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The F-16C Fighting Falcon is a fighter aircraft featured in many Ace Combat games as one of the earliest available aircraft. Designed first and foremost as a lightweight close-range dogfighter, the F-16 has evolved to become equally lethal in both air combat and attack missions. In most of its appearances, the F-16C carries a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, and features higher maneuverability than most comparable aircraft, making it a highly versatile option for players early in a game's campaign.

History[]

Strangereal[]

The F-16C was in use by a variety of nations as early as 1995. During the Belkan War, it was used by both the Allied Forces and the Belkan Air Force. Notable units that used the aircraft were the mercenary air squadron Crow Team and Belka's elite Silber Team.[1]

The plane was also popular in Usea, seeing use during the Skully Islands insurrection,[2] Usean coup d'état,[3] Continental War,[4] and the Lighthouse War.[5]

During the Circum-Pacific War, both Osea and Yuktobania used the aircraft.[6]

In 2015, F-16Cs were fielded in the Emmeria-Estovakia War by both the Republic of Emmeria Air Force and Estovakian Air Force. Estovakian F-16C ace Mihajlo Mesic, callsign "Edinorog", was shot down by Talisman while escorting bombers which were attacking Vitoze.[7] Emmeria's Windhover Squadron also utilized the aircraft throughout the war, sporting a special livery.[8]

During the Lighthouse War, the IUN, Osean Air Defense Force, and Erusean Air Force, made use of the F-16C. The Mage, Drake and Skeleton squadrons flew the aircraft at some point during the war. Erusean F-16C ace Rosie Lucas, callsign "Bayonet", was shot down by Trigger over the Chopinburg Rainforest while trying to defend the airspace.[9] Spare Squadron member High Roller also flew an F-16C but was shot down over Roca Roja during Operation One Pair.[10]

In 2020, both the Aurelian Air Force and Leasath Air Force made use of the F-16C during the Aurelian War. A Leasath ace, callsign "Ice", was known to have flown the aircraft during the war.[11]

Assault Horizon universe[]

F-16C Fighting Falcons were used by Warwolf Squadron as one of their primary aircraft during the conflict in Africa. They used this aircraft in the level Inferno, where they engaged SRN MiG-21bis Fishbed aircraft over Hamada and an oil facility nearby. However, Warwolf Squadron would eventually leave Africa after the destruction of Carruth and used different aircraft on later missions.

F-16C fighters of the 482nd fighter wing were later deployed to Miami to assist Warwolf Squadron against remnants of the New Russian Federation led by Andrei Markov. Viper Squadron also used F-16C fighters during the attack on Washington, D.C., engaging Su-35 fighters in the midst of chaos. Despite their best efforts, most of them suffered heavy casualties, with one of their pilots being killed in a kamikaze attack by one of the fighters. A few F-16 fighters were even no match for Markov's PAK FA when he destroyed them one by one while engaging Bishop over D.C. Despite this, several F-16 fighters still patrolled the area.

Infinity universe[]

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The aircraft was used by Reaper during Operation Bird Hunt.[12]

Game Analysis[]

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown[]

"A low-weight fighter developed to, among other things, support large lead air superiority planes. A combination of the high-cost, hardly-seen F-15 and the low-cost, widely-used F-16, the F-16C was designed to be a compromise between the two, incorporating the latest technology of the time such as fly-by-wire, making it both stable and agile. Those who attested to the effectiveness of low-weight fighters had high hopes for the F-16C. Its vast improvements gave it increased mobility and greater effectiveness in air-to-surface combat, making it an effective attack—and thus multirole—plane. Its nickname is "Fighting Falcon.""
Hangar

How to Unlock

The F-16C is the player's starting aircraft at the beginning of the game.

