having performed more than 400 000 combat soirees and a total of 19 million flying hours
the f-16 fighting falcon has proven to be one of the world's most successful combat aircraft
in today's world around 3 000 active f-16s are serving with the air forces of 25 different
countries and the united states air force operates more f-16s than any other fighting
aircraft in its fleet the viper upgrade kit for the f-16 which is now available for purchase
is helping to ensure that the fighting falcon remains competitive in the air
even today even though the f-16 has been a constant presence in the world of military
aviation it nearly created an alternative variation that would have been just as
iconic as the general dynamics f-16 xl so on this occasion the military news channel will
discuss general dynamics f-16xl watch this video until the end and give your opinion
the general dynamics f-16 xl version of the f-16 fighting falcon features a delta wing with a
cranked arrow initial plans were for it to be used as a technology demonstrator but it ended up being
integrated into the united states air forces or the usaf's enhanced tactical fighter their etf
the f-16 xl was originally known as the f-16 supersonic cruise and maneuver prototype general
dynamics invested considerably in research into this area albeit this never progressed
beyond theoretical and model-based efforts when combined with an f-16a fuselage general dynamics
discovered that a cranked aero wing form could significantly enhance lift general dynamics even
collaborated with nasa on the project testing more than 150 variants in nasa wind tunnels
over 3 600 hours of flight time the united states air force declared in march 1981
that it was on the market for the replacement fighter for the f-111 aardvark
general dynamics decided to submit the f-16xl into the competition it would be the f-15e strike eagle
that would ultimately be chosen as the winning entry in the competition still two f-16 xl
prototypes were produced and they remained with the most unusual prototype aircraft ever created
the f-16 xl is distinguished by its distinctive cranked arrow delta wings shaped like arrows
they are swept back at a lower angle near the root and a higher angle outboard
allowing for improved supersonic speed while also improving subsonic stability
and handling despite having a significantly bigger surface area than a typical f-16
the f-16 xl suffered far less drag than its basic counterpart
according to general dynamics the f-16 xl made its maiden flight on july 3 1982 and the f-16 xl had
double the range and payload of a conventional f-16 while maintaining the same overall size
it was chosen ahead of it despite this because the f-15e strike eagle has a lower barrier to
entry and can be put into production rapidly and at a cheaper cost than the strike eagle
although the f-16 xl was never put into full production
it did serve as a testbed for nasa's research and development the two f-16xls were given to
nasa in the late 1980s and they were employed in many flying research tests
certain airplanes show great promise but never make it to the starting lineup
the f-16xl program produced the kinds of excellent test results that could have elevated it to the
level of a superior combat aircraft the f-16 xl which made its first flight in 1982 may have
been a superior aircraft to the conventional f-16 that we all know and appreciate today
since its inception in 1978 the fighting falcon has flown with 25 different air forces worldwide
the f-16 xl has a fascinating backstory
in the early 1980s the f-16 xl competed against the f-15e for the right to replace an old fighter
as a result the air force was faced with a tough decision to select but first let's look at a
side-by-side comparison of the f-16 xl and the f-16 f-16 xl looked even better than the f-16
the first thing that jumps out at you is that the two f-16 xl prototypes could deliver double
the fuel capacity range and payload compared to the original f-16 this determination came after
extensive testing the general dynamics corporation worked with nasa for evaluation purposes
and they completed 3 600 hours of testing in wind tunnels just on wind tunnel experiments the
f-16 xl featured a cranked aero delta wing design that provided 25 percent more lift than the f-16
because of its 600 pounds less weight a further benefit of this design was that it achieved
supersonic speed while simultaneously exhibiting improved subsonic stability and maneuverability
because of its wider wings which were twice the size of the f-16 the xl featured a staggering
27 hardpoints for bombs and missiles ammunition that included a full complement of sidewinder
missiles and am-ramps among other things even when carrying a full load the f-16 xl
could also fly faster and climb quicker than the f-16 the f-16 xl versus the f-15e
given these tough features general dynamics placed the f-16xl into a competition to
replace the f-111 aardvark in the united states air force in 1981. general dynamics
had big expectations for the future despite this the f-16 xl would be more expensive to
produce and would take longer to reach the production line because of the new designs
instead the f-15e strike eagle was awarded the contract the f-15e had two engines which
resulted in more thrust better speed and a higher ceiling than a single engine because
it was already based on the f-15d it was both less expensive and had a shorter time to deliver
f-16 xl prototypes faded away
so the f-16 xl jets went into storage at edwards air force base
and then in 1988 they were sent back to nasa for research and development
their supercruise capability was studied until 1999 and later incorporated into the f-22
it's too bad the f-16xl was sent out to pasture it could have been a valuable warplane if kept
alongside the f-15e strike eagle for example the f-16 xl could have been flown just for the us
and the f-16 could have been designated for export the export sales could have potentially
paid for the f-16 xl sometimes human evaluation of airplanes is questionable if not flat out wrong
you