F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multipurpose fighter aircraft used by the United States Air Force and 25 other countries.http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f16/It was originally developed by General Dynamics as a low-cost, high performance solution to the United States’ aging fleet of aircraft.http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=103In 1993, Lockheed Corporation purchased General Dynamics’ aeronautics business for $1.5 billion and acquired the F-16 program. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121601522_2.html

The original model of this aircraft, the F-16A, first flew in December 1976. Since it officially entered service in January 1979, more than 4,450 F-16s have been produced. http://www.f-16.net/news_article4145.html The last of 2,231 F-16s produced for the United States Air Force were delivered on March 18, 2005.http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-16.htm During the 1991 Gulf War, the F-16 Fighting Falcon flew more missions than any other aircraft. These missions included attacks on airfields, military production facilities, and scud missile sites. http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=103

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is capable of maneuvers that exert up to nine G’s of force on the pilot. In contrast to previous fighters, the angle of the pilot’s seat has been increased from 13 degrees to 30 degrees. Designers of the aircraft believed that the increased angle would reduce strain on the pilot during high-speed maneuvers.http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=103 The aircraft can carry up to 12,000 pounds externally in the form of ordnance or extra fuel tanks. Although there are countless models of F-16s in operation, the original version carried a six-barrel Vulcan 20-mm cannon and two sidewinder missiles.http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f16/