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F-16 Facts
Mission
The F-16 Fighting
Falcon is a compact, multirole fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable
and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.
It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for
the United States and allied nations.
Features
In an air combat role, the F-16's maneuverability and combat radius
(distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceed
that of all potential threat fighter aircraft. It can locate targets
in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground
clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles
(860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend
itself against enemy aircraft and return to its starting point. An all-weather
capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual
bombing conditions.
In designing the F-16, advanced aerospace science and proven reliable
systems from other aircraft such as the F-15 and F-111 were selected.
These were combined to simplify the airplane and reduce its size, purchase
price, maintenance costs and weight. The light weight of the fuselage
is achieved without reducing its strength. With a full load of internal
fuel, the F-16 can withstand up to nine G's -- nine times the force
of gravity -- which exceeds the capability of other current fighter
aircraft.
The cockpit and its bubble canopy give the pilot unobstructed forward
and upward vision, and greatly improved vision over the side and to
the rear. The seat-back angle was expanded from the usual 13 degrees
to 30 degrees, increasing pilot comfort and gravity force tolerance.
The pilot has excellent flight control through the F-16s "fly-by-wire"
system. Electrical relay commands, replace the usual cables and linkage
controls. For easy and accurate control of the aircraft during high
G-force combat maneuvers, a side stick controller is used instead of
the conventional center-mounted stick. Hand pressure on the side stick
controller sends electrical signals to actuators of flight control surfaces
such as ailerons and rudder.
Avionics systems include a highly accurate inertial navigation system
in which a computer provides steering information to the pilot. The
plane has UHF and VHF radios plus an instrument landing system. It also
has a warning system and modular countermeasure pods to be used against
airborne or surface electronic threats. The fuselage has space for additional
avionics systems.
Click Here to learn more about the F-16 and the United States Air Force.
NOTE: Schedule subject to change without notice.
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Airshow 2003 Design
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