The F-16 Fighting Falcon: a success story.

Before talking about the new fighters, let's take a look at the F-16 currently in use with the Belgian Airforce.




In the early 1970's Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium were looking for a new fighter. Moreover these countries decided to acquire the same plane to get a better deal. This was called the
Sale of the Century. The candidates at the time were the Mirage F1-E (Dassault), the Viggen (Saab-Scania), the F-17 Cobra (Northrop) and the F-16 (General Dynamics).

The F-16 was chosen as the winner. The US Airforce at this time was first and foremost interested in the larger twin-engine F-15. The F-16 was originally seen as a smaller and cheaper aircraft for other countries. The F-16 turned out to be an excellent plane and the USAF acquired large quantities as well.

The F-16 proved to be a reliable, multi-role aircraft. It was quite affordable to operate. Partly because of its design and partly because it was used in large numbers by many countries. The F-16 was also economically interesting for Belgium. Belgian companies like SABCA and FN Moteurs were actively involved in the production of the new aircraft and following upgrades and maintenance. This meant that Belgium enjoyed some indirect economic compensations in the way of jobs, access to new technologies etc.

The F-16 has set the benchmark and any successor will have to prove its worth!

Crew	1 or 2
Engines	1
Thrust-to-weight ratio	1.095
Max speed (in mach)	1.6
Ferry Range (with external tanks)	2,620 mi  (4220 km)
Service ceiling:	50000ft  (15250m)
Wing loading	88.3 lb/ft² (431 kg/m²)
Hardpoints	9 +2 pods
Payload	17,000 lb (7,700 kg)

The F-16 usually carries 2 or 4 A2A missiles, 4 air-to-ground weapons, 1 or 2 drop tanks and a targeting pod.

Take a look at this F-16 website