the ongoing Indian MRCA competition to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircrafts. On January 17, 2008, Lockheed Martin offered a customized version of the F-16, the F-16IN Super Viper for the Indian MMRCA contract.[134] The F-16IN, which is similar to the F-16 Block 60, will be a 4.5 generation aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has described the F-16IN as “the most advanced and capable F-16 ever.” Based closely on the F-16E/F Block 60 as supplied to the UAE, the features on the F-16IN include Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs); AN/APG-80 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar,[135] GE F110-132A engine with 32,000 pounds (143 kN) thrust with FADEC controls; electronic warfare suite and infra-red searching (IRST); advanced all-color glass cockpit with three large displays; and a helmet-mounted cueing system.[136]
As of September 2009, F-16IN Super Viper completed a part of the field trials. Lockheed Martin officials said that the phase I of field trials was over and the week-long training phase was in preparation for Phase II of field trials begins on September 7 and will last two weeks.
[edit] Operators
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon operators
Operators of F-16.Over 4,400 F-16s have been sold to 25 foreign air forces.[137]
Bahrain
Belgium
Chile
Denmark
Egypt
Greece
Jordan
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
Singapore
Republic of China (Taiwan)
South Korea
Thailand
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States
Venezuela
[edit] Notable accidents
On 8 May 1975, while practicing a 9-g aerial display maneuver with the second YF-16 (tail number 72-1568) at Fort Worth prior to being sent to the Paris Air Show, one of the main landing gear jammed. The test pilot, Neil Anderson, had to perform an emergency gear-up landing and chose to do so in the grass, hoping to minimize damage and to avoid injuring the many GD employees observing the display. The aircraft was only slightly damaged (inlet duct buckling, fuselage station 227 bulkhead cracks, etc.). It was scheduled to appear at the Paris air show but due to the mishap the first prototype (tail number 72-1567) was sent.
On 11 February 1992, an F-16 from the Royal Netherlands Air Force crashed into the city of Hengelo. The fighter suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff and the pilot tried to return to the nearby Twenthe air base. The pilot ejected and landed safely on the roof of a building. The F-16 crashed between the houses, without causing any injuries on the ground.
During a joint Army-Air Force exercise being conducted at Pope AFB, North Carolina, on 23 March 1994, F-16D (AF Serial No. 88-0171) of the 23d Fighter Wing / 74th Fighter Squadron was at the center of a multi-aircraft accident with a USAF C-141 aircraft that was embarking US Army paratroopers, since known as the "Green Ramp disaster". This mishap resulted in 24 fatalities and at least 80 others injured.[138]
On 27 March 2000, an Israeli Air Force F-16D-30F of 109 Sq based at Ramat David Air Base, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during a training flight 17 nmi (31 km) off the coastal village of Atlit in northern Israel. The pilot, Major Yonatan Begin, was a grandson of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. Neither he nor his co-pilot, Lt. Lior Harari, had notified their ground controllers of any problems.[139][140]
On 22 June 2009, an F-16 assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base crashed during a routine training mission over the Utah range west of Salt Lake City. Capt George Houghton, USAF died in the crash. Air Force officials said Houghton, a member of the 421st Fighter Squadron assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing, was involved in close-air support mission training when the F-16 went down.[141]
On 13 September 2009, an Israeli Air Force F-16A crashed while on a training flight over the southern Hebron hills, killing pilot Assaf Ramon. Assaf was the son of Ilan Ramon, a former F-16 pilot and Israel's first astronaut, killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.[142]
[edit] Specifications (F-16C Block 30)
Data from USAF sheet,[1] International Directory of Military Aircraft,[143] AerospaceWeb,[144] GlobalSecurity.org[145]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 49 ft 5 in (14.8 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.8 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.8 m)
Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 64A204 root and tip
Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,670 kg)
Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,200 kg)
Powerplant: 1× F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan
Dry thrust: 17,155 lbf (76.3 kN)
Thrust with afterburner: 28,600 lbf (128.9 kN)
Performance
Maximum speed:
At sea level: Mach 1.2 (915 mph, 1,470 km/h)
At altitude: Mach 2+ (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h)
Combat radius: 340 mi (295 nm, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
Ferry range: 2,280 NM (2,620 mi, 4,220 km) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 60,000+ ft (18,000+ m)
Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
Wing loading: approx 40 lb/ft²[146] (430 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 1.095
M61A1 on display.Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan gatling gun, 511 rounds
Hardpoints: 2× wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6× under-wing & 3× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of payload
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× /7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively) or
4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets) or
4× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× Zuni 127 mm rockets)
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles:
2× AIM-7 Sparrow or
6× AIM-9 Sidewinder or
6× IRIS-T or
6× AIM-120 AMRAAM or
6× Python-4
Air-to-ground missiles:
6× AGM-45 Shrike or
6× AGM-65 Maverick or
4× AGM-88 HARM
Anti-ship missiles:
2× AGM-84 Harpoon or
4× AGM-119 Penguin
Bombs:
2× CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
2× CBU-89 Gator mine
2× CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
4× GBU-10 Paveway II
6× GBU-12 Paveway II
6× Paveway-series laser-guided bombs
4× JDAM
4× Mark 84 general-purpose bombs
8× Mark 83 GP bombs
12× Mark 82 GP bombs
B61 nuclear bomb
Others:
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or
up to 3× 300/330/370 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
Avionics
AN/APG-68 radar
[edit] Popular culture
The F-16 can be seen in movies such as Blue Thunder, The Jewel of the Nile, the Iron Eagle series, X2, The Sum of All Fears, Cloverfield, and Eagle Eye. It also appears, in a more negative light, in the 1992 TV movie Afterburn.
Due to its widespread adoption, the F-16 has been a popular model for computer flight simulators, appearing in over 20 games. Some of them are: Falcon series (1987-2005), F-16 Combat Pilot (1988) F-16 Fighting Falcon (1984), Jet (1989), Strike Commander (1993), iF-16 (1997), F-16 Multi-role Fighter (1998), F-16 Aggressor (1999), The Ace Combat Series and Thrustmaster "HOTAS Cougar" flight simulator controller (exacting reproduction of those found in the F-16 Block 40/50). The F-16 is also one of two aircraft available in the built-in flight simulator in Google EarthReferences
[edit] Notes
^ a b c d e "F-16 Fact Sheet." US Air Force, October 2007. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ a b "United States Government Awards Lockheed Martin Contract to Begin Production of Advanced F-16 Aircraft for Morocco." Lockheed Martin press release, 8 June 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (updated 17 December 2007). "Downside of Dominance? Popularity of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Makes Its F-35 Stealth Jet a Tough Sell." Washington Post. Retrieved: 11 July 2008.
^ Anon (undated) "Company Histories – Lockheed Martin Corporation." Funding Universe. Retrieved: 11 July 2008.
^ Aleshire, Peter. Eye of the Viper: The Making of an F-16 Pilot (Illustrated ed.). Old Saybrook, Connecticut: Globe Pequot, 2005. ISBN 1-59228-822-7. Retrieved: 28 May 2009.
^ F-16 Fighting Falcon, F16, or Viper?
^ Peacock 1997, p. 100.
^ Tirpak, John A. "Making the Best of the Fighter Force." Air Force Magazine, March 2007. Retrieved: 23 June 2008.
^ Spick, Mike, ed. "F-16 Fighting Falcon". Great Book of Modern Warplanes. St. Paul, MN: MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 7.
^ Hillaker, Harry. "Tribute To John R. Boyd." Code One, July 1997. Retrieved: 7 June 2008.
^ Hehs, Eric. "Harry Hillaker – Father of the F-16." Code One, April & July 1991. Retrieved: 7 June 2008.
^ Jenkins 1998, p. 6.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–8.
^ Coram, Robert. Boyd: the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. New York: Little, Brown, and Co., 2002. ISBN 0-316-88146-5.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 9–10.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–9.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 10–11.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 8–9.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 12–13.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 14.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 12–13.
^ a b c d Anon "YF-16 : The Birth of a Fighter." F-16.net. Retrieved: June 13, 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 13–16.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 13.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 14, 17–19, 33–34.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 17–19, 33–34.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 14–16, 21.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 13–15.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Anon. "Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon." Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft, updated 21 January 2008. Retrieved: 30 May 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 31–32.
^ Spick 2000, p. 196.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goebel, Greg. "F-16 Origins." Vectorsite, 1 April 2007. Retrieved: 14 June 2008.
^ Chambers, Joseph R. "Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon : Curing Deep Stall", "Partners in Freedom: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990’s."; Monographs in Aerospace History Number 19, The NASA History Series (NASA SP-2000-4519). National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC, 2000. Retrieved: 22 June 2008.
^ a b c Goebel, Greg. "F-16 Variants." Vectorsite.net, 1 April 2007. Retrieved: 26 May 2008.
^ Darling 2003, p. 56.
^ Camm, Frank. "The F-16 Multinational Staged Improvement Program: A Case Study of Risk Assessment and Risk Management, (Accession No. ADA281706)." RAND Corp., 1993. Retrieved: 2 June 2008.
^ "F-16 Fighting Falcon – Service Life." Global Security. Retrieved: 30 May 2008.
^ Drendel 1993, pp. 10–11.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 99–102.
^ "Technology and the F-16 Fighting Falcon Jet Fighter, Harry J. Hillaker." nae.edu. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ a b c Richardson 1990, p. 10.
^ Hoh and Mitchell 1983, pp. 11ff.
^ Aronstein, David C. and Albert C. Piccirillo. The Lightweight Fighter Program: A Successful Approach to Fighter Technology Transition. AIAA, 1996, p. 21. Retrieved: 25 October 2008.
^ Greenwood, Cynthia. "Air Force Looks at the Benefits of Using CPCs on F-16 Black Boxes." CorrDefense, Spring 2007. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Hoh and Mitchell 1983, p. 5.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 12.
^ Nielsen, Mats (undated [2007]). "Total Immersion Fuel Tank Airborne Cable Assemblies." Glenair. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Day, Dwayne A. "Computers in Aviation." U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, p. 99.
^ Albano, J. J. and J. B. Stanford. "Prevention of Minor Neck Injuries in F-16 Pilots". Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine; 69, 1998: 1193-9.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 99–100.
^ Sherman, Robert. "F-16 Fighting Falcon." Federation of American Scientists (FAS), updated 30 May 2008. Retrieved: 20 June 2008.
^ Pike, John. "F-16 Fighting Falcon." Global Security, updated 27 April 2005. Retrieved: 20 June 2008.
^ Task, H. L. (December 1983). Optical Effects of F-16 Canopy-HUD (Head Up Display) Integration, (Accession No. ADP003222). Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Lab.
^ Anon. (undated). "Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)." Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon "F-16 Fighting Falcon Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, USA." Airforce-technology.com. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b c Anon. "F-16E/F : Block 60." F-16.net. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon "The AN/APG-66 Radar." Avitop.com. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Kopp, Carlo. "Active Electronically Steered Arrays: A Maturing Technology." Australian Aviation, June 2002 (as reprinted by Air Power Australia). Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR)
^ Shamim, Asif. "Raytheon and Northrop Grumman battle over F-16 radars." F-16.net, 7 November 2007. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon. "Boeing Selects Raytheon to Provide AESA Radar for U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles." Boeing News Release, 1 November 2007. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b Peacock 1997, pp. 102–103.
^ Pike, John. "F100-PW-100/-200." Global Security, updated 13 March 2006. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b Peacock 1997, p. 103.
^ Camm, Frank and Thomas K. Glennan, Jr. "The Development of the F100-PW-220 and F110-GE-100 Engines (N-3618-AF)." RAND Corp., 1993. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon "F-16C/D : Block 30/32." F-16.net. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Pike, John. "F110." Global Security, updated 15 March 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
^ a b Iskra, Alex. "GD/L-M F-16A/B Netz in Israeli Service." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 26 September 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "First Down - F-16." iaf.org.il, Israeli Air Force website. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Grant, Rebecca. "Osirak and Beyond." Air Force Magazine, August 2002. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Schow, Jr., Kenneth C., Lt. Col., USAF. "Falcons Against the Jihad: Israeli Airpower and Coercive Diplomacy in Southern Lebanon." Air University Press, November 1995. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Pakistan Border Battles." Pakistan Military Consortium. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ Weisman, Steven R. "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border." The New York Times, 2 May 1987. Retrieved: 10 August 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 81-0918." F-16.net. Retrieved: 10 August 2008.
