F-16C Fighting Falcon

Description
Genesis of the successful F-16 multirole fighter lies in reaction to severe deficiencies in US fighter design revealed by the Vietnam War. Following the success of the small, highly maneuverable F-86 Sabre day fighter in the Korean War, US fighter design changed to emphasize maximum speed, altitude, and radar capability at the expense of maneuverability, pilot vision, and other attributes needed for close combat. This trend reached its extremity in the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, which was the principal fighter for both the US Air Force and Navy during the Vietnam War.

The Air Force establishment wanted no part of a new small fighter, with or without radar. It was regarded as a threat to the F-15, which was USAF's highest priority program. But the Fighter Mafia gained considerable resonance in Congress and within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In 1971 Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard began a Lightweight Fighter (LWF) program to explore the concept.The LWF was to be about 20,000 pounds, or half the weight of the F-15, and was to stress low cost, small size, and very high performance at speed below Mach 1.6 and altitude below 40,000 feet. Two competing designs would be chosen for prototyping.

Of the two surviving designs, now designated the General Dynamics YF-16 and the Northrop YF-17., the YF-17 was a relatively conventional design, to some extent an outgrowth of the F-5, while the YF-16 was an all-new design incorporating highly innovative technologies that in many respects reached beyond those of the more expensive F-15. The competing Northrop YF-17 design was somewhat larger than the YF-16, and used two smaller pure jet engines. At the price of reduced range and persistence, the YF-17 avoided the main problem of the YF-16's turbofan: the inertia of the large fan required too long - in some cases six seconds - to spool up from idle to full power. In other respects, the YF-17 progressed better than expected, given its initial last place position.

Northrop argued that its twin-engine design added an essential safety factor, citing its experience with the small twin-engine F-5 fighter as an example. USAF did not find this persuasive, in part because a two engine plane with one engine out is useless in combat, and the probability of an engine failure was nominally twice as high with two engines as with one. The higher performance, better transient maneuverability, longer range, and lower cost of the YF-16 carried the day, and in 1976 the F-16 was chosen over the YF-17, though the YF-17 went on to become the basis for the F/A-18 Hornet used by the US Navy and Marine Corps.

Variants used by the Ace Combat nations

 * Federal Republic of Aurelia - KF-16C Block 52, F-16C Block 50.
 * Republic of Emmeria - F-16C Block 50/52.
 * Democratic Republic of Leasath - F-16C Block 50/Block 52.
 * Osean Federation - F-16C Block 60, F-16C Block 50/52/52+.
 * Republic of Ustio - F-16C Block 50, F-16C Block 52.
 * Principality of Belka - F-16C Block 52/Block 50.
 * Federal Republic of Estovakia - KF-16C Block 52, F-16C Block 32.
 * Union of Yuktobanian Republics - F-16C Block 52. F-16C Block 60, F-16C Block 50.

Aces



 * Bill (STFS/AC)
 * Tallman (URF/AC2)
 * Metal Sphere (URF/AC2)
 * Tempel (FEAF/AC4)
 * Trinker (BAF/ACZ)
 * UAF 6th AD 4th AFU/Crow Squadron (UAF/ACZ)
 * BAF 51st AD, 126th TFS/Silber Squadron (BAF/ACZ)
 * Ice (LAF/ACX)
 * REAF 15th FS/Windhover Squadron (REAF/AC6)
 * REAF 28th TFS/Garuda Team (REAF/AC6)
 * Milvus Squadron (AAF/ACX)
 * Edinorog (EAF/AC6)
 * Lanner (REAF/AC6)
 * Komyeta Squadron (AWWNB/ACZ, YAF/AC5)
 * Saker (REAF/AC6)
 * Meteor Squadron (BAF/ACZ) (Heard in mission Flicker of Hope)

Standard Weapons

 * Gun: 1x 20mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon F-16C_Fighting_Falcon.png
 * Missiles: AIM-9M Sidewinder

Special Weapons

 * LAGM: AGM-88A HARM (ACZ & ACX)
 * RCL: LAU-69 Rocket Pods (ACX & AC6)
 * UGBL: Mk-84 2000lb Bomb (ACZ)
 * UGBS: Mk-82 500lb Bomb (AC04 & AC6)
 * UGBM: Mk-83 1000lb Bomb (AC5)
 * XAGM: AGM-65G Maverick (AC04)
 * XMAA: AIM-120C AMRAAM (ACX)
 * XMA6: AIM-120C AMRAAM (AC6)
 * XMAA: AIM-120A AMRAAM (ACZ)

Ace Combat

 * Stability: 10
 * Defense: 10
 * Offense: 50
 * Power: 100
 * Mobility: 90

Ace Combat 2

 * Power: 70
 * Defense: 35
 * Mobility: 45
 * Stability: 65
 * Climbing Ability: 55
 * Air-to-Air: 60
 * Air-to-Ground: 60

Ace Combat 5/Zero

 * Speed: 73
 * Mobility: 44
 * Stability: 46
 * Defense: 46
 * Air-to-Air: 30
 * Air-to-Ground: 55

Ace Combat X

 * Speed: 69
 * ATA: 60
 * ATG: 15
 * Mob: 45
 * Stab: 39
 * Def: 42

Comparable Aircraft

 * Mirage 2000C
 * MiG-29A Fulcrum
 * J-10A Vanguard
 * F/A-18C Hornet
 * F/A-18D Hornet
 * F-20A Tigershark
 * HAL Tejas
 * IAI Lavi
 * JF-17 Thunder
 * JAS-39C Gripen
 * EF-2000 Typhoon
 * Mirage 2000-5

Related Development

 * F-16C Block 60
 * F-16XL
 * F-16XF Gyrfalcon
 * F-16XA Sakerfalcon
 * F-2A Viper Zero
 * T-50 Golden Eagle - Korean built training aircraft derived from the F-16.
 * F-CK-1 Ching-kuo
 * KF-16C/D Block 52 Fighting Falcon - F-16C/D built under license by Korean Aerospace Industries. Over 2,500+ parts changed from the original F-16.
 * QF-16 - Older F-16A/B converted into target drones. Entry into service 2016.