Statistics

F-16C AC7 Statistics

Weapons

Part Slots

BODY: 40
ARMS: 40
MISC: 40

Named Pilots

Skins

  1. Osea: Two-tone 'Hill Grey' camouflage
  2. Erusea: Green/brown/tan Aggressor camouflage (Unlocked by earning the "Silver Wings" medal: Sortie in multiplayer mode 50 times.)
  3. Special: Red/white/blue YF-16 CCV livery (Unlock: Shoot down BAYONET)
  4. Mage: Osea scheme with Mage Squadron markings.
  5. Spare: Osea scheme with Spare Squadron markings.
  6. Strider: Osea scheme with Strider Squadron markings.
  7. Clown: Mage scheme with Clown's markings.
  8. Patriot: Red and white stripes with a dark blue front, loosely based on the flag of the United States.
  9. Silber: Silber Team livery.
  10. Crow: Crow Team livery
  11. Windhover: Windhover Squadron livery (acquire the "Cutting-edge Aircraft Series Set" DLC)
  12. General Resource: F-16XF Gyrfalcon livery (acquire the "Cutting-edge Aircraft Series Set" DLC)

Gallery

Ace Combat Infinity[]

"A tractable, lightweight fighter with well-balanced maneuverability and stability. It has an exceptionally light weight and aerodynamic blended wing body, and though a single-engine plane, it is equipped with a powerful engine. Called the "Fighting Falcon", its relatively low cost and high power are the reason it has been adapted by air forces all over the world. To date, more than 4,000 of this best-selling model have been manufactured."
Hangar
Lv. Cst Price GUN MSL 4AAM HCAA QAAM SP MO ST AA AG DF
1 375 9,000 365 78 8 F+ E F+ F+ F F
2 408 1,800 401 82 12 E E F+ E F F+
3 441 3,750 438 86 16 E+ E+ E E F+ E
4 474 6,900 474 92 18 18 D E+ E E+ F+ E
5 507 12,750 511 98 20 20 D+ D E+ E+ F+ E+
6 540 72,000[a] 547 104 24 24 D+ D+ E+ D F+ D
7 573 37,800 584 110 26 26 13 D+ D+ E+ D+ F+ D+
8 606 87,000 620 116 28 28 14 C C E+ D+ E C
9 639 292,500 657 122 30 30 15 C C D D+ E C
10 672 528,000 694 128 32 32 16 C+ C+ D D+ E C+
11 719 783,360 730 132 34 34 17 B B D C E B
12 766 963,900 767 136 36 36 18 B B+ D+ C+ E+ B+
13 813 1,356,600 803 140 38 38 19 B+ A D+ B E+ A
14 860 2,030,400 840 144 40 40 20 B+ A+ C B+ D A
15 907 2,688,000 877 148 44 44 22 A S C+ A D A+
16 966 3,990,600 911 150 46 46 23 A+ S C+ A D S
17 1025 5,070,000 945 152 48 48 24 S S+ B A+ D+ S+
18 1084 5,700,000 979 154 50 50 25 S+ S+ B S D+ S+
19 1143 7,284,000 1013 156 52 52 26 S+ S+ B+ S+ D+ S+
20 1202 9,186,000 1048 158 56 56 28 S+ S+ B+ S+ C S+
Part Slots
At Lv.1, this aircraft carried 10 BODY, 10 ARMS, and 10 MISC part slots. See Tuning § Slot Expansion for further information.
Nicknames
Upgrading this aircraft to these levels unlocked the respective nicknames for use at any time.
  • Lv.3: Falcon
  • Lv.10: Swing Fighter
  • Lv.15: Aircraft Mafia
  • Lv.20: Millennium

Skin Galleries

Description

Standard low visibility grey

Gallery

F-16C "AC" Skin 01 Icon

Description

White, red, and purple livery from Air Combat

Availability

Gallery

F-16C "AC" Skin 02 Icon

Description

Black, blue, and purple variation of "AC" Skin #01

Availability

Gallery

Placeholder

Description

Silber Team livery

Availability

Gallery

F-16C Event Skin 01 Icon

Description

Dark/light brown and dark green desert camouflage; based on the F-16C block 25/32 of the 64th Aggressor Squadron

Availability

  • Special Challenges (December 16, 2015–January 19, 2016)
  • Purchase from the Special Supply catalogue for Special Supply Ticket - Icon 100 (April 15, 2016–permanent)

Gallery

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy[]

"Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Available at the start of the game.

Statistics

F-16C stats

Weapons

Colors

  • Color 1: Light grey body
  • Color 2: 2-tone desert camouflage with green
  • Color 3: Thick black strokes, similar to Silber Team's F-16C
  • Color 4: Color 2 with darker brown spots
  • Color 5: Orange camouflage with dark red stripes.
  • Color 6: Color 2 with blue spots

Named Pilots

Gallery

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon[]

"A tractable, lightweight fighter with well-balanced maneuverability and stability. It has an exceptionally light weight and aerodynamic blended wing body, and though a single-engine plane, it is equipped with a powerful engine. Called the "Fighting Falcon", its relatively low cost and high power are the reason it has been adopted by air forces all over the world. To date, more than 4,000 of this best-selling model have been manufactured."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Available from the start of mission 2: Inferno.

