F-16

Introduction

The F-16 is a multi-role fighter. It is highly manoeuvrable and has proven to be a great air-to-air combat fighter it is also proven to be a great air-to-surface attack aircraft. It is relatively low cost but its high performance weapon system and manoeuvring capabilities have led many countries into buying this aircraft. Those countries are: Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Israel, South Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and the U.S.A.

The F-16 weighs less than half the weight of the F-14 Tomcat, less than one fourth of the cost of the F-15 Eagle and has a larger payload and more manoeuvrability. It exceeds all other aircraft in manoeuvrability and combat radius. It may locate aircraft in all weather conditions and may also detect aircraft in low flying ground clusters.

In an air-to-surface attack it can fly to its allocated target, say 860 km away, destroy it, defend itself from enemy aircraft then return to its starting base. The aircraft has a system that allows it to drop its ordnance in poor visibility conditions. Some of the F-16’s systems came from other reliable aircraft such as the F-111 and the F-15. The F-16 can withstand up to nine G’s, which exceeds all other aircraft.

The Cockpit

The cockpit is a bubble like shape that gives the pilot greatly improved view to the rear and either side of the aircraft. The chair is also positioned differently. Instead of being positioned the usual way at 13 degrees, it is positioned 30 degrees on an angle. This increase the pilot’s comfort and the pilot can handle more G’s. The pilot can handle the plane more easily by using a fly-by-wire system instead of the cable linkage control.

Advanced computer and aircraft technology has been fitted to some of the F-16’s. They include Honeywell colour flat panel liquid crystal multifunction displays, Digital Terrrain System, Modular Mission computer, colour video camera to record the pilot’s view of the Head Up Display (HUD,) a triple deck video recorder and last of all an enhanced programmable display generator.

Something else that this aircraft has that no other planes have is the sidestick control column. In most other fighter planes the control column is in the centre of the plane. It is situated to the right of the pilot while the control throttle is on the left of the pilot. Pilots from other aircraft think of the sidestick controller as discomforting. Some pilots that have made the change say that "it’s one of the most natural thing I’ve done." There was no real problem until late in the programme when an Israeli pilot put forward his concerns that his/her right arm could be seriously damaged in Combat.