The F-16 Fighting Falcon was the winner of an Air Force Contest for a Lightweight Fighter to supplement the F-15 Eagle. It went up against the plane that would eventually become the F/A-18 Hornet.
The first flight was in 1974 and at the time represented a revolutionary design because it was the first "fly by wire" aircraft. It would use electric signals to control the aircraft instead of hydraulics. As a result, it is one of the more nimble aircraft in the world.
It entered active duty in 1978. It is also used by 25 other countries.
It is capable of supersonic flight.
The F-16 has gone through a number of upgrades since it's first flight. It is currently at the "E" level.
Eventually the F-16 Fighting Falcon will be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II which is currently in development.
This is from the high speed pass.
This is caused by pressure on the top of the wings and moisture in the air. It's a pretty cool effect.
The F-16 pulling up quickly.
During a roll.The F-16 has a pretty impressive kill to loss ratio.
No comments:
Post a Comment