^ Airframe Details for F-16 #87-0228
^ "Airframe Details for F-16 #87-0257." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Airframe Details for F-16 #84-1390." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon. "F-16 Accident Reports for 1991". F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "USAF Manned Aircraft Combat Losses 1990-2002." Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ F-16 Accident Reports for 1991, F-16.net
^ Lucky Devils in the Gulf War, article written by S.M.Huertas
^ The Lucky Devils and Forgotten 1000 in the Gulf War
^ Air war in Desert Storm
^ "A-16, F/A-16, F-16A (30mm gun): F-16s for the CAS/BAI missions." f-16.net. retrieved 9 November 2009.
^ Williams and Gustin 2004, pp. 28, 118.
^ Anon. "Aerial Victory Credits." Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0778." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 86-0262." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. "Secretary Albright" (transcript). PBS, 17 December 1998. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Cooper, Tom and Juan Sosa. "Venezuelan Coup Attempt, 1992." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 1 September 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Palmer, Eric L. "USAF F-16s shoot down 4 Serb attack aircraft." F-16.net, 28 February 1994. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 28 October 2003; updated 18 September 2004. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 89-2032." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 30 November 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Roberts, Chris. "Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia". F-16.net, 7 February 2007. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0550." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 91-0023". F-16.net. Retrieved: 18 May 2008.
^ Anon. "Greek & Turkish Air-to-Air Victories." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 28 October 2003, updated 18 September 2004. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Dewitte, Lieven. "Deadly 1996 Aegean clash is confirmed". F-16.net, 22 May 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Greek F-16 and Turkish F-16 collide - 1 pilot OK." F-16.net, 23 May 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Kapisthalam, Kaushik. "Strategy." Strategy Page 20 May 2005. Retrieved: 16 May 2009.
^ Tufail, M. Kaiser. "Himalayan Showdown". Air Forces Magazine, June 2009. p. 96.
^ Anon. "F-16s complete one thousand hours of flight operations over Afghanistan." Dutch Ministry of Defense, 3 January 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Dutch F-16 crash in Afghanistan." BBC News, 31 August 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2009.
^ F-16 mishap horror, F-16.net, 12 July 2007.
^ "F-16 Mishap Horror." aviationweek.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0424." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Weisman, Jonathan. "Patriot Missiles Seemingly Falter For Second Time; Glitch in Software Suspected." Washington Post, 26 March 2003 (via Global Security). Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ "Iraq Terror Chief Killed in Airstrike." CBS News, 8 June 2006. Retrieved: 29 June 2008.
^ Anon. "US F-16 goes down in Iraq." Al Jazeera, 27 November 2006. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ Anon "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0776." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Air Force Reports F-16 Crash in Iraq." FOX News, 15 June 2007. Retrieved: 18 August 2009.
^ "U.S. F-16 warplane crashes in Iraq, pilot uninjured." Xinhua News Agency, 17 July 2007. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ F-16CG
^ "F-16CJ." usaf.aib.law.af.mil. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16 Mishap News: US F-16 destroyed in ground fire." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Iran." airforcetimes.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Harel, Amos. “IDF fighter jet crashes during take-off in Negev; no injuries.” Haaretz, 20 July 2007. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "IDFAF." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Israeli jets kill ‘at least 225’ in strikes on Gaza." The Sunday Times, 28 December 2008. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Schmitt, Eric. "Pakistan Injects Precision Into Air War on Taliban." The New York Times, 29 July 2009. Retrieved: 30 July 2009
^ "Pakistan Air Force Selects Sniper Targeting Pod for its F-16 Aircraft." deagel.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16A/B, Block 1/5/10/15/15OCU/20." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ Darling 2003, p. 59.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 25." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 30/32." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 40/42." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ a b "F-16C/D, Block 50/52." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16 Current Options". Lockheed Martin. Retrieved: 16 July 2009.
^ Anon "A-16, F/A-16, F-16A (30mm gun)." F-16.net. Retrieved: 21 May 2008.
^ "Dubai 2007: UAE shows off its most advanced Falcons." FlightGlobal.com, 11 November 2007. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16 maker Lockheed mounts an India campaign." Times of India. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ New Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 radar. Northrop Grumman
^ "F-16IN page." Lockheed Martin. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "CSIS's US Competitiveness in in the Fighter Aircraft Export Market." csis.org. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "23 March 1994 crash." Aviation Safety Net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Grandson of Begin Lost in Israeli F-16 Crash." The New York Times, 29 March 2000. Retrieved: 13 June 2008.
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^ "Pilot killed in F-16 crash at Utah training range." deseretnews.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Israeli Air Force accident." ynetnews.com. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.
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^ F-16 page, Aerospaceweb.org
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^ Dryden, Joe Bill. "F-16 Aerodynamics". Code One Magazine, April 1986 issue.
[edit] Bibliography
Darling, Kev. F-16 Fighting Falcon (Combat Legend). London: Airlife, 2003. ISBN 1-84037-399-7.
Drendel, Lou. F-16 Fighting Falcon - Walk Around No. 1. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Books, 1993. ISBN 0-8974-7307-8.
Gunston, Bil. United States Military Aircraft of the 20th Century London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1984. ISBN 0-86101-163-5.
Hehs, Eric. "Harry Hillaker — Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1991.
Hillaker, Harry. "John Boyd, USAF Retired, Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1997.
Hoh, Roger H. and David G. Mitchell. "Flying Qualities of Relaxed Static Stability Aircraft – Volume I: Flying Qualities Airworthiness Assessment and Flight Testing of Augmented Aircraft." Federal Aviation Administration (DOT/FAA/CT-82/130-I), September 1983. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
Jenkins, Dennis R. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Supreme Heavy-Weight Fighter. Arlington, TX: Aerofax, 1998. ISBN 1-85780-081-8.
Mehuron, Tamar A., Assoc. Editor."2007 USAF Almanac - Equipment". Air Force Magazine, Journal of the Air Force Association 90 (5): May 2007. ISSN: 0730-6784.
Peacock, Lindsay. On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story. RAF Fairford, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. ISBN 1-899808-01-9.
Richardson, Doug. General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. London: Salamander Books, 1990. ISBN 0-86101-534-7.
Spick, Mike, ed. Great Book of Modern Warplanes. St. Paul, MN: MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.
Williams, Anthony G. and Gustin, Dr Emmanuel. Flying Guns: The Modern Era. Ramsbury, UK:The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1 86126 655 3.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 USAF fact sheet
F-16 page on LockheedMartin.com
F-16 page on GlobalSecurity.org
F-16.net Extensive and up-to-date Fighting Falcon resource
F-16 profile on Aerospaceweb.org
F-16 Modernization program news release
v • d • eConvair and General Dynamics aircraft
Manufacturer
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Military transports: XC-99 · C-131 · R3Y · R4Y · T-29
Civilian transports: 37 · 240 · 340 · 440 · 540 · 580 · 600 · 640 · 880 · 990 · 5800
General Dynamics Fighters/attack aircraft: F-111 · F-16 · F-16XL · F-16 VISTA
v • d • eLockheed aircraft
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designations Basic Model Numbers: L-1 · L-2 · L-3 · L-4 · L-5 · L-7 · L-8 · L-9 · L-10 · L-11 · L-012 · (L-013 not assigned) · L-014 · L-015 · L-016 · L-017 · L-018 · L-019 · L-020 · L-021 · L-022 · L-023 · L-024 · (L-025 not assigned) · L-026 · L-027 · (L-028 not assigned) · L-029 · L-030 · L-031 · L-032 · L-033 · L-034 · L-035 · (L-036 not assigned) · L-037 · (L-038 and L-039 not assigned) · L-040 · L-041 · L-042 · L-044 · L-045 · L-049 · L-050 · L-051 · L-052 · L-060 · L-061 · L-062 · L-075 · L-080 · L-081 · L-082 · L-083 · L-084 · L-085 · L-086 · L-087 · L-088 · L-089 · L-090 · L-091 · L-092 · L-093 · L-094 · L-092 · L-099 · L-100 · L-193 · L-245 · L-246 · L-300 · L-329 · L-351 · L-382 · L-500 · L-645
California Lockheed Temporary Design Numbers (TDN): CL-282 · CL-288 · CL-295 · CL-320 · CL-325 · CL-329 · CL-346 · CL-379 · CL-400 · CL-407 · CL-475 · CL-595 · CL-704 · CL-760 · CL-823 · CL-901 · CL-915 · CL-934 · CL-981 · CL-984 · CL-985 · CL-1026 · CL-1195 · CL-1200 · CL-1400 · CL-1600 · CL-1700 · CL-1800 · CL-1980
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Reconnaissance: U-2 · A-12 · SR-71
Trainers: T-33 · T2V/T-1
v • d • eUnited States tri-service fighter designations post-1962
F-1C/F-1E • F-2 • F-3 • F-4 • F-5 • F-6 • F-7 • F-8 • F-9 • F-10 • F-11 • YF-12 • (F-13 not assigned) • F-14 • F-15 / F-15E • F-16 • YF-17 • F/A-18 / F/A-18E/F • (F-19 not assigned) • F-20 • F-21 • F-22 • YF-23 • (F-24 to F-34 not assigned) • F-35
See also: F-117 • Pre-1962 list
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon"
Categories: Active United States military aircraft | United States fighter aircraft 1970-1979 | Lockheed Martin aircraft
The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with numerous innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and has 11 hardpoints for mounting various missiles, bombs and pods. It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing power to climb and accelerate vertically — if necessary.[1] Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", due to it resembling a viper snake and after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter.[5][6][7] In addition to active, and reserve USAF units, the aircraft is used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy.
The F-16 is scheduled to remain in service with the U.S. Air Force until 2025.[8] The planned replacement is the F-35 Lightning II, which will gradually begin replacing a number of multirole aircraft among the air arms of the program's member nations.
