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General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon facts for kids

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F-16 Fighting Falcon
Airplane flying over desert, carrying fuel and weapons
A US Air Force F-16C over Iraq in 2008
Role Multirole fighter, air superiority fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer General Dynamics
Lockheed Martin
First flight 20 January 1974; 51 years ago (1974-01-20) (unplanned)
2 February 1974; 51 years ago (1974-02-02) (official)
Introduction 17 August 1978; 46 years ago (1978-08-17)
Status In service
Primary users United States Air Force
25 other users
Produced 1973–2017, 2019–present
Number built 4,604 (June 2018)
Unit cost F-16A/B: US$14.6 million (1998)
F-16C/D: US$18.8 million (1998)
Developed into Vought Model 1600
General Dynamics F-16XL
Mitsubishi F-2

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a powerful one-engine multirole combat aircraft. This means it can do many different jobs in the air. It was first designed by General Dynamics, which is now part of Lockheed Martin. The United States Air Force (USAF) ordered the F-16 in 1972.

The airplane first flew in 1976. Since then, over 4,600 F-16s have been built. More than 25 air forces around the world use this aircraft. The F-16 is also flown by the Thunderbirds, the USAF's amazing aerobatics team. As of 2015, more F-16s are used by militaries than any other fixed-wing aircraft.

What Can the F-16 Do?

The F-16 is a very fast jet. It can fly at twice the speed of sound. It has a powerful M61 Vulcan cannon. It also has eleven places where weapons or other equipment can be attached.

Smart Design for Agility

The F-16 was the first combat plane designed with special features. These features help it move very quickly and easily in the air. One feature is called relaxed stability. This makes the plane naturally a bit unstable, which helps it turn faster.

Another feature is fly-by-wire controls. This means the pilot's controls send electronic signals to the plane's moving parts. This makes the F-16 highly agile.

Pilot-Friendly Features

The designers also added other new ideas. The F-16 has a bubble canopy. This is a clear, bubble-shaped top that gives the pilot a much better view all around. The control stick is on the side of the cockpit. This makes it easier for the pilot to steer during tight turns and high g-forces. High g-forces are the strong forces pilots feel when turning sharply or changing speed quickly.

The "Viper" Nickname

The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon." But its pilots and crews often call it the "Viper." This nickname came from two things. First, the viper snake is known for its deadly fangs. Second, the Colonial Viper spacecraft from the TV show Battlestar Galactica was very popular when the F-16 was first used by the USAF.

Related Pages

Images for kids

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    A right-side view of a YF-16 (foreground) and a Northrop YF-17, each armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles

  • YF-16 VASC

    YF-16 on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center

  • F-16C Fighting Falcon

    An F-16C of the Colorado Air National Guard with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, an Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation pod, and a centerline fuel tank (300 US gal or 1,100 L capacity)

  • F-16 CJ Fighting Falcon

    F-16CJ of the 20th Fighter Wing from Shaw AFB, South Carolina, armed with a mix of air-to-air missiles, anti-radiation missiles, external fuel tanks and support equipment

  • F16A FAP linksup KC-10

    A Portuguese Air Force F-16A outfitted with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod, and external fuel tanks.

  • F16 SCANG InFlight

    F-16C of the South Carolina Air National Guard in-flight over North Carolina equipped with air-to-air missiles, bomb rack, targeting pods and electronic countermeasures pods

  • A U.S. Air Force Airman from the 169th Fighter Wing conducts post flight tasks in an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during a phase II operational readiness evaluation at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C. 080412-F-WT236-013

    Bubble canopy, allowing all-round visibility

  • F16 Cockpit, Asian Aerospace 2006

    F-16 ground trainer cockpit (F-16 Mid-life Update (MLU))

  • 170614-F-RH756-282 (34929964880) crop

    F-16 pilot with Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System and cockpit head-up display

  • F-16 Cockpit part

    AN-APG-68, as fitted to the nose

  • Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan engine

    Afterburner – concentric ring structure inside the exhaust

  • F-16 Exhaust

    Adjustable exhaust nozzle in contracted position

  • WiscANG-F16-Madison-Skyline

    Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16s over Madison, Wisconsin. The tail of the formation's lead ship features a special 60th Anniversary scheme for the 115th Fighter Wing.

  • F-16-Netz-107-fighter-and-killmarks-01

    Israeli Air Force F-16A Netz 107 with 6.5 kill marks of other aircraft and one kill mark of an Iraqi nuclear reactor, a world record for an F-16

  • PAF-F16s-RedFlag

    Pakistan Air Force F-16s

  • F16 - RIAT 2014 (34306872320)

    F-16 SoloTürk aerial aerobatic aircraft

  • Egyptian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon

    An Egyptian air force F-16 Fighting Falcon prepares to make contact with a KC-135 Stratotanker.

  • Iraqi Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies over an undisclosed location July 18 2019

    Iraqi Air Force F-16C

  • Taiwan Air Force (RoCAF) General Dynamics F-16A 6672 (Cropped)

    A Taiwanese Air Force F-16A taking off from Chiashan Air Force Base.

  • F-35 Divertless Supersonic Inlet F-16

    Testing of the F-35 diverterless supersonic inlet on an F-16 testbed. The original intake with Splitter plate shown in the top image.

  • Take-off F-16B Venezuela (11037665315)

    Venezuelan Air Force F-16B

  • Israeli F-16s at Red Flag

    An Israeli F-16I Block 52 with conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), electronic countermeasures, and other external stores during a Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, NV

  • New F-16 block 52 of PAF

    A Pakistani F-16D Block-52 of the No. 5 Squadron

  • F-16e block60

    United Arab Emirates Air Force F-16E Block 60 with the IFTS pod, CFTs, and various external armament taking off

  • QF-16

    USAF QF-16A, on its first unmanned test flight, over the Gulf of Mexico

  • F-16C block 52+ fighter jet, Hellenic Air Force (November 2010)

    F-16C block 52 of the Hellenic Air Force with conformal fuel tanks and Advanced IFF (AIFF)

  • Crash.arp.600pix

    A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot ejects from the F-16 just before impact at an air show in September 2003.

  • Frontiers of Flight Museum December 2015 133 (General Dynamics F-16B Fighting Falcon)

    The YF-16B at the Frontiers of Flight Museum

  • 16 19 031 F16A

    F-16A display at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB

  • F-16B Fighting Falcon

    F-16B on display at the Aviation Challenge campus of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL; vertical stabilizer painted red as an acknowledgment to Tuskegee Airmen.

  • F-16 at Hill Aerospace Museum

    F-16 at Hill Aerospace Museum

  • F16 vertical climb

    View of underside of F-16 during a vertical climb

  • Lockheed F-16C USAF 92-3894 PACAF F-16 Demo Team RJNK

    using afterburner

  • B61 in Weapons Storage and Security System

    Weapons Storage and Security System vault in raised position holding a B61 nuclear bomb, adjacent to an F-16. The vault is within a Protective Aircraft Shelter.

See also

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