The General Dynamics F16 Fighting Falcon is a singleengine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful allweather multirole aircraft. Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.

The Fighting Falcon's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for good visibility, sidemounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of gforces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/flybywire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft. The F16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots and crews, because of a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as to the fictional Colonial Viper starfighter from the television program Battlestar Galactica which aired at the time the F16 entered service.

In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it was the world's most numerous fixedwing aircraft in military service.

Crew: 1
Length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Wing area: 300 sq ft (28 m2)
Airfoil: NACA 64A204
Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,573 kg)
Gross weight: 26,500 lb (12,020 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,187 kg)
Fuel capacity: 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) internals
Payload: 15,800 lb (7,167 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F110GE129 for Block 50 aircraft afterburning turbofan, 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) thrust dry, 29,500 lbf (131 kN) with afterburner
(1 × Pratt & Whitney F100PW229 for Block 52 aircraft, 17,800 lbf (79 kN) thrust dry and 29,160 lbf (129.7 kN) with afterburner.)
Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2.05, 1,176 kn (1,353 mph; 2,178 km/h) at 40,000 feet, clean
Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at sea level
Combat range: 295 nmi (339 mi, 546 km) on a hilohi mission with 4 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs
Ferry range: 2,277 nmi (2,620 mi, 4,217 km) with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 58,000 ft (18,000 m)
g limits: +9.0
Roll rate: 324°/s
Wing loading: 88.3 lb/sq ft (431 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 1.095 (1.24 with loaded weight & 50% internal fuel)
Armament
Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6barrel rotary cannon, 511 rounds
Hardpoints: 2 × wingtip airtoair missile launch rails, 6 × underwing, and 3 × underfuselage pylon (2 of 3 for sensors) stations with a capacity of up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of stores
Rockets:
4 × LAU61/LAU68 rocket pods (each with 19/7 × Hydra 70 mm/APKWS rockets, respectively)
4 × LAU5003 rocket pods (each with 19 × CRV7 70 mm rockets)
4 × LAU10 rocket pods (each with 4 × Zuni 127 mm rockets)
Missiles:
Airtoair missiles:
6 × AIM9 Sidewinder
6 × AIM120 AMRAAM
6 × IRIST
6 × Python4
6 × Python5
Airtosurface missiles:
6 × AGM65 Maverick
2 × AGM88 HARM
AGM158 Joint AirtoSurface Standoff Missile (JASSM)
4 × AGM154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
Antiship missiles:
2 × AGM84 Harpoon
4 × AGM119 Penguin
Bombs:
8 × CBU87 Combined Effects Munition
8 × CBU89 Gator mine
8 × CBU97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
4 × Mark 84 generalpurpose bombs
8 × Mark 83 GP bombs
12 × Mark 82 GP bombs
8 × GBU39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
4 × GBU10 Paveway II
6 × GBU12 Paveway II
4 × GBU24 Paveway III
4 × GBU27 Paveway III
4 × Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) series
Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD)
B61 nuclear bomb
B83 nuclear bomb
Others:
SUU42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
AN/ALQ131 & AN/ALQ184 ECM pods on centerline or
LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or
AN/ASQ213 HARM Targeting System (HTS) Pod (typically configured on station 5L with Sniper XR pod on station 5R) or
Up to 3 × 300/330/370/600 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight/extended range/loitering time or
UTC Aerospace DB110 long range EO/IR sensor pod on centerline
Avionics
AN/APG68 radar, being replaced on US Air Force F16C/D Block 40/42 and 50/52 by AN/APG83 SABR
AN/ALR56M radar warning receiver
AN/ALQ213 electronic warfare suite
MILSTD1553 bus

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