Contents
1 Development
1.1 Origins
1.2 Lightweight Fighter program
1.3 Flyoff
1.4 Air Combat Fighter competition
1.5 Moving into production
1.6 Evolution
2 Design
2.1 Overview
2.2 General configuration
2.3 Wing and strake configuration
2.4 Flight controls
2.4.1 Negative static stability
2.4.2 Fly-by-wire
2.5 Cockpit and ergonomics
2.6 Radar
2.7 Propulsion
3 Operational history
3.1 First combat successes: Bekaa Valley and Osiraq raid (1981)
3.2 Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
3.3 Incidents during the Soviet-Afghan War (1986–1988)
3.4 Operation Desert Storm (1991)
3.5 Interwar Air Operations over Iraq (1991-2003)
3.6 Venezuelan coup attempt (1992)
3.7 Balkans (1994–1995 and 1999)
3.8 Aegean incidents (1996 and 2006)
3.9 Kargil War (1999)
3.10 Operations in Afghanistan (2001–present)
3.11 Invasion of Iraq and post-war operations (2003–present)
3.12 Second Lebanon War (2006)
3.13 Gaza War
3.14 Operations in North-West Pakistan (May 2009–present)
4 Variants
4.1 F-16A/B
4.2 F-16C/D
4.3 F-16E/F
4.4 F-16IN
5 Operators
6 Notable accidents
7 Specifications (F-16C Block 30)
8 Popular culture
9 Gallery
10 See also
11 References
11.1 Notes
11.2 Bibliography
12 External links
[edit] Development
[edit] Origins
F-16 Fighting Falcon.Real-world experience in the Vietnam War revealed some shortcomings in American fighter capabilities, and the need for better air-to-air training for fighter pilots.[9] The need for new air superiority fighters led the USAF to initiate two concept development studies in 1965: the Fighter Experimental (FX) project originally envisioned a 60,000 lb (27,200 kg) class twin-engine design with a variable-geometry wing, and the Advanced Day Fighter (ADF), a lightweight design in the 25,000 lb (11,300 kg) class which would out-perform the MiG-21 by 25%. However, the first appearance of the Mach-3-capable MiG-25 'Foxbat' in July 1967 resulted in the ADF effort being deemphasized in favor of the FX program, which would produce the F-15, a 40,000 lb (18,100 kg) class aircraft.[10]
Based on his experiences in the Korean War and as a fighter tactics instructor in the early 1960s Colonel John Boyd and mathematician Thomas Christie developed the Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory to model a fighter aircraft's performance in combat. Maneuverability was the key to a process Boyd called the "OODA Loop" (for "Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action"). Boyd's work called for a small, lightweight aircraft with an increased thrust-to-weight ratio.[11][12] A 1965 Air Force study suggested equipping its squadrons with a mix of high and low cost fighters as being the most economical.[13]
[edit] Lightweight Fighter program
Main article: Lightweight FighterIn the late 1960s Boyd gathered around him a group of like-minded innovators that became known as the "Lightweight Fighter Mafia". In 1969, the "Fighter Mafia" was able to secure funds for a "Study to Validate the Integration of Advanced Energy-Maneuverability Theory with Trade-Off Analysis". General Dynamics received $149,000 and Northrop $100,000 to develop design concepts that embodied Boyd’s E-M theory – a small, low-drag, low-weight, pure fighter with no bomb racks; their work would lead to the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively.[14][15]
Although the Air Force’s FX proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, the ADF concept (revamped and renamed as the ‘F-XX’) gained civilian political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard, who favored the idea of competitive prototyping. As a result in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member, and two of its six proposals would be funded, one being the Lightweight Fighter (LWF) proposal. The Request for Proposals issued 6 January 1972 called for a 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) class air-to-air day fighter with a good turn rate, acceleration and range, and optimized for combat at speeds of Mach 0.6–1.6 and altitudes of 30,000–40,000 ft (9,150–12,200 m). This was the region in which the USAF expected most future air combat to occur, based on studies of the Vietnam, Six-Day War, and Indo-Pakistani wars. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a production version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF was under no obligation to acquire the aircraft and, in fact, had no firm plans to procure the winner, which was to be announced in May 1975.[16][17]
Five companies responded and in March 1972, the Air Staff announced the winners for the follow-on prototype development and testing phase were Boeing’s Model 908-909 and General Dynamics’ Model 401; however, after further review, the Source Selection Authority (SSA) would demote Boeing’s entry to third place, after Northrop’s P-600. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the 'Fighter Mafia' and other LWF proponents successfully advocated the idea of complementary fighters in a high-cost/low-cost force mix (in part, to be able to afford sufficient fighters to sustain overall USAF fighter force structure requirements); this "high/low mix" concept would gain broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff between the prototypes, and would define the relationship of the F-15 and F-16 – and, subsequently, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.[18][19]
[edit] Flyoff
A right side view of a YF-16 and a Northrop YF-17, each armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute-long maiden first flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards AFB, California, on 2 February 1974. Its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January. While gathering speed, a roll-control oscillation caused a fin of the port-side wingtip-mounted missile and then the starboard stabilator to scrape the ground, and the aircraft then began to veer off the runway. The GD test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid wrecking the machine, and safely landed it six minutes later. The slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time. The YF-16’s first supersonic flight was accomplished on 5 February 1974, and the second YF-16 prototype flew for the first time on 9 May 1974. This was followed by the first flights of the Northrop’s YF-17 prototypes, which were achieved on 9 June and 21 August 1974, respectively. Altogether, the YF-16s would complete 330 sorties during the flyoff, accumulating a total of 417 flight hours; the YF-17s would accomplish 268 sorties.[20]
[edit] Air Combat Fighter competition
Three factors would converge to turn the LWF into a serious acquisition program. First, four North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies of the U.S. – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway – were looking to replace their F-104G fighter-bomber variants of the F-104 Starfighter interceptor; furthermore, they were seeking an aircraft that their own aerospace industries could manufacture under license, as they had the F-104G. In early 1974, they reached an agreement with the U.S. that if the USAF placed orders for the aircraft winning the LWF flyoff, they would consider ordering it as well. Secondly, while the USAF was not particularly interested in a complementary air superiority fighter, it did need to begin replacing its F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers. Third, the U.S. Congress was seeking to achieve greater commonality in fighter procurements by the Air Force and Navy. The Congress, in August 1974, redirected funds for the Navy’s VFAX program to a new Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program that would essentially be a navalized fighter-bomber variant of the LWF. These requirements meshed relatively well, but the timing of the procurement was driven by the timeframe needs of the four allies, who had formed a “Multinational Fighter Program Group” (MFPG) and were pressing for a U.S. decision by December 1974. The U.S. Air Force had planned to announce the LWF winner in May 1975, but this decision was advanced to the beginning of the year, and testing was accelerated. To reflect this new, more serious intent to procure a new aircraft, along with its reorientation toward a fighter-bomber design, the LWF program was rolled into a new Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition in an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger in April 1974. Schlesinger also made it clear that any ACF order would be for aircraft in addition to the F-15, which essentially ended opposition to the LWF.[21][22][23]
ACF also raised the stakes for GD and Northrop because it brought in further competitors intent on securing the lucrative order that was touted at the time as “the arms deal of the century”. These were Dassault-Breguet’s Mirage F1M-53, the SEPECAT Jaguar, and a proposed derivative of the Saab Viggen styled the “Saab 37E Eurofighter” (which is not to be confused with the later and unrelated Eurofighter Typhoon). Northrop also offered another design, the P-530 Cobra, which looked very similar to its YF-17. The Jaguar and Cobra were dropped by the MFPG early on, leaving two European and the two U.S. LWF designs as candidates. On 11 September 1974, the U.S. Air Force confirmed firm plans to place an order for of the winning ACF design sufficient to equip five tactical fighter wings. On 13 January 1975, Secretary of the Air Force John L. McLucas announced that the YF-16 had been selected as the winner of the ACF competition.[24]
The chief reasons given by the Secretary for the decision were the YF-16’s lower operating costs; greater range; and maneuver performance that was “significantly better” than that of the YF-17, especially at near-supersonic and supersonic speeds. The flight test program revealed that the YF-16 had superior acceleration, climb rates, endurance, and (except around Mach 0.7) turn rates. Another advantage was the fact that the YF-16 – unlike the YF-17 – employed the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, which was the same powerplant used by the F-15; such commonality would lower the unit costs of the engines for both programs.[23][25]
Shortly after selection of the YF-16, Secretary McLucas revealed that the USAF planned to order at least 650 and up to 1400 of the production version of the aircraft. The U.S. Air Force initially ordered 15 “Full-Scale Development” (FSD) aircraft (11 single-seat and 4 two-seat models) for its flight test program, but this would be reduced to 8 (6 F-16A and 2 F-16B). The Navy, however, announced on 2 May 1975, that it had decided not to buy the navalized F-16; instead, it would develop an aircraft derived from the YF-17, which would eventually become the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.[26]
[edit] Moving into production
A USAF F-16C of the Colorado Air National Guard (COANG) disengages from a refueling boom (fuel port is still open) over Canada.Manufacture of the FSD F-16s got underway at General Dynamics’ Fort Worth, Texas plant in late 1975, with the first example, an F-16A, being rolled out on 20 October 1976, followed by its first flight on 8 December. The initial two-seat model achieved its first flight on 8 August 1977. The initial production-standard F-16A flew for the first time on 7 August 1978 and its delivery was accepted by the USAF on 6 January 1979. The F-16 was given its formal nickname of “Fighting Falcon” on 21 July 1980, and it entered USAF operational service with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB on 1 October 1980.[27]
On 7 June 1975, the four European partners, now known as the European Participation Group, signed up for 348 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. This was split among the European Participation Air Forces (EPAF) as 116 for Belgium, 58 for Denmark, 102 for the Netherlands, and 72 for Norway. These would be produced on two European production lines, one in the Netherlands at Fokker’s Schiphol-Oost facility and the other at SABCA’s Gossellies plant in Belgium; production would be divided among them as 184 and 164 units, respectively. Norway’s Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk and Denmark’s Terma A/S also manufactured parts and subassemblies for the EPAF aircraft. European co-production was officially launched on 1 July 1977 at the Fokker factory. Beginning in mid-November 1977, Fokker-produced components were shipped to Fort Worth for assembly of fuselages, which were in turn shipped back to Europe (initially to Gossellies starting in January 1978); final assembly of EPAF-bound aircraft began at the Belgian plant on 15 February 1978, with deliveries to the Belgian Air Force beginning in January 1979. The Dutch line started up in April 1978 and delivered its first aircraft to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in June 1979. In 1980 the first aircraft were delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force by SABCA and to the Royal Danish Air Force by Fokker.[23][28][29]
Since then, a further production line has been established at Ankara, Turkey, where Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has produced 232 Block 30/40/50 F-16s under license for the Turkish Air Force during the late 1980s and 1990s, and has 30 Block 50 Advanced underway for delivery from 2010; TAI also built 46 Block 40s for Egypt in the mid-1990s. Korean Aerospace Industries opened another production line for the KF-16 program, producing 140 Block 52s from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. If India selects the F-16IN for its Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft procurement, a sixth F-16 production line will be established in that nation to produce at least 108 fighters.[30]
[edit] Evolution
After selection, the YF-16 design was altered for the production F-16. The fuselage was lengthened 10.6 in (0.269 m), a larger nose radome was fitted to house the AN/APG-66 radar, wing area was increased from 280 sq ft (26 m2) to 300 sq ft (28 m2), the tailfin height was decreased slightly, the ventral fins were enlarged, two more stores stations were added, and a single side-hinged nosewheel door replaced the original double doors. These modifications increased the F-16's weight approximately 25% over that of the YF-16 prototypes.[31][32][33]
One needed change that would originally be discounted was the need for more pitch control to avoid deep stall conditions at high angles of attack. Model tests of the YF-16 conducted by the Langley Research Center revealed a potential problem, but no other laboratory was able to duplicate it. YF-16 flight tests were not sufficiently extensive to resolve the issue, but relevant flight testing on the FSD aircraft demonstrated that it was a real concern. As a result, the horizontal stabilizer areas were increased 25%; this so-called "big tail" was introduced on the Block 15 aircraft in 1981 and retrofitted later on earlier production aircraft. Besides significantly reducing (though not eliminating) the risk of deep stalls, the larger horizontal tails also improved stability and permitted faster takeoff rotation.[34][35][36]
In the 1980s, the Multinational Staged Improvement Program (MSIP) was conducted to evolve new capabilities for the F-16, mitigate risks during technology development, and ensure its currency against a changing threat environment. The program upgraded the F-16 in three stages. Altogether, the MSIP process permitted quicker introduction of new capabilities, at lower costs, and with reduced risks compared to traditional stand-alone system enhancement and modernization programs.[37] The F-16 has involved in other upgrade programs including service life extension programs in the 2000s.[38]
[edit] Design
[edit] Overview
The four-vent cannon port on a F-16AThe F-16 is a single-engined, supersonic, multi-role tactical 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, but 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 F-16 is equipped with an M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon in the left wing root with the F-16A distinguished by having four vents behind the port for the M61 cannon whereas the subsequent F-16C has only two vents behind the cannon port.[39]
Early models could also be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM), including a single missile mounted on a dedicated rail launcher on each wingtip. Some variants can also employ the AIM-7 Sparrow long-range radar-guided AAM, and more recent versions can be equipped with 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 eleven hardpoints – six under the wings, two on wingtips and three under the fuselage.
