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| Remaining
true to its character to showcase the latest advancement in
America
’s
fighter technology, in 1992 the team transitioned to Lockheed
Martin’s advanced F-16C, the team’s ninth aircraft. |
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With
the team’s last demonstration in the F-16A, the Thunderbirds
were the last active duty unit to use the A model.
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| The
C model looks similar to its predecessor, but has upgraded
avionics and radar systems, making it superior to the A model. A
true multi-role fighter, the F-16C has an unequaled record in
actual air-to-air combat.
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| Additionally,
it is the only fighter to win both of the Air Force’s premier
competitions - Gunsmoke, air-to-ground and William Tell, air
superiority.
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| The
F-16 has remained the choice of the Thunderbirds for the last 20
years, the longest performance era of any one aircraft. |
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| It
is a stellar performer for the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force
and the 24 other nations whose boundaries it patrols and defends.
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Some
facts about the F-16:
The
F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.
It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air
combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively
low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the
United
States
and allied nations. In an air combat role, the F-16's
maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter
air combat, stay, fight and return) exceed that of all potential
threat fighter aircraft. It can locate targets in all weather
conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground
clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than
500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior
accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to
its starting point. An all-weather capability allows it to
accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing conditions.
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In
designing the F-16, advanced aerospace science and proven
reliable systems from other aircraft such as the F-15 and F-111
were selected. These were combined to simplify the airplane and
reduce its size, purchase price, maintenance costs and weight.
The light weight of the fuselage is achieved without reducing
its strength. With a full load of internal fuel, the F-16 can
withstand up to nine G's -- nine times the force of gravity --
which exceeds the capability of other current fighter aircraft. |
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The
cockpit and its bubble canopy give the pilot unobstructed
forward and upward vision, and greatly improved vision over the
side and to the rear. The seat-back angle was expanded from the
usual 13 degrees to 30 degrees, increasing pilot comfort and
gravity force tolerance. The pilot has excellent flight control
of the F-16 through its "fly-by-wire" system.
Electrical wires relay commands, replacing the usual cables and
linkage controls. For easy and accurate control of the aircraft
during high G-force combat maneuvers, a side stick controller is
used instead of the conventional center-mounted stick. Hand
pressure on the side stick controller sends electrical signals
to actuators of flight control surfaces such as ailerons and
rudder.
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| Avionics
systems include a highly accurate inertial navigation system in
which a computer provides steering information to the pilot. The
plane has UHF and VHF radios plus an instrument landing system.
It also has a warning system and modular countermeasure pods to
be used against airborne or surface electronic threats. The
fuselage has space for additional avionics systems. |
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