Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon
Role: Single-seat and two-seat multi-role fighter.
DESIGN FEATURES: (refers mainly to Block 40 F-16C/D):
Cropped delta wings blended with fuselage, with highly
swept vortex control strakes along fuselage forebody
and joining wings to increase lift and improve
directional stability at high angles of attack; wing
section NACA 64A-204; leading-edge sweepback 40
degrees; relaxed stability (rearward CG) to increase
manoeuvrability; deep wing-roots increase rigidity,
save 113 kg (250 lb) structure weight and increase fuel
volume; fixed-geometry engine intake; pilot's ejection
seat inclined 30 degrees rearwards; single-piece
birdproof forward canopy section; two ventral fins
below wing trailing-edge. Baseline F-16 airframe life
planned as 8000 hours with average usage of 55.5 per
cent in air combat training, 20 per cent ground attack
and 24.5 per cent general flying; structured
strengthening programme for pre-Block 50 aircraft
required during 1990s.
STRUCTURE:
Wing, mainly of light alloy, has 11 spars, five ribs
and single-piece upper and lower skins; attached to
fuselage by machined aluminium fittings; leading-edge
flaps are one-piece bonded aluminium honeycomb and
driven by rotary actuators; fin is multi-spar,
multi-rib with graphite epoxy skins; brake parachute or
ECM housed in fairing aft of fin root; tailerons have
graphite epoxy laminate skins, attached to corrugated
aluminium pivot shaft and removable full-depth
aluminium honeycomb leading-edge; ventral fins have
aluminium honeycomb and skins; split speedbrakes in
fuselage extensions inboard of tailerons open to 60
degrees. Nose radome by Brunswick Corporation.
LANDING GEAR:
Menasco hydraulically retractable type, nose unit
retracting rearward and main units forward into
fuselage. Nosewheel is located aft of intake to reduce
the risk of foreign objects being thrown into the
engine during ground operation, and rotates 90 degrees
during retraction to lie horizontally under engine air
intake duct. Oleo-pneumatic struts in all units.
POWER PLANT:
One 131.6 kN (29,588 lb st) General Electric
F110-GE-129, or one 129.4 kN (29,100 lb st) Pratt &
Whitney F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofan as
alternative standard. These Increased Performance
Engines (IPE) installed from late 1991 in Block 50 and
Block 52 aircraft. Immediately previous standard was
128.9 kN (28,984 lb st) F110-GE-100 or 105.7 kN (23,770
lb st) F100-PW-220 in Blocks 40/42. (Of 990 F-16Cs and
160 F-16Ds delivered to USAF by December 1991, 489 with
F100 and 661 with F110. IPE variants have half share
each in FY 1992 procurement of 48 F-16s for USAF,
following eight reliability trial installations
including six Block 30 aircraft which flew 2400 h
between December 1990 and September 1992.) F100s of ANG
and AFRes F-16A/Bs upgraded to -220E standard from late
1991. Fixed geometry intake, with boundary layer
splitter plate, beneath fuselage.
Standard fuel contained in wing and five
seal-bonded fuselage cells which function as two tanks;
3986 litres (1053 US gallons; 876 Imp gallons) in
single-seat aircraft; 3297 litres (871 US gallons; 726
Imp gallons) in two-seat aircraft.
ACCOMMODATION:
Pilot only in F-16C, in pressurised and air-conditioned
cockpit. McDonnell Douglas ACES II zero/zero ejection
seat. Bubble canopy made of polycarbonate advanced
plastics material. Inside of USAF F-16C/D canopy (and
most Belgian, Danish, Netherlands and Norwegian
F-16A/Bs) coated with gold film to dissipate radar
energy. In conjunction with radar-absorbing materials
in air intake, this reduces frontal radar signature by
40 per cent. Windscreen and forward canopy are an
integral unit without a forward bow frame, and are
separated from the aft canopy by a simple support
structure which serves also as the breakpoint where the
forward section pivots upward and aft to give access to
the cockpit. A redundant safety lock feature prevents
canopy loss. Windscreen/canopy design provides 360
degrees all-round view, 195 degrees fore and aft, 40
degrees down over the side, and 15 degrees down over
the nose. To enable the pilot to sustain high g forces,
and for pilot comfort, the seat is inclined 30 degrees
aft and the heel line is raised.
The F-16D has two cockpits in tandem, equipped with
all controls, displays, instruments, avionics and life
support systems required to perform both training and
combat missions. The layout of the F-16D second station
is similar to the F-16C, and is fully
systems-operational. A single-enclosure polycarbonate
transparency, made in two pieces and spliced aft of the
forward seat with a metal bow frame and lateral support
member, provides outstanding view from both cockpits.
AVIONICS:
Westinghouse AN/APG-68(V) pulse Doppler range and angle
track radar, with planar array in nose. Provides
air-to-air modes for range-while-search, uplook search,
velocity search, air combat, track-while-scan (10
targets), raid cluster resolution, single target track
and (later) high PRF track to provide target
illumination for AIM-7 missiles; and air-to-surface
modes for ground mapping, Doppler beam sharpening,
ground moving target, sea target, fixed target track,
target freeze after pop-up, beacon, and air-to-ground
ranging. Forward avionics bay, immediately forward of
cockpit, contains radar, air data equipment, inertial
navigation system, flight control computer, and
combined altitude radar altimeter (CARA). Rear avionics
bay contains ILS, Tacan and IFF, with space for future
equipment. A Dalmo Victor AN/ALR-69 radar warning
system is replaced in USAF Block 50/52 by Loral
AN/ALR-56M advanced RWR; ALR-56M ordered for USAF Block
40/42 retrofit and (first export) Korean Block 52s.
Tracor AN/ALE-40(V)-4 chaff/flare dispensers (AN/ALE-47
in Block 50/52); provision for Westinghouse AN/ALQ-131
jamming pods and planned AN/ALQ-184.
ARMAMENT:
General Electric M61A1 20 mm multi-barrel cannon in the
port side wing/body fairing, equipped with a General
Electric ammunition handling system and an enhanced
envelope gunsight (part of the head-up display system)
and 511 rounds of ammunition. There is a mounting for
an air-to-air missile at each wingtip, one
underfuselage centreline hardpoint, and six underwing
hardpoints for additional stores. For manoeuvring
flight at 5.5g the underfuselage station is stressed
for a load of up to 1000 kg (2200 lb), the two inboard
underwing stations for 2041 kg (4500 lb) each, the two
centre underwing stations for 1587 kg (3500 lb) each,
the two outboard underwing stations for 318 kg (700 lb)
each, and the two wingtip stations for 193 kg (425 lb)
each. For manoeuvring flight at 9g the underfuselage
station is stressed for a load of up to 544 kg (1200
lb), the two inboard underwing stations for 1134 kg
(2500 lb) each, the two centre underwing stations for
907 kg (2000 lb) each, the two outboard underwing
stations for 204 kg (450 lb) each, and the two wingtip
stations for 193 kg (425 lb) each. There are mounting
provisions on each side of the inlet shoulder for the
specific carriage of sensor pods (electro-optical,
FLIR, etc); each of these stations is stressed for 408
kg (900 lb) at 5.5g, and 250 kg (550 lb) at 9g.
Aircraft Measures:
Length: 49 ft., 3 in.
Height: 16 ft., 8.5 in.
Wingspan: 31 ft.
Loaded Weight: 42,300
Aircraft Performance:
Maximum Speed: Mach 2
Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft.
Range: 2,415 miles
Thrust: 25,000 lbs