[edit] General configuration
F-16CJ-50C from 20 Fighter Wing (Shaw AFB) armed with air-to-air and SEAD ordnanceThe F-16 design employs a cropped-delta planform incorporating wing-fuselage blending and forebody vortex-control strakes; a fixed-geometry, underslung air intake inlet supplying airflow to the single turbofan jet engine; a conventional tri-plane empennage arrangement with all-moving horizontal “stabilator” tailplanes; a pair of ventral fins beneath the fuselage aft of the wing’s trailing edge; a single-piece, bird-proof “bubble” canopy; and a tricycle landing gear configuration with the aft-retracting, steerable nose gear deploying a short distance behind the inlet lip. There is a boom-style aerial refueling receptacle located a short distance behind the rear of the canopy. Split-flap speedbrakes are located at the aft end of the wing-body fairing, and an arrestor hook is mounted underneath the aft fuselage. Another fairing is situated at the base of the vertical tail, beneath the bottom of the rudder, and is used to house various items of equipment such as ECM gear or drag chutes. Several later F-16 models, such as the F-16I variant of the Block 50 aircraft, also have a long dorsal fairing “bulge” that runs along the “spine” of the fuselage from the rear of the cockpit to the tail fairing; these fairings can be used to house additional equipment or fuel.[30][40]
The air intake was designed to be "far enough forward to allow a gradual bend in the air duct up to the engine face to minimize flow losses and far enough aft so it wouldn’t weigh too much or be too draggy or destabilizing."[41]
The F-16 was designed to be relatively inexpensive to build and much 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. Control surfaces such as the leading-edge flaps, tailerons, and ventral fins make extensive use of bonded aluminum honeycomb structural elements and graphite epoxy laminate skins. The F-16A had 228 access panels over the entire aircraft, about 80% of which can be reached without work stands. The number of lubrication points, fuel line connections, and replaceable modules was also greatly reduced compared to its predecessors.[30][33]
Although the USAF’s LWF program had called for an aircraft structural life of only 4,000 flight hours, and capable of achieving 7.33 g with 80% internal fuel, GD’s engineers decided from the start to design the F-16’s airframe life to last to 8,000 hours and for 9-g maneuvers on full internal fuel. This proved advantageous when the aircraft’s mission was changed from solely air-to-air combat to multi-role operations. However, changes over time in actual versus planned operational usage and continued weight growth due to the addition of further systems have required several structural strengthening programs.[42]
[edit] Wing and strake configuration
F-16CG-40B from Aviano Air Base on display at Paris Air ShowAerodynamic studies in the early 1960s demonstrated that the phenomenon known as “vortex lift” could be beneficially harnessed by the utilization of highly swept wing configurations to reach higher angles of attack through use of the strong leading edge vortex flow off of a slender lifting surface. Since the F-16 was being optimized for high agility in air combat, GD’s designers chose a slender cropped-delta wing with a leading edge sweep of 40° and a straight trailing edge. To improve its ability to perform in a wide range of maneuvers, a variable-camber wing with a NACA 64A-204 airfoil was selected. The camber is adjusted through the use of leading-edge and trailing edge flaperons linked to a digital flight control system (FCS) that automatically adjusts them throughout the flight envelope.[30][42]
This vortex lift effect can be increased by the addition of an extension of the leading edge of the wing at its root, the juncture with the fuselage, known as a strake. The strakes act as a sort of additional slender, elongated, short-span, triangular wing running from the actual wing root to a point further forward on the fuselage. Blended fillet-like into the fuselage, including along with the wing root, the strake generates a high-speed vortex that remains attached to the top of the wing as the angle of attack increases, thereby generating additional lift. This allows the aircraft to achieve angles of attack beyond the point at which it would normally stall. The use of strakes also permits the use of a smaller, lower-aspect-ratio wing, which in turn increases roll rates and directional stability, while decreasing aircraft weight. The resulting deeper wingroots also increase structural strength and rigidity, reduce structural weight, and increase internal fuel volume.[42] As a result, the F-16’s high fuel fraction of 0.31 gives it a longer range than other fighter aircraft of similar size and configuration.[33]
[edit] Flight controls
[edit] Negative static stability
F-16 taxiing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan AirportThe YF-16 was the world’s first aircraft intentionally designed to be slightly aerodynamically unstable. This technique, called "relaxed static stability" (RSS), was incorporated to further enhance the aircraft’s maneuver performance. Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, which induces an aircraft to return to its original attitude following a disturbance. However, positive static stability hampers maneuverability, as the tendency to remain in its current attitude opposes the pilot’s effort to maneuver; on the other hand, an aircraft with negative static stability will, in the absence of control input, readily depart from level and controlled flight. Therefore, an aircraft with negative static stability will be more maneuverable than one that is positively stable. When supersonic, a negatively stable aircraft actually exhibits a more positive-trending (and in the F-16’s case, a net positive) static stability due to aerodynamic forces shifting aft between subsonic and supersonic flight. At subsonic speeds, however, the fighter is constantly on the verge of going out of control.[43][44]
[edit] Fly-by-wire
To counter this tendency to depart from controlled flight—and avoid the need for constant minute trimming inputs by the pilot—the F-16 has a quadruplex (four-channel) fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system (FLCS). The flight control computer (FLCC), which is the key component of the FLCS, accepts the pilot’s input from the stick and rudder controls, and manipulates the control surfaces in such a way as to produce the desired result without inducing a loss of control (known as "departing" controlled flight). The FLCC also takes thousands of measurements per second of the aircraft’s attitude, and automatically makes corrections to counter deviations from the flight path that were not input by the pilot, thereby allowing for stable flight. This has led to a common aphorism among F-16 pilots: “You don’t fly an F-16; it flies you.”[45]
Wisconsin ANG F-16s over Madison, Wisconsin. The tail of the lead ship in this formation was a special 60th Anniversary scheme for the 115th Fighter WingThe FLCC further incorporates a series of limiters that govern movement in the three main axes based on the jet’s current attitude, airspeed and angle of attack, and prevent movement of the control surfaces that would induce an instability such as a slip or skid, or a high angle of attack inducing a stall. The limiters also act to prevent maneuvering that would place more than 9 g's of force on the pilot or airframe.[33][46]
Unlike the YF-17 which featured a FBW system with traditional hydromechanical controls serving as a backup, the F-16’s designers took the innovative step of eliminating mechanical linkages between the stick and rudder pedals and the aerodynamic control surfaces. The F-16’s sole reliance on electronics and wires to relay flight commands, instead of the usual cables and mechanical linkage controls, gained the F-16 the early moniker of "the electric jet". The quadruplex design permits “graceful degradation” in flight control response in that the loss of one channel renders the FLCS a “triplex” system.[47] The FLCC began as an analog system on the A/B variants, but has been supplanted by a digital computer system beginning with the F-16C/D Block 40.[33][48][49]
[edit] Cockpit and ergonomics
One of the more notable features from a pilot’s perspective is the F-16’s exceptional field of view from the cockpit, a feature that is vital during air-to-air combat. The single-piece, bird-proof polycarbonate bubble canopy provides 360° all-round visibility, with a 40° down-look angle over the side of the aircraft, and 15° down over the nose (compared to the more common 12–13° of its predecessors); the pilot’s seat is mounted on an elevated heel line to accomplish this. Furthermore, the F-16's canopy lacks the forward bow frame found on most fighters, which obstructs some of the pilot’s forward vision. (The length of the tandem arrangement of two-seat F-16s does necessitate a frame between the pilots, however.)[30][33][50]
F-16 Ground Trainer Cockpit (F-16 MLU version)The rocket-boosted ACES II zero/zero ejection seat is reclined at an unusually high tilt-back angle of 30°; the seats in older and contemporary fighters were typically tilted back at around 13–15°. The F-16’s seat-back angle was chosen to improve the pilot’s tolerance of high g forces, and to reduce his susceptibility to gravity-induced loss of consciousness. The increased seat angle, however, has also been associated with reports of increased risk of neck ache when not mitigated by proper use of the head-rest.[51] Subsequent U.S. jet fighter designs have more modest tilt-back angles of 20°.[30][33][52] Because of the extreme seat tilt-back angle and the thickness of its polycarbonate single-piece canopy, the F-16’s ejection seat lacks the steel rail canopy breakers found in most other aircraft’s ejection systems. Such breakers shatter a section of the canopy should it fail to open or jettison to permit emergency egress of the aircrew. On the F-16, crew ejection is accomplished by first jettisoning the entire canopy; as the relative wind pulls the canopy away from the plane, a lanyard triggers the seat’s rockets to fire.[53]
The pilot flies the aircraft primarily by means of a side-stick controller mounted on the right-hand armrest (instead of the more common center-mounted stick) and an engine throttle on the left side; conventional rudder pedals are also employed. To enhance the pilot’s degree of control of the aircraft during high-g combat maneuvers, a number of function switches formerly scattered about the cockpit have been moved to "hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS)" controls found on both of these controllers. Simple hand pressure on the side-stick controller causes the transmission of electrical signals via the FBW system to adjust the various flight control surfaces used for maneuvering. Originally, the side-stick controller was non-moving, but this arrangement proved uncomfortable and difficult for pilots to adjust to, sometimes resulting in a tendency to "over-rotate" the aircraft during takeoffs, so the control stick was given a small amount of “play”. Since its introduction on the F-16, HOTAS controls have become a standard feature among modern fighters (although the side-stick application is less widespread).[33][54]
The F-16 cockpit also has a Head-Up Display (HUD), which projects visual flight and combat information in symbological form in front of the pilot without obstructing his view. Being able to keep his head “out of the cockpit” further enhances the pilot’s situational awareness of what is occurring around him.[55] Boeing’s Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) is also available from Block 40 onwards for use with high-off-boresight air-to-air missiles like the AIM-9X. JHMCS permits cuing the weapons system to the direction in which the pilot’s head is facing—even outside the HUD’s field of view—while still maintaining his situational awareness.[56] JHMCS was first operationally deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom.[57]
The pilot obtains further flight and systems status information from multi-function displays (MFD). The left-hand MFD is the primary flight display (PFD), which generally shows radar and moving-map displays; the right-hand MFD is the system display (SD), which presents important information about the engine, landing gear, slat and flap settings, fuel quantities, and weapons status. Initially, the F-16A/B had only a single monochrome cathode ray tube (CRT) display to serve as the PFD, with system information provided by a variety of traditional “steam gauges”. The MLU introduced the SD MFD in a cockpit made compatible for usage of night-vision goggles (NVG).[35] These CRT displays were replaced by color liquid crystal displays on the Block 50/52.[30] The Block 60 features three programmable and interchangeable color MFDs (CMFD) with picture-in-picture capability that is able to overlay the full tactical situation display on the moving map.[58]
[edit] Radar
The F-16A/B was originally equipped with the Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) solid-state AN/APG-66 pulse-Doppler fire-control radar. Its slotted planar-array antenna was designed to be sufficiently compact to fit into the F-16’s relatively small nose. In uplook mode, the APG-66 uses a low pulse-repetition frequency (PRF) for medium- and high-altitude target detection in a low-clutter environment, and in downlook employs a medium PRF for heavy clutter environments. It has four operating frequencies within the X band, and provides four air-to-air and seven air-to-ground operating modes for combat, even at night or in bad weather. The Block 15’s APG-66(V)2 model added a new, more powerful signal processor, higher output power, improved reliability, and increased range in a clutter or jamming environments. The Mid-Life Update (MLU) program further upgrades this to the APG-66(V)2A model, which features higher speed and memory.[33][59] Taiwan's Block 20 has APG-66(V)3 that added CW mode in order to guide AIM-7M initially sold to Taiwan in the US announced 1992 deal. The APG-66(V)3 radar already able to guide AMRAAM BVR missiles.
