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Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon

Type (Muster)
Multi-role fighter (Mehrzweck-Kampfflugzeug)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems
1 Lockheed Boulevard
Fort Worth, Texas 76108
USA

Phone: 001-817/763-4086
Fax: 001-817/763-4797

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 1 or 2 in the D-version

Weapons (Bewaffnung): The F-16 is fitted with an General Electric M61A1 20 mm multibarrel canon (511 rounds). On 11 external hardpoints (including air intake cheek positions), it can carry a wide variety of external stores, including:

AIM-9 Sidewinder (two at the wingtips)
AIM-7 Sparrow
Matra BAe ASRAAM
Matra BAe Magic 2
Matra BAe Mica
AIM-120 AMRAAM (wingtip or underwing)
Python 3 or Python 4 AAMs (built by Rafael, in use by Israel)
GPU-5/A 30 mm gun pod under the fuselage
AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile
AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile
AGM-65A/B/D/G Maverick
AGM-84 Harpoon
Penguin 3 anti-ship missile
Laser-guided bombs: GBU-10 Paveway II (950 kg) , GBU-12 Paveway II (225 kg) , GBU-22, GBU-24, GBU-27
GBU-15 glide bomb (950 kg)
BLU-107/B Durandal anti-runway bomb
AS-30L
JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition)
AGM-154 JSOW (Joint Stand-Off Weapon)
Wind corrected munitions dispenser
Mk.82 bomb
Mk. 84 bomb
LAU-3A/5003 rocket pod
drop tanks (1135 litres under the fuselage, 1400 or 2270 litres under the wing)
LANTIRN navigation and targeting systems pod
Sharpshooter targeting pod
Rubis navigatin pod
Atlantic navigation pod
Atlis II targeting pod
ASQ213 HARM targeting system pod
ALQ-119/184 ECM pod
ALQ-131 ECM pod
ACMI pod
various reconnaissance pods

Power plant (Antrieb): 1 x General Electric F110-GE-129 or Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-129 turbofans as per customer selection. More powerful variants of both engines are under development for future F-16 variants or retrofit.
Thrust (Schub): 1 x 131,6 kN (29590 lbs) for the F110 or 129,4 kN (29100 lbs) for the F100, with afterburner.

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 15,03 m
Height (Höhe): 5,09 m
Span (Spannweite): 10,00 m over wingtip missiles, 9,45 m over missile launchers
Wing area (Flügelfläche): 27,87 sq m

Weights (Massen)
Empty weight (Leermasse): 8433 kg (F100) to 8581 kg (F110 engine). D-version (two-seater weighs in at 8645 kg or 8809 kg (with F110 engine)
Internal fuel (Kraftstoff): 3105 kg, or 2567 kg in the F-16D
Max. external stores load, full internal fuel (max. Außenlast mit vollen Tanks): 7225 kg (with F100 engine)
Typical combat weight (typische Einsatzmasse): 10660 kg to 10810 kg, with about 50 per cent fuel
Max. take-off weight (Max. Startmasse): 19187 kg for the F-16C/D Block 50/52

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. speed (max. Geschwindigkeit): Mach 2.0 plus at 12200 m (40000 ft)
Max. operating altitude (Dienstgipfelhöhe): over 15240 m (50000 ft)
Radius of action (Einsatzradius):
   - 1250 km for an F-16C Block 50 with two 905 kg bombs, two Sidewinders, 3940 litres external fuel, hi-lo-lo-hi mission
   - 1485 km for an F-16C Block 50 with two 905 kg bombs, two Sidewinders, 5680 litres external fuel, hi-lo-lo-hi mission
   - 1605 km for an F-16C Block 50 with two AMRAAMs, two Sidewinders and 3940 litres, combat air patrol mission
Ferry range (Überführungsreichweite):
   - 3630 km for an F-16C Block 50 with 3940 litres external fuel
   - 4215 km for an F-16C Block 50 with 5680 litres external fuel
Design load factor (Belastung): +9 g with full internal fuel

Costs (Kosten)
Approximately 26 million US-Dollars (1996 flyaway prices), but depends heavily on variant and customer. Some years ago, Lockheed Martin offered the USAF a standard F-16 Block 50/52 at 20 million US-Dollars. The company claims that it could still match this price (with inflation).

