General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids F-16 Fighting Falcon

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; 50 years ago (1974-01-20) (unplanned) 2 February 1974; 50 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 one-engine multirole combat aircraft. It was originally designed and built 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 four years later in 1976. Over 4,600 F-16s have been built since then. The airplane has been used by more than 25 air forces around the world. It is also used by the Thunderbirds, the USAF's aerobatics team. As of 2015, there are more F-16s in military use than any other fixed-wing aircraft.

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Capabilities

The F-16 is able to fly at twice the speed of sound. It is armed with a M61 Vulcan cannon and has eleven places where weapons or other equipment can be attached. It was the first production combat airplane to be designed with relaxed stability and fly-by-wire controls to make it highly agile in the air. Its designers also used many other new ideas such as a bubble canopy to help the pilot see better and a control stick on the side of the cockpit to make it easier to steer during tight turns and high g-forces.

The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but it is often called the "Viper" by its pilots and crews. The nickname came from the fact that the viper snake is known for its deadly fangs and venom, and because the Colonial Viper spacecraft from Battlestar Galactica was popular when the airplane was introduced to the USAF.

Images for kids

A right-side view of a YF-16 (foreground) and a Northrop YF-17, each armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles
YF-16 on display at the Virginia Air and Space Center
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-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
A Portuguese Air Force F-16A outfitted with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod, and external fuel tanks.
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
Bubble canopy, allowing all-round visibility
F-16 ground trainer cockpit (F-16 Mid-life Update (MLU))
F-16 pilot with Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System and cockpit head-up display
AN-APG-68, as fitted to the nose
Afterburner – concentric ring structure inside the exhaust
Adjustable exhaust nozzle in contracted position
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.
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
Pakistan Air Force F-16s
F-16 SoloTürk aerial aerobatic aircraft
An Egyptian air force F-16 Fighting Falcon prepares to make contact with a KC-135 Stratotanker.
Iraqi Air Force F-16C
A Taiwanese Air Force F-16A taking off from Chiashan Air Force Base.
Testing of the F-35 diverterless supersonic inlet on an F-16 testbed. The original intake with Splitter plate shown in the top image.
Venezuelan Air Force F-16B
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
A Pakistani F-16D Block-52 of the No. 5 Squadron
United Arab Emirates Air Force F-16E Block 60 with the IFTS pod, CFTs, and various external armament taking off
USAF QF-16A, on its first unmanned test flight, over the Gulf of Mexico
F-16C block 52 of the Hellenic Air Force with conformal fuel tanks and Advanced IFF (AIFF)
A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot ejects from the F-16 just before impact at an air show in September 2003.
The YF-16B at the Frontiers of Flight Museum
F-16A display at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB
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
View of underside of F-16 during a vertical climb
using afterburner
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.

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon facts for kids

Contents

Capabilities

Related pages

Images for kids

See also