The mechanically scanned AN/APG-68 X-band pulse-Doppler radar, an evolution of the APG-66, was introduced with the F-16C/D Block 25. The APG-68 has greater range and resolution, as well as 25 operating modes, including ground-mapping, Doppler beam-sharpening, ground moving target, sea target, and track-while-scan (TWS) for up to ten targets. The Block 40/42’s APG-68(V)1 model added full compatibility with Lockheed Martin Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infra-Red for Night (LANTIRN) pods, and a high-PRF pulse-Doppler track mode to provide continuous-wave (CW) target illumination for semi-active radar-homing (SARH) missiles like the AIM-7 Sparrow. The Block 50/52 F-16s initially received the more reliable APG-68(V)5 which has a programmable signal processor employing Very-High-Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) technology. The Advanced Block 50/52 (or 50+/52+) are equipped with the APG-68(V)9 radar which has a 30% greater air-to-air detection range, and a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode for high-resolution mapping and target detection and recognition. In August 2004, Northrop Grumman received a contract to begin upgrading the APG-68 radars of the Block 40/42/50/52 aircraft to the (V)10 standard, which will provide the F-16 with all-weather autonomous detection and targeting for the use of Global Positioning System (GPS)-aided precision weapons. It also adds SAR mapping and terrain-following (TF) modes, as well as interleaving of all modes.[30][33]
The F-16E/F is outfitted with Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, making it only the third fighter to be so equipped.[58][60] Northrop Grumman has continued to develop this system into the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR).[61]
In July 2007, Raytheon announced that it was developing a new Raytheon Next Generation Radar (RANGR) based on its earlier AN/APG-79 AESA radar as an alternative candidate to Northrop Grumman’s AN/APG-68 and AN/APG-80 for new-build F-16s as well as retrofit of existing ones.[30][62] On 1 November 2007, Boeing selected this design for development under the USAF’s F-15E Radar Modernization Program (RMP).[63]
[edit] Propulsion
Mechanics actuating an F-16 exhaust nozzle.The powerplant first selected for the single-engined F-16 was the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 afterburning turbofan, a slightly modified version of the F100-PW-100 used by the F-15. Rated at 23,830 lbf (106.0 kN) thrust, it remained the standard F-16 engine through the Block 25, except for new-build Block 15s with the Operational Capability Upgrade (OCU). The OCU introduced the 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) F100-PW-220, which was also installed on Block 32 and 42 aircraft; while not offering a noteworthy difference in thrust, it introduced a Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC) unit that improved reliability and reduced the risk of engine stalls (an unwelcome occasional tendency with the original "-200" that necessitated a midair engine restart). Introduced on the F-16 production line in 1988, the "-220" also supplanted the F-15’s "-100," thereby maximizing commonality. Many of the "-220" jet engines on Block 25 and later aircraft were upgraded from mid-1997 to the "-220E" standard, which further enhanced reliability and maintainability, including a 35% reduction of the unscheduled engine removal rate.[23][33][64][65]
Development of the F100-PW-220/220E was the result of the USAF’s Alternate Fighter Engine (AFE) program (colloquially known as “the Great Engine War”), which also saw the entry of General Electric as an F-16 engine provider. Its F110-GE-100 turbofan, however, required modification of the F-16’s inlet; the original inlet limited the GE jet’s maximum thrust to only 25,735 lbf (114.5 kN), while the new Modular Common Inlet Duct allowed the F110 to achieve its maximum thrust of 28,984 lbf (128.9 kN) in afterburner. (To distinguish between aircraft equipped with these two engines and inlets, from the Block 30 series on, blocks ending in "0" (e.g., Block 30) are powered by GE, and blocks ending in "2" (e.g., Block 32) are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines.)[35][64][66][67][68]
Further development by these competitors under the Increased Performance Engine (IPE) effort led to the 29,588 lbf (131.6 kN) F110-GE-129 on the Block 50 and 29,100 lbf (129.4 kN) F100-PW-229 on the Block 52. F-16s began flying with these IPE engines on 22 October 1991 and 22 October 1992, respectively. Altogether, of the 1,446 F-16C/Ds ordered by the USAF, 556 were fitted with F100-series engines and 890 with F110s.[30] The United Arab Emirates’ Block 60 is powered by the General Electric F110-GE-132 turbofan, which is rated at a maximum thrust of 32,500 lbf (144.6 kN), the highest ever developed for the F-16 aircraft.[58][66][69]
[edit] Operational history
Due to their ubiquity, F-16s have participated in numerous conflicts, most of them in the Middle East.
[edit] First combat successes: Bekaa Valley and Osiraq raid (1981)
Main articles: Lebanese Civil War and Operation OperaThe F-16’s first air-to-air combat success was achieved by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over the Bekaa Valley on 28 April 1981, against a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter, which was downed with cannon fire following an unsuccessful attempt with an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AAM).[70] Several months later, on 14 July 1981, the IAF achieved the first F-16 "kill" of another fighter with a successful AAM shoot-down of a Syrian MiG-21.[71]
On 7 June 1981, eight Israeli F-16s, escorted by F-15s, executed Operation Opera, their first employment in a significant air-to-ground operation. This raid severely damaged Osirak, an Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction near Baghdad, to prevent the regime of Saddam Hussein from using the reactor for the creation of nuclear weapons.[72]
[edit] Operation Peace for Galilee (1982)
Main article: Operation Peace for GalileeThe following year, during Operation Peace for Galilee (Lebanon War) Israeli F-16s engaged Syrian aircraft in one of the largest air battles involving jet aircraft, which began on 9 June and continued for two more days. At the end of the conflict, the Israeli Air Force credited their F-16s with 44 air-to-air kills, mostly of MiG-21s and MiG-23s, while suffering no air-to-air losses of their own.[70][73] F-16s were also used in their ground-attack role for strikes against targets in Lebanon.
[edit] Incidents during the Soviet-Afghan War (1986–1988)
Main article: Soviet-Afghan WarDuring the Soviet-Afghan war, between May 1986 and January 1989, Pakistan Air Force F-16s shot down at least 10 intruders from Afghanistan. Four of the kills were Afghan Su-22s bombers, three were Afghan transports (two An-26s and one An-24), and one was a Soviet Su-25 bomber. Most of these kills were achieved using the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but a Su-22 was destroyed by cannon fire and the one An-24 crash landed after being forced to land upon interception.[74]
Afghanistan claimed to have shot down one Pakistani F-16A during an encounter on 29 April 1987; the pilot ejected safely and landed in Pakistani territory. Pakistani authorities admitted to having lost a fighter jet to enemy fighters, but suggested that it may have been either an F-16 or an F-6 and insisted it was attacked over Pakistani territory.[75] Subsequently, Pakistani officials confirmed that the loss was an F-16, but asserted it was accidentally shot down in a friendly fire incident during a dogfight with enemy aircraft over Pakistani territory. According to this claim, Flight Lieutenant Shahid Sikandar Khan’s F-16 was hit by an AIM-9 missile fired by another F-16 piloted by Squadron Leader Amjad Javed.[76]
[edit] Operation Desert Storm (1991)
A F-16C on the hardstand at McChord AFB, Washington.Main article: Operation Desert StormIn Operation Desert Storm of 1991, 249 USAF F-16s flew 13,340 sorties in strikes against Iraq, the most of any Coalition aircraft. Falcons often had AGM-65s (up to six), or two Mk84 2,000 lbs bombs (middle underwing pylons), two 1,400 lts tanks fuel, two AIM-9 and a underbelly ECM pod, such as the AN/ALQ-131. F-16Ds from the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB were used as spotter aircraft to search and find Iraqi SAMs and Republican Guard troops. They were armed with up to six Mk82s, Cluster Bombs, and LGBs. These aircraft were also equipped with LANTIRN and binoculars.[citation needed] Three aircraft were lost to confirmed enemy action: two to enemy radar guided SA-6 and SA-3 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs)[77][78] and one to a shoulder launched SA-16 missile.[79] Other F-16s were damaged in accidents and by hostile ground fire but were able to return to base and be repaired.[80][81] In all, seven F-16 were lost during Desert Storm combat operations between January 16 and February 28.[82]
F-16s formed the basis of the largest strike package (72 aircraft) flown during the war - "Package Q", a daylight raid against targets in downtown Baghdad on 19 January. It was during the "Package Q" mission that two F-16s, from 614th TFS 'Lucky Devils', part of the 401st TFW (P), flying from Doha, Qatar were lost to SAMs with their pilots (Capt Mike "Cujo" Roberts and Maj 'Tico' Tice downed, respectively, by a SA-2 and SA-3)becoming POWs.[83] This mission also marked the largest single operational F-16 strike package flown to date.[84]
F-16s were used also as Wild Weasel shooters, with AGM-88 HARM missiles, together with older F-4Gs (480th TFS, 52nd Wing)[85]. There were only 13 F-16s with HARMs, all based at Incirlik Air Base, together with 12 F-4Gs. Phantoms had the powerful AN/APR-47 and with these systems, they did the more difficult tasks (attacking the mobile radar sites); F-16s were only recently fitted with HARMs, and the bulk of USAF SEAD was still the F-4G (another 48 were at Sheik Isa, Bahrain). F-16s flew escort/Wild Weasel missions escorting them and striking pre-planned targets. The 138th Fighter Squadron (174th TFW, New York ANG) used 24 F/A-16s equipped with a 30 mm gunpod, the GPU-5/A 'Pave Claw', a four-barreled derivative of the A-10 Thunderbolt's GAU-13 cannon, but this proved a failure owing to excess vibration and inadequate gunsights.[86][87]
[edit] Interwar Air Operations over Iraq (1991-2003)
Main articles: Northern Watch, Southern Watch, and Operation Desert FoxFrom the end of Desert Storm until the invasion of Iraq in 2003, USAF F-16s patrolled the Iraqi no-fly zones. Two air-to-air victories were scored by USAF F-16s in Operation Southern Watch.[88] On 27 December 1992, a USAF F-16D shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 in UN-restricted airspace over southern Iraq with an AIM-120 AMRAAM; this was the first USAF F-16 kill since the F-16 was introduced; and was also the first AMRAAM kill.[89] On 17 January 1993, a USAF F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an AMRAAM missile for the second USAF F-16 victory.[90]
F-16s returned to Iraq in December 1998 as part of the Operation Desert Fox bombing campaign to "degrade" Iraq's ability to manufacture and use weapons of mass destruction.[91]
[edit] Venezuelan coup attempt (1992)
Main article: Venezuelan coup attempts of 1992On 27 November 1992, two Venezuelan F-16s took part in the November Venezuelan Coup Attempt on the side of the government over the city of Barquisimeto and its Military Air Base. In particular, the two F-16As strafed targets on the ground and shot down two OV-10 Broncos with AIM-9Ps and one AT-27 Tucano with cannon fire as these rebel-flown aircraft attacked loyalist army positions. To avoid hitting civilian targets, the two F-16s flew in the outer perimeter of the city, while one rebel OV-10 Bronco tried to engage combat.[92]
[edit] Balkans (1994–1995 and 1999)
Main articles: Operation Deny Flight, Operation Deliberate Force, and Operation Allied Force
Tail and canopy of F-16CG in Belgrade Aviation Museum, SerbiaF-16s were also employed by NATO during Bosnian peacekeeping operations in 1994-95 in ground-attack missions and enforcing the no-fly-zone over Bosnia (Operation Deny Flight). The first incident took place on 28 February 1994, 4 J-21 and 2 IJ-21 Jastrebs and 2 J-22 Oraos had violated the no-fly-zone to conduct a bombing run on Novi Travnik. The pilots of the 2 J-22s spotted the F-16s above them and after their attack, they left the area in low-level flight towards Croatia, where the U.S. jets could not follow. Meanwhile, the rest of the group was engaged and attacked, first by two USAF F-16Cs, which scored three kills. The remaining J-21 was taken out by a different pair of USAF F-16Cs. Of the six Yugoslavian jets engaged, four were shot down (one by AMRAAM and the others by Sidewinders).[93][94] On 2 June 1995, one F-16C was lost to a Serb 2K12 Kub SAM (NATO reporting name: SA-6 "Gainful") while on patrol over Bosnia. Its pilot, Scott O'Grady, ejected and was later rescued by a USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter on 8 June.[95]
NATO F-16s also participated in air strikes against Serbian forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Operation Deliberate Force in August-September 1995, and again in Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia from March-June 1999. During Allied Force, F-16s also achieved one or two aerial victories: one by a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM, which shot down a Yugoslavian MiG-29 with an AMRAAM, and possibly another by a USAF F-16C which fired two AMRAAMs at a Yugoslavian MiG-29. However, in the latter case, the Serbs claimed to have subsequently found fragments of a 9K32M Strela-2M NATO designation: SA-7b) MANPAD in the wreckage of this MiG-29, suggesting it was mistakenly downed by Serbian infantry.[96]
On 2 May 1999, a USAF F-16CG was lost over Serbia. It was shot down by an S-125 Neva SAM (NATO: SA-3) near Nakucani. Its pilot; Lt. Col David Goldfein, the commander of 555th Fighter Squadron, managed to eject and was later rescued by a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission.[97][98] The remains of this aircraft are on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, Belgrade International Airport.