Customers (Kunden)
The F-16 has been sold to air forces worldwide, both new and secondhand from USAF stocks. As of September 1998, orders stood at 4026 aircraft, including 1688 of the F-16A/B and 2145 of the F-16C/D versions. Of these, 193 had still to be delivered. Users of the Fighting Falcon are:

US Air Force: Ordered: 2215. Delivered: 2200 (784 x F-16A/B, 1416 x F-16C/D). First delivery: August 1978
NASA: Has some F-16 on loan from the USAF, among them the two F-16XL prototypes and an AFTI/F-16
Belgium: Ordered: 160. Delivered: 160 (F-16A/B). First delivery: January 1979
The Netherlands: Ordered: 213. Delivered: 213 (F-16A/B). First delivery: June 1979
Denmark: Ordered: 70. Delivered: 70 (F-16A/B). First delivery: January 1980
Norway: Ordered: 74. Delivered: 74 (F-16A/B). First delivery: January 1980
Israel: Ordered: 210. Delivered: 210 (75 x F-16A/B, 135 x F-16B/C). First delivery: January 1980
Egypt: Ordered: 196. Delivered: 175 (42 x F-16A/B, 133 x F-16C/D). First delivery: March 1982
Pakistan: Ordered: 68. Delivered: 68 (F-16A/B). First delivery: January 1983
Venezuela: Ordered: 24. Delivered: 24 (F-16A/B). First delivery: September 1983
South Korea: Ordered: 160. Delivered: 109 (F-16C/D). First delivery: March 1986
Turkey: Ordered: 240. Delivered: 214 (F-16C/D). First delivery: May 1987
US Navy: Ordered: 26. Delivered: 26 (F-16N). First delivery: June 1987
Singapore: Ordered: 38 (+12). Delivered: 22 (+8 - F-16A/B/C/D). First delivery: February 1988
Thailand: Ordered: 36. Delivered: 36 (F-16A/B). First delivery: June 1988
Greece: Ordered: 80. Delivered: 78 (F-16C/D). First delivery: November 1988
Indonesia: Ordered: 12. Delivered: 12 (F-16A/B). First delivery: December 1989
Bahrain: Ordered: 22. Delivered: 12 (F-16C/D). First delivery: March 1990
Portugal: Ordered: 20. Delivered: 20 (F-16A/B). First delivery: February 1994
Taiwan: Ordered: 150. Delivered: 102 (F-16A/B). First delivery: July 1996
Jordan: Delivered: 16 (F-16A/B) First delivery: October 1997. Used aircraft
United Arab Emirates: Ordered: 80 Delivered: 0 ("Block 60") First delivery: ca. 2002. The UAE selected the F-16 "Block 60" in May 1998, but has still to sign a formal contract.

Competitors (Konkurrenz)
Boeing F-18C/D
Eurofighter EF2000 (Typhoon)
Mikojan MiG-29
Saab JAS 39 Gripen

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The F-16 Fighting Falcon has become a "classic" fighter, with over 4000 orders and worldwide service. It started its development in the early 70s as one of the competitors of the Lightweight Fighter competition. After its selection over the Northrop YF-17 (forerunner of the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-18), it went on to be developed into a multi-role aircraft. Deliveries started in 1978, and are still running at a high level.
Production is undertaken at the Fort Worth plant by Lockheed Martin (which bought the line from General Dynamics in the early 90s), in Turkey and South Korea. Also, the first European customers were heavily involved in manufacture and final assembly of their aircraft.
Over the years, the F-16 was improved many times and should normally have designations like F-16G, H, L etc. However, there are just A and Cs (single seaters) and B and Ds (two-seaters), but with many so called "Block" numbers:

YF-16 (2 built. Prototypes for the Lightweight Fighter Competition. First flown 20 January 1974)
F-16A/B, "Block 0" (8 built. Aircraft for the Full Scale Development Programme. Manufactured 1976/77)
F-16A/B, Block 1 (94 built in 1978 - 1981)
F-16A/B, Block 5 (197 built until 1981)
F-16A/B, Block 10 (312 built until 1980)
F-16A/B, Block 15 (983 built 1981 to 1996)
F-16A/B, Block 20 (150 to be built for Taiwan, from July 1996)
F-16C/D, Block 25 (244 built from 1984)
F-16C/D, Block 30/32 (733 built 1987 to 1989)
F-16N (26 built, to a Block-30-standard for the US Navy, in 1987/88)
F-16C/D, Block 40/42 (744 built 1988 to 1995)
F-16C/D, Block 50/52 (400 + built from 1991)

On current orders, the Fighting Falcon will remain in production past the year 2000, and Lockheed Martin of course hopes to win some more competitions to keep the line open until after 2005 to smooth out the transition to the Joint Strike Fighter (if this is won by Lockheed Martin agianst Boeing of course).

Last updated 5 November 1998

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