[edit] Aegean incidents (1996 and 2006)
Main articles: Greco-Turkish relations and Aegean disputeOn 8 October 1996, during an air-to-air confrontation over the Aegean Sea in Athens FIR, a Greek Mirage 2000 fired an R550 Magic and shot down a Turkish F-16D, which the Greek Government claims it violated Greek Airspace, while the Turkish government claims was on a training mission north of the Greek island of Samos, close to the Turkish mainland. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces.[99][100] While the Turkish government admits the loss, the Greek government officially denies the shootdown occurred.[101][verification needed]
On 23 May 2006, two Greek F-16 Block 52+ jets were scrambled to intercept a Turkish RF-4 reconnaissance aircraft and its two F-16 escorts off the coast of the Greek island of Karpathos, within Athens FIR. A mock dogfight ensued between the two sides’ F-16s, which ended in a midair collision between a Turkish F-16 and a Greek F-16. The Turkish pilot ejected safely after his jet was destroyed, but the Greek pilot died when his canopy and cockpit were destroyed during the collision.[102]
[edit] Kargil War (1999)
Main article: Kargil WarAlthough F-16As of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) did not see combat in the 1999 Kargil War, they were initially employed in patrolling the border to ensure Indian Air Force (IAF) fighters did not cross the line of control. Later in the war, lack of spare parts due to sanctions imposed on Pakistan forced the PAF to withdraw its F-16 fleet from regular patrol duties. The PAF's main opposition was the MiG-29, used by the IAF to provide fighter escort for Mirage 2000 which were attacking enemy targets with precision guided munitions. According to Indian sources, IAF MiG-29 of 47 (Black Archers) squadron tracked two PAF F-16As close to Indian air space with their radars, but they were ordered not to attack because no official declaration of war had been issued.[103] Pakistani sources state that the number of border violations by Indian aircraft dropped noticeably when F-16s were on patrol and that there were several cases of PAF F-16 and IAF Mirage 2000 tracking each other with their radars, but again no combat took place.[104]
[edit] Operations in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
An F-16 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force over AfghanistanF-16s have been used by the United States in Afghanistan since 2001. In 2002, a tri-national detachment known as the European Participating Air Forces (Danish, Dutch and Norwegian) of 18 F-16s in the ground attack role deployed to Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Since April 2005, eight Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16s, joined by four Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16s in February 2006, have been supporting International Security Assistance Force ground troops the southern provinces of Afghanistan. The detachment is known as the 1st Netherlands-Norwegian European Participating Forces Expeditionary Air Wing (1 NLD/NOR EEAW).[105] On 31 August 2006, a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM crashed in Ghazni province and the pilot, Capt. Michael Donkervoort, was killed.[106] No cause was determined, but the investigation referenced the fact that a camel spider and other creatures had recently been found in the cockpits of Dutch aircraft in Afghanistan.[107][108]
[edit] Invasion of Iraq and post-war operations (2003–present)
Main article: 2003 invasion of IraqUS F-16s participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the only loss suffered over Iraq during this phase was an F-16CG of the 388th Fighter Wing’s 421st Fighter Squadron that crashed near Baghdad on 12 June 2003 when it ran out of fuel.[109]
A US Army MIM-104 Patriot SAM fire-control radar was damaged on 25 March 2003 following a hit by an AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile fired from an USAF F-16C on a patrol over southern Iraq, when the radar established a lock-on onto the fighter and the F-16 RWR classified it as a SA-2 radar.[110] On 7 June 2006, two USAF F-16s dropped two 500 lb (230 kg) guided bombs (one GBU-12 Paveway LGB and one GBU-38 GPS-guided “smart” bomb) destroying an al-Qaeda safehouse, killing Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.[111]
An F-16CG crashed near Fallujah on 27 November 2006 while on a low-altitude ground-strafing run; although under fire, according to the official USAF report, the apparent cause was due to flying into the ground while attempting to maintain visual identification of targeted enemy vehicles. The pilot, Major Troy Gilbert, was killed.[112][113] Two other F-16s were lost in Iraq a month apart, on 15 June and 15 July 2007 in separate noncombat-related accidents,[114][115][116][117] On 12 November 2008, an F-16C was destroyed in a ground fire at Balad Air Base in Iraq after a failed takeoff. The pilot was uninjured.[118] On 25 February 2009, a USAF F-16 shot down an Iranian Ababil-3 UAV that had violated Iraqi airspace. This so far marks the only confirmed air-to-air kill of the war.[119]
[edit] Second Lebanon War (2006)
Main article: 2006 Lebanon War
Israeli Air Force F-16I with CFTs and dorsal spineIsraeli F-16s, the bomber workhorse of the Israel Defense Forces, participated in the 2006 Lebanon War. The only reported F-16 loss was an IDF F-16I that crashed on 19 July when one of its tires burst as it took off for Lebanon from an air base in the Negev. The pilots ejected safely and there were no casualties on the ground.[120] Israeli F-16's shot down three Hezbollah-operated Ababil UAVs during the war.[121]
[edit] Gaza War
Main article: Gaza WarIsraelis Defence Force F-16s were used in attacks in the Gaza strip in December 2008. The attacks were aimed at Hamas, and other militants, but also killed many civilians and other non-combatants.[122] No F-16s were lost.
[edit] Operations in North-West Pakistan (May 2009–present)
Main article: War in North-West PakistanThe Pakistan Air Force (PAF) have been using their F-16A fleet to attack militant positions and support the Pakistan Army's operations in North-West Pakistan against the Taliban insurgency. Since May 2009, PAF F-16s have used 500 lb and 2,000 lb unguided and laser-guided bombs to attack caves, tunnels, training camps, ammunition dumps and hide-outs used by the militants. Over 100 combat missions have been flown in South Waziristan and over 300 in the Swat Valley as of 29 July 2009. Prior to the operations in the Swat Valley, approximately 10 of the PAF's F-16s were fitted with high-resolution infra-red sensors for reconnaissance purposes, supplied by the United States, to provide the Pakistani military with detailed imagery of the area.[123]
Lockheed Martin had indicated back in May 2007 that it would be supplying Pakistan with 18 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) with deliveries starting in 2008.[124]
[edit] Variants
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants
F-16 on static display at Farnborough Airshow, 2006.F-16 models are denoted by sequential block numbers to denote significant upgrades. The blocks cover both single- and two-seat versions. A variety of software, hardware, systems, weapons carriage, and structural enhancements have been instituted over the years to gradually upgrade the F-16 and retroactively implement the upgrades in previously delivered aircraft.
While many F-16s were produced according to these block designs, there have been many other variants with significant changes, usually due to modification programs. Other changes have resulted in role-specialization, such as the close air support and reconnaissance variants. Several models were also developed to test new technology. The F-16 design also inspired the design of other aircraft, which are considered derivatives.
[edit] F-16A/B
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16A/BThe F-16A (single seat) and F-16B (two seat) were initially equipped with the Westinghouse AN/APG-66 pulse-doppler radar, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 turbofan, rated at 14,670 lbf (64.9 kN) and 23,830 lbf (106.0 kN) with afterburner. The A and B variants include Blocks 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20. The USAF bought 674 F-16As and 121 F-16Bs, with delivery completed in March 1985. The F-16A/B had a unit cost of US$14.6 million (1992).
Early blocks (Block 1/5/10) featured relatively minor differences between each. Most were later upgraded to the Block 10 configuration in the early 1980s. Block 15 aircraft was the first major change in the F-16. It featured larger horizontal stabilizers, the addition of two hardpoints to the chin inlet, an improved AN/APG-66(V)2 radar, and increased capacity for the underwing hardpoints. Block 15 also gained the Have Quick II secure UHF radio. The horizontal stabilizers were enlarged by 30% to counter the additional weight of the new hardpoints. Block 15 is the most numerous variant of the F-16, with 983 produced.
Block 20 added some F-16C/D block 50/52 capability: Improved AN/APG-66(V)3 radar with added CW mode to guide 2 types of BVR missiles — AIM-7M Sparrow missiles and AIM-120 AMRAAM, carriage of AGM-45 Shrike(not release to Taiwan), AGM-84 Harpoon, and AGM-88 HARM(not release to Taiwan) missiles, as well as the LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod. The Block 20 computers are significantly improved in comparison to that of the earlier versions that later integrated into post 1997 Block 50/52, and also getting color MFD. The Republic of China (Taiwan) received 150 F-16A/B Block 20 aircraft.[125]
[edit] F-16C/D
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16C/DF-16C (single seat) and F-16D (two seat) variants were introduced in service in 1984. The Block 25 was the first C/D block. It added all-weather capability with beyond-visual-range (BVR) AIM-7 and AIM-120 air-air missiles.[126] Block 25 introduced a substantial improvement in cockpit avionics, and improved AN/APG-68 radar. Block 25s were first delivered with the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 engine and later upgraded to the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E. A total of 209 Block 25 aircraft were delivered.[127] The F-16C/D had a unit cost of US$18.8 million (1998).[1]
Block 30/32 was the first block of F-16s affected by the Alternative Fighter Engine project under which aircraft were fitted with the traditional Pratt & Whitney engines or, for the first time, the General Electric F110-GE-100. From this point on, blocks ending in "0" (e.g., Block 30) are powered by GE, and blocks ending in "2" (e.g., Block 32) are fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines. The first Block 30 F-16 entered service in 1987. Major differences include the carriage of the AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, and the AIM-120 missiles. From Block 30D, aircraft were fitted with larger engine air intakes (called a Modular Common Inlet Duct) for the increased-thrust GE engine. A total of 733 Block 30/32 aircraft were produced and delivered to six countries.[128]
Block 40/42 entered service in 1988. It is the improved all-day/all-weather strike variant equipped with LANTIRN pod; also unofficially designated the F-16CG/DG, the night capability gave rise to the name "Night Falcons". This block features strengthened and lengthened undercarriage for LANTIRN pods, an improved radar, and a GPS receiver. From 2002, the Block 40/42 increased the weapon range available to the aircraft including JDAM, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) and the (Enhanced) EGBU-27 Paveway “bunker-buster”. A total of 615 Block 40/42 aircraft were delivered to 5 countries.[129]
Block 50/52 F-16 was first delivered in late 1991; the aircraft are equipped with improved GPS/INS, and the aircraft can carry a further batch of advanced missiles: the AGM-88 HARM missile, JDAM, JSOW and WCMD. Block 50 aircraft are powered by the F110-GE-129 while the Block 52 jets use the F100-PW-229; said aircraft are unofficially designated F-16CJ.[130]
Block 50/52 Plus (or 50/52+), which is also known as the "Advanced Block 50/52", was first delivered in April 2003 to the Hellenic Air Force. Its main differences are the addition of support for conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), dorsal spine compartment, APG-68(V9) radar, and JHMCS helmet.[130] The CFTs are mounted above the wing, on both sides of the fuselage. They provide an additional 450 US gallon (2,045 L) of fuel for increased range or time on station and free up underwing hardpoints for weapons. They can be easily removed if needed. The optional dorsal spine compartment is located behind the cockpit and extends to the tail. It adds adds 30 cubic feet (850 L) for more internal avionics and chaff/flare dispensers. This option is extremely common in the two-seat versions, but can not be mounted on single seat versions.[131]
USAF F-16C
Three U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 30 aircraft fly in formation over South Korea
An Egyptian Air Force F-16D Block 40
The U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft
An Israeli F-16I (Block 52) at Red Flag July 2009
[edit] F-16E/F
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon variants#F-16E/F
A United Arab Emirates Air Force F-16E Block 60 taking off after taxiing out of the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas (adjacent to NAS Fort Worth JRB).The F-16E (single seat) and F-16F (two seat) are the latest version of the F-16. They do not exist in the USAF inventory and are currently an export variant only. Originally, the single-seat version of the General Dynamics F-16XL was to have been designated F-16E, with the twin-seat variant designated F-16F. This was sidelined by the Air Force's selection of the competing F-15E Strike Eagle in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter fly-off in 1984. The 'Block 60' designation had also previously been set aside in 1989 for the A-16, but this model was also dropped.[132] The F-16E/F designation now belongs to a special version developed especially for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is sometimes unofficially called the "Desert Falcon".
Block 60 is based on the F-16C/D Block 50/52. It features improved radar, avionics and conformal fuel tanks; it has only been sold to the United Arab Emirates. At one time, this version was incorrectly thought to have been designated "F-16U". A major difference from previous blocks is the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which gives the airplane the capability to simultaneously track and destroy ground and air threats. The Block 60's General Electric F110-GE-132 engine is a development of the -129 model and is rated at 32,500 lbf (144 kN). The Block 60 allows the carriage of all Block 50/52-compatible weaponry as well as AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) and the AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM). The CFTs provide an additional 450 US gallon (2,045 L) of fuel, allowing increased range or time on station and frees up hardpoints for weapons instead of underwing fuel tanks. The MIL-STD-1553 data bus is replaced by MIL-STD-1773 fiber-optic data bus which offers a 1000 times increase in data-handling capability. UAE funded the entire $3 billion Block 60 development costs, and in exchange will receive royalties if any of the Block 60 aircraft are sold to other nations. A press report stated that this is "the first time the US has sold a better aircraft[F-16] overseas than its own forces fly".[133]
[edit] F-16IN
India initially sent the RFI for a F-16C/D Block 52+ configuration aircraft for the ongoing Indian MRCA competition to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircrafts. On January 17, 2008, Lockheed Martin offered a customized version of the F-16, the F-16IN Super Viper for the Indian MMRCA contract.[134] The F-16IN, which is similar to the F-16 Block 60, will be a 4.5 generation aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has described the F-16IN as “the most advanced and capable F-16 ever.” Based closely on the F-16E/F Block 60 as supplied to the UAE, the features on the F-16IN include Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs); AN/APG-80 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar,[135] GE F110-132A engine with 32,000 pounds (143 kN) thrust with FADEC controls; electronic warfare suite and infra-red searching (IRST); advanced all-color glass cockpit with three large displays; and a helmet-mounted cueing system.[136]
As of September 2009, F-16IN Super Viper completed a part of the field trials. Lockheed Martin officials said that the phase I of field trials was over and the week-long training phase was in preparation for Phase II of field trials begins on September 7 and will last two weeks.
[edit] Operators
Main article: F-16 Fighting Falcon operators
Operators of F-16.Over 4,400 F-16s have been sold to 25 foreign air forces.[137]
Bahrain
Belgium
Chile
Denmark
Egypt
Greece
Jordan
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Poland
Portugal
Singapore
Republic of China (Taiwan)
South Korea
Thailand
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States
Venezuela
[edit] Notable accidents
On 8 May 1975, while practicing a 9-g aerial display maneuver with the second YF-16 (tail number 72-1568) at Fort Worth prior to being sent to the Paris Air Show, one of the main landing gear jammed. The test pilot, Neil Anderson, had to perform an emergency gear-up landing and chose to do so in the grass, hoping to minimize damage and to avoid injuring the many GD employees observing the display. The aircraft was only slightly damaged (inlet duct buckling, fuselage station 227 bulkhead cracks, etc.). It was scheduled to appear at the Paris air show but due to the mishap the first prototype (tail number 72-1567) was sent.
On 11 February 1992, an F-16 from the Royal Netherlands Air Force crashed into the city of Hengelo. The fighter suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff and the pilot tried to return to the nearby Twenthe air base. The pilot ejected and landed safely on the roof of a building. The F-16 crashed between the houses, without causing any injuries on the ground.
During a joint Army-Air Force exercise being conducted at Pope AFB, North Carolina, on 23 March 1994, F-16D (AF Serial No. 88-0171) of the 23d Fighter Wing / 74th Fighter Squadron was at the center of a multi-aircraft accident with a USAF C-141 aircraft that was embarking US Army paratroopers, since known as the "Green Ramp disaster". This mishap resulted in 24 fatalities and at least 80 others injured.[138]
On 27 March 2000, an Israeli Air Force F-16D-30F of 109 Sq based at Ramat David Air Base, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea during a training flight 17 nmi (31 km) off the coastal village of Atlit in northern Israel. The pilot, Major Yonatan Begin, was a grandson of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. Neither he nor his co-pilot, Lt. Lior Harari, had notified their ground controllers of any problems.[139][140]
On 22 June 2009, an F-16 assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base crashed during a routine training mission over the Utah range west of Salt Lake City. Capt George Houghton, USAF died in the crash. Air Force officials said Houghton, a member of the 421st Fighter Squadron assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing, was involved in close-air support mission training when the F-16 went down.[141]
On 13 September 2009, an Israeli Air Force F-16A crashed while on a training flight over the southern Hebron hills, killing pilot Assaf Ramon. Assaf was the son of Ilan Ramon, a former F-16 pilot and Israel's first astronaut, killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.[142]
[edit] Specifications (F-16C Block 30)
Data from USAF sheet,[1] International Directory of Military Aircraft,[143] AerospaceWeb,[144] GlobalSecurity.org[145]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 49 ft 5 in (14.8 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.8 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.8 m)
Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 64A204 root and tip
Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,670 kg)
Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,200 kg)
Powerplant: 1× F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan
Dry thrust: 17,155 lbf (76.3 kN)
Thrust with afterburner: 28,600 lbf (128.9 kN)
Performance
Maximum speed:
At sea level: Mach 1.2 (915 mph, 1,470 km/h)
At altitude: Mach 2+ (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h)
Combat radius: 340 mi (295 nm, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
Ferry range: 2,280 NM (2,620 mi, 4,220 km) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 60,000+ ft (18,000+ m)
Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
Wing loading: approx 40 lb/ft²[146] (430 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 1.095
M61A1 on display.Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan gatling gun, 511 rounds
Hardpoints: 2× wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6× under-wing & 3× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of payload
Rockets:
4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× /7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively) or
4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets) or
4× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× Zuni 127 mm rockets)
Missiles:
Air-to-air missiles:
2× AIM-7 Sparrow or
6× AIM-9 Sidewinder or
6× IRIS-T or
6× AIM-120 AMRAAM or
6× Python-4
Air-to-ground missiles:
6× AGM-45 Shrike or
6× AGM-65 Maverick or
4× AGM-88 HARM
Anti-ship missiles:
2× AGM-84 Harpoon or
4× AGM-119 Penguin
Bombs:
2× CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
2× CBU-89 Gator mine
2× CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
4× GBU-10 Paveway II
6× GBU-12 Paveway II
6× Paveway-series laser-guided bombs
4× JDAM
4× Mark 84 general-purpose bombs
8× Mark 83 GP bombs
12× Mark 82 GP bombs
B61 nuclear bomb
Others:
SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or
up to 3× 300/330/370 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
Avionics
AN/APG-68 radar
[edit] Popular culture
The F-16 can be seen in movies such as Blue Thunder, The Jewel of the Nile, the Iron Eagle series, X2, The Sum of All Fears, Cloverfield, and Eagle Eye. It also appears, in a more negative light, in the 1992 TV movie Afterburn.
Due to its widespread adoption, the F-16 has been a popular model for computer flight simulators, appearing in over 20 games. Some of them are: Falcon series (1987-2005), F-16 Combat Pilot (1988) F-16 Fighting Falcon (1984), Jet (1989), Strike Commander (1993), iF-16 (1997), F-16 Multi-role Fighter (1998), F-16 Aggressor (1999), The Ace Combat Series and Thrustmaster "HOTAS Cougar" flight simulator controller (exacting reproduction of those found in the F-16 Block 40/50). The F-16 is also one of two aircraft available in the built-in flight simulator in Google EarthReferences
[edit] Notes
^ a b c d e "F-16 Fact Sheet." US Air Force, October 2007. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ a b "United States Government Awards Lockheed Martin Contract to Begin Production of Advanced F-16 Aircraft for Morocco." Lockheed Martin press release, 8 June 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (updated 17 December 2007). "Downside of Dominance? Popularity of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Makes Its F-35 Stealth Jet a Tough Sell." Washington Post. Retrieved: 11 July 2008.
^ Anon (undated) "Company Histories – Lockheed Martin Corporation." Funding Universe. Retrieved: 11 July 2008.
^ Aleshire, Peter. Eye of the Viper: The Making of an F-16 Pilot (Illustrated ed.). Old Saybrook, Connecticut: Globe Pequot, 2005. ISBN 1-59228-822-7. Retrieved: 28 May 2009.
^ F-16 Fighting Falcon, F16, or Viper?
^ Peacock 1997, p. 100.
^ Tirpak, John A. "Making the Best of the Fighter Force." Air Force Magazine, March 2007. Retrieved: 23 June 2008.
^ Spick, Mike, ed. "F-16 Fighting Falcon". Great Book of Modern Warplanes. St. Paul, MN: MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 7.
^ Hillaker, Harry. "Tribute To John R. Boyd." Code One, July 1997. Retrieved: 7 June 2008.
^ Hehs, Eric. "Harry Hillaker – Father of the F-16." Code One, April & July 1991. Retrieved: 7 June 2008.
^ Jenkins 1998, p. 6.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–8.
^ Coram, Robert. Boyd: the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. New York: Little, Brown, and Co., 2002. ISBN 0-316-88146-5.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 9–10.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 7–9.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 10–11.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 8–9.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 12–13.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 14.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 12–13.
^ a b c d Anon "YF-16 : The Birth of a Fighter." F-16.net. Retrieved: June 13, 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 13–16.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 13.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 14, 17–19, 33–34.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 17–19, 33–34.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 14–16, 21.
^ Richardson 1990, pp. 13–15.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Anon. "Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon." Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft, updated 21 January 2008. Retrieved: 30 May 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 31–32.
^ Spick 2000, p. 196.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goebel, Greg. "F-16 Origins." Vectorsite, 1 April 2007. Retrieved: 14 June 2008.
^ Chambers, Joseph R. "Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon : Curing Deep Stall", "Partners in Freedom: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. Military Aircraft of the 1990’s."; Monographs in Aerospace History Number 19, The NASA History Series (NASA SP-2000-4519). National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC, 2000. Retrieved: 22 June 2008.
^ a b c Goebel, Greg. "F-16 Variants." Vectorsite.net, 1 April 2007. Retrieved: 26 May 2008.
^ Darling 2003, p. 56.
^ Camm, Frank. "The F-16 Multinational Staged Improvement Program: A Case Study of Risk Assessment and Risk Management, (Accession No. ADA281706)." RAND Corp., 1993. Retrieved: 2 June 2008.
^ "F-16 Fighting Falcon – Service Life." Global Security. Retrieved: 30 May 2008.
^ Drendel 1993, pp. 10–11.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 99–102.
^ "Technology and the F-16 Fighting Falcon Jet Fighter, Harry J. Hillaker." nae.edu. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ a b c Richardson 1990, p. 10.
^ Hoh and Mitchell 1983, pp. 11ff.
^ Aronstein, David C. and Albert C. Piccirillo. The Lightweight Fighter Program: A Successful Approach to Fighter Technology Transition. AIAA, 1996, p. 21. Retrieved: 25 October 2008.
^ Greenwood, Cynthia. "Air Force Looks at the Benefits of Using CPCs on F-16 Black Boxes." CorrDefense, Spring 2007. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Hoh and Mitchell 1983, p. 5.
^ Richardson 1990, p. 12.
^ Nielsen, Mats (undated [2007]). "Total Immersion Fuel Tank Airborne Cable Assemblies." Glenair. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Day, Dwayne A. "Computers in Aviation." U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, 2003. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
^ Peacock 1997, p. 99.
^ Albano, J. J. and J. B. Stanford. "Prevention of Minor Neck Injuries in F-16 Pilots". Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine; 69, 1998: 1193-9.
^ Peacock 1997, pp. 99–100.
^ Sherman, Robert. "F-16 Fighting Falcon." Federation of American Scientists (FAS), updated 30 May 2008. Retrieved: 20 June 2008.
^ Pike, John. "F-16 Fighting Falcon." Global Security, updated 27 April 2005. Retrieved: 20 June 2008.
^ Task, H. L. (December 1983). Optical Effects of F-16 Canopy-HUD (Head Up Display) Integration, (Accession No. ADP003222). Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Lab.
^ Anon. (undated). "Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)." Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon "F-16 Fighting Falcon Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, USA." Airforce-technology.com. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b c Anon. "F-16E/F : Block 60." F-16.net. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon "The AN/APG-66 Radar." Avitop.com. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Kopp, Carlo. "Active Electronically Steered Arrays: A Maturing Technology." Australian Aviation, June 2002 (as reprinted by Air Power Australia). Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR)
^ Shamim, Asif. "Raytheon and Northrop Grumman battle over F-16 radars." F-16.net, 7 November 2007. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon. "Boeing Selects Raytheon to Provide AESA Radar for U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles." Boeing News Release, 1 November 2007. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b Peacock 1997, pp. 102–103.
^ Pike, John. "F100-PW-100/-200." Global Security, updated 13 March 2006. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ a b Peacock 1997, p. 103.
^ Camm, Frank and Thomas K. Glennan, Jr. "The Development of the F100-PW-220 and F110-GE-100 Engines (N-3618-AF)." RAND Corp., 1993. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Anon "F-16C/D : Block 30/32." F-16.net. Retrieved: 21 June 2008.
^ Pike, John. "F110." Global Security, updated 15 March 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
^ a b Iskra, Alex. "GD/L-M F-16A/B Netz in Israeli Service." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 26 September 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "First Down - F-16." iaf.org.il, Israeli Air Force website. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Grant, Rebecca. "Osirak and Beyond." Air Force Magazine, August 2002. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Schow, Jr., Kenneth C., Lt. Col., USAF. "Falcons Against the Jihad: Israeli Airpower and Coercive Diplomacy in Southern Lebanon." Air University Press, November 1995. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Pakistan Border Battles." Pakistan Military Consortium. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ Weisman, Steven R. "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border." The New York Times, 2 May 1987. Retrieved: 10 August 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 81-0918." F-16.net. Retrieved: 10 August 2008.
^ Airframe Details for F-16 #87-0228
^ "Airframe Details for F-16 #87-0257." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Airframe Details for F-16 #84-1390." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon. "F-16 Accident Reports for 1991". F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "USAF Manned Aircraft Combat Losses 1990-2002." Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ F-16 Accident Reports for 1991, F-16.net
^ Lucky Devils in the Gulf War, article written by S.M.Huertas
^ The Lucky Devils and Forgotten 1000 in the Gulf War
^ Air war in Desert Storm
^ "A-16, F/A-16, F-16A (30mm gun): F-16s for the CAS/BAI missions." f-16.net. retrieved 9 November 2009.
^ Williams and Gustin 2004, pp. 28, 118.
^ Anon. "Aerial Victory Credits." Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0778." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 86-0262." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. "Secretary Albright" (transcript). PBS, 17 December 1998. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Cooper, Tom and Juan Sosa. "Venezuelan Coup Attempt, 1992." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 1 September 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Palmer, Eric L. "USAF F-16s shoot down 4 Serb attack aircraft." F-16.net, 28 February 1994. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "U.S. Air-to-Air Victories during the Cold War, Wars in Yugoslavia, and Anti-Terror War." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 28 October 2003; updated 18 September 2004. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 89-2032." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 30 November 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Roberts, Chris. "Holloman commander recalls being shot down in Serbia". F-16.net, 7 February 2007. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0550." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 91-0023". F-16.net. Retrieved: 18 May 2008.
^ Anon. "Greek & Turkish Air-to-Air Victories." Air Combat Information Group (ACIG), 28 October 2003, updated 18 September 2004. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Dewitte, Lieven. "Deadly 1996 Aegean clash is confirmed". F-16.net, 22 May 2003. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Greek F-16 and Turkish F-16 collide - 1 pilot OK." F-16.net, 23 May 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Kapisthalam, Kaushik. "Strategy." Strategy Page 20 May 2005. Retrieved: 16 May 2009.
^ Tufail, M. Kaiser. "Himalayan Showdown". Air Forces Magazine, June 2009. p. 96.
^ Anon. "F-16s complete one thousand hours of flight operations over Afghanistan." Dutch Ministry of Defense, 3 January 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Dutch F-16 crash in Afghanistan." BBC News, 31 August 2006. Retrieved: 16 May 2009.
^ F-16 mishap horror, F-16.net, 12 July 2007.
^ "F-16 Mishap Horror." aviationweek.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Anon. "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 88-0424." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ Weisman, Jonathan. "Patriot Missiles Seemingly Falter For Second Time; Glitch in Software Suspected." Washington Post, 26 March 2003 (via Global Security). Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ "Iraq Terror Chief Killed in Airstrike." CBS News, 8 June 2006. Retrieved: 29 June 2008.
^ Anon. "US F-16 goes down in Iraq." Al Jazeera, 27 November 2006. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ Anon "F-16 Aircraft Database: F-16 Airframe Details for 90-0776." F-16.net. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "Air Force Reports F-16 Crash in Iraq." FOX News, 15 June 2007. Retrieved: 18 August 2009.
^ "U.S. F-16 warplane crashes in Iraq, pilot uninjured." Xinhua News Agency, 17 July 2007. Retrieved: 17 May 2008.
^ F-16CG
^ "F-16CJ." usaf.aib.law.af.mil. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16 Mishap News: US F-16 destroyed in ground fire." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Iran." airforcetimes.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Harel, Amos. “IDF fighter jet crashes during take-off in Negev; no injuries.” Haaretz, 20 July 2007. Retrieved: 16 May 2008.
^ "IDFAF." f-16.net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "Israeli jets kill ‘at least 225’ in strikes on Gaza." The Sunday Times, 28 December 2008. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ Schmitt, Eric. "Pakistan Injects Precision Into Air War on Taliban." The New York Times, 29 July 2009. Retrieved: 30 July 2009
^ "Pakistan Air Force Selects Sniper Targeting Pod for its F-16 Aircraft." deagel.com. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16A/B, Block 1/5/10/15/15OCU/20." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ Darling 2003, p. 59.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 25." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 30/32." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16C/D, Block 40/42." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ a b "F-16C/D, Block 50/52." F-16.net. Retrieved: 25 January 2009.
^ "F-16 Current Options". Lockheed Martin. Retrieved: 16 July 2009.
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^ "Dubai 2007: UAE shows off its most advanced Falcons." FlightGlobal.com, 11 November 2007. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "F-16 maker Lockheed mounts an India campaign." Times of India. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ New Northrop Grumman AN/APG-80 radar. Northrop Grumman
^ "F-16IN page." Lockheed Martin. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "CSIS's US Competitiveness in in the Fighter Aircraft Export Market." csis.org. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
^ "23 March 1994 crash." Aviation Safety Net. Retrieved: 25 October 2009.
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^ F-16 page, Aerospaceweb.org
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^ Dryden, Joe Bill. "F-16 Aerodynamics". Code One Magazine, April 1986 issue.
[edit] Bibliography
Darling, Kev. F-16 Fighting Falcon (Combat Legend). London: Airlife, 2003. ISBN 1-84037-399-7.
Drendel, Lou. F-16 Fighting Falcon - Walk Around No. 1. Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Books, 1993. ISBN 0-8974-7307-8.
Gunston, Bil. United States Military Aircraft of the 20th Century London: Salamander Books Ltd, 1984. ISBN 0-86101-163-5.
Hehs, Eric. "Harry Hillaker — Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1991.
Hillaker, Harry. "John Boyd, USAF Retired, Father of the F-16." Code One: An Airpower Projection Magazine, April/July 1997.
Hoh, Roger H. and David G. Mitchell. "Flying Qualities of Relaxed Static Stability Aircraft – Volume I: Flying Qualities Airworthiness Assessment and Flight Testing of Augmented Aircraft." Federal Aviation Administration (DOT/FAA/CT-82/130-I), September 1983. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.
Jenkins, Dennis R. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Supreme Heavy-Weight Fighter. Arlington, TX: Aerofax, 1998. ISBN 1-85780-081-8.
Mehuron, Tamar A., Assoc. Editor."2007 USAF Almanac - Equipment". Air Force Magazine, Journal of the Air Force Association 90 (5): May 2007. ISSN: 0730-6784.
Peacock, Lindsay. On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story. RAF Fairford, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. ISBN 1-899808-01-9.
Richardson, Doug. General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. London: Salamander Books, 1990. ISBN 0-86101-534-7.
Spick, Mike, ed. Great Book of Modern Warplanes. St. Paul, MN: MBI, 2000. ISBN 0-7603-0893-4.
Williams, Anthony G. and Gustin, Dr Emmanuel. Flying Guns: The Modern Era. Ramsbury, UK:The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1 86126 655 3.
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 USAF fact sheet
F-16 page on LockheedMartin.com
F-16 page on GlobalSecurity.org
F-16.net Extensive and up-to-date Fighting Falcon resource
F-16 profile on Aerospaceweb.org
F-16 Modernization program news release
v • d • eConvair and General Dynamics aircraft
Manufacturer
designations (numbering continued from Vultee): 105 · 109 · 110
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8/8-24 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 30 · 31
240 · 340 · 440 · 540 · 600 · 640
By role Bombers: B-36 · XA-44 · XB-46 · XB-53 · B-58 · YB-60 · X-6 · X-11
Fighters/attack aircraft: XP-81 · XF-92 · F-102 · F-106 · XFY · F2Y
Military transports: XC-99 · C-131 · R3Y · R4Y · T-29
Civilian transports: 37 · 240 · 340 · 440 · 540 · 580 · 600 · 640 · 880 · 990 · 5800
General Dynamics Fighters/attack aircraft: F-111 · F-16 · F-16XL · F-16 VISTA
v • d • eLockheed aircraft
Manufacturer
designations Basic Model Numbers: L-1 · L-2 · L-3 · L-4 · L-5 · L-7 · L-8 · L-9 · L-10 · L-11 · L-012 · (L-013 not assigned) · L-014 · L-015 · L-016 · L-017 · L-018 · L-019 · L-020 · L-021 · L-022 · L-023 · L-024 · (L-025 not assigned) · L-026 · L-027 · (L-028 not assigned) · L-029 · L-030 · L-031 · L-032 · L-033 · L-034 · L-035 · (L-036 not assigned) · L-037 · (L-038 and L-039 not assigned) · L-040 · L-041 · L-042 · L-044 · L-045 · L-049 · L-050 · L-051 · L-052 · L-060 · L-061 · L-062 · L-075 · L-080 · L-081 · L-082 · L-083 · L-084 · L-085 · L-086 · L-087 · L-088 · L-089 · L-090 · L-091 · L-092 · L-093 · L-094 · L-092 · L-099 · L-100 · L-193 · L-245 · L-246 · L-300 · L-329 · L-351 · L-382 · L-500 · L-645
California Lockheed Temporary Design Numbers (TDN): CL-282 · CL-288 · CL-295 · CL-320 · CL-325 · CL-329 · CL-346 · CL-379 · CL-400 · CL-407 · CL-475 · CL-595 · CL-704 · CL-760 · CL-823 · CL-901 · CL-915 · CL-934 · CL-981 · CL-984 · CL-985 · CL-1026 · CL-1195 · CL-1200 · CL-1400 · CL-1600 · CL-1700 · CL-1800 · CL-1980
By role Airliners and civil transports: Vega · Electra · Electra Junior · Super Electra · Lodestar · Constellation · Saturn · Electra · L-402 · JetStar · L-100 · L-1011
Military transports: C-64 · C-121 · R6V · C-130/C-130J · C-141 · C-5 · TriStar
Experimental/prototypes: D-21 · NF-104A · QT-2/QT-2PC/X-26B · XC-35 · XFV · XF-90 · XF-104 · XH-51 · XP-49 · XP-58 · XV-4 · YP-24
Fighters: P-38 · P/F-80 · F-94 · F-104 · F-16 · F-117 · F-22 · F-35
Helicopters: XH-51 · AH-56
Patrol: Hudson · PV · P-2 · P-3 · S-3 · CP-140
Reconnaissance: U-2 · A-12 · SR-71
Trainers: T-33 · T2V/T-1
v • d • eUnited States tri-service fighter designations post-1962
F-1C/F-1E • F-2 • F-3 • F-4 • F-5 • F-6 • F-7 • F-8 • F-9 • F-10 • F-11 • YF-12 • (F-13 not assigned) • F-14 • F-15 / F-15E • F-16 • YF-17 • F/A-18 / F/A-18E/F • (F-19 not assigned) • F-20 • F-21 • F-22 • YF-23 • (F-24 to F-34 not assigned) • F-35
See also: F-117 • Pre-1962 list
v • d • eLists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · Airports · Airlines · Civil authorities · Museums
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Accidents/incidents General · Military · Commercial (airliners) · Deaths
Records Airspeed · Distance · Altitude · Endurance · Most-produced aircraft
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-16_Fighting_Falcon"
Categories: Active United States military aircraft | United States fighter aircraft 1970-1979 | Lockheed Martin aircraft
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