Statistics

Speed: Medium
Mobility: Medium
Stability: Medium
Fire Power: Above Average
Defense: Low

Weapons

Colors

  • Color 1: Air superiority gray
  • Color 2: 3-tone desert camouflage
  • Color 3: Gold body with black nose

Named Pilots

Gallery

Ace Combat: Joint Assault[]

"Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete mission 5A: Capital Defense. Costs $16,200.

Statistics

F16jastats

Weapons

Colors

  • Color 1: Air superiority gray
  • Color 2: Desert brown camouflage with green patches
  • Color 3: Ocean blue camouflage
  • Color 4: Thick black strokes. Very similar to Silber Team's F-16C
  • Color 5: Tri-color scheme loosely based on the YF-16 livery
  • Color 6: Windhover Squadron livery. Gray body with red wing tips

Named Pilots

  • Osaka - Found in Red and Black - Alpha. Spawns to the northeast during the 2nd phase of the mission. If the ace is shot down by an friendly NPC, the kill will not count.

Gallery

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation[]

"The F-16C has a powerful single engine and a blended wing body. Its high cost-performance makes it a standard for lightweight fighters. The smaller size of this aircraft makes it highly maneuverable, which roll and banking capabilities that are slightly superior to other aircraft. Although basic, its armaments are easy to use and adaptable to both air-to-air and air-to-ground tasks. The F-16 is a highly capable aircraft in almost any pilot’s hands."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Available at the start of the game.

Statistics

Weapons

Colors

Named Pilots

Gallery

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception[]

"Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete mission 4A: Last Line of Defense. Costs 12,800 credits.

Statistics

ACEX Statistics F-16C

Weapons

Colors

  • Aurelia: Air superiority gray
  • Leasath: Desert brown camouflage with green patches
  • Special 1: Ocean blue camouflage
  • Special 2: Thick black strokes. Very similar to Silber Team's F-16C

Named Pilots

Gallery

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War[]

"Also known as the "Fighting Falcon." Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete campaign mission 4C: Operation Costner. Costs 31,500 credits.

Statistics

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

Weapons

Named Pilots

Gallery

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War[]

"Also known as the "Fighting Falcon." Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete campaign mission 6: White Bird (Part I). Costs 12,000 per plane.

Statistics

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

Weapons

Gallery

Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies[]

"Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete campaign mission 3: The Northern Eye. Costs 97,000 credits.

Statistics

Speed: B
Air-to-Air: B
Air-to-Ground: C
Mobility: B
Stability: D
Defense: B

Weapons

Named Units

  • Tempel

Gallery

Ace Combat 2[]

How to Unlock

Complete mission 3: City On Fire. Costs $90,000.

Statistics

Power: 70
Defense: 30
Mobility: 40
Stability: 60
Climbing Ability: 50
Air-to-Air: 60
Air-to-Ground: 60
Duration of flight: 18 minutes
Absorbability: Normal

Weapons

Named Pilots

  • Tallman
  • Metal Sphere

Gallery

Air Combat[]

The aircraft is displayed as F-16.

How to Unlock

EASY
Complete mission 5: Destroy Pipe-Lines
Complete mission 6: Destroy Production Site
NORMAL
Complete mission 8: Destroy Enemy Staging Zone
HARD
Complete mission 9: Destroy Military Port Facilities

Price

$2,500,000 - original price
$2,250,000 - after first discount
$2,000,000 - after second discount
$1,500,000 - after third discount

Statistics

  • Defense: 1
  • Power: 5
  • Mobility: 4
  • Offense: 3
  • Stability: 1

Named Pilots

Gallery

Trivia[]

  • Color 1 for the F-16C in Assault Horizon uses the 23rd Fighter Squadron's emblem behind the canopy, due to being based on a 23FS aircraft.
  • The F-16C in most Ace Combat games is the F-16C Block 50 or Block 30, distinguishable from their 'Big Mouth' intake and Wide-Angle Conventional HUD. In games with higher resolution (AC6, AC:AH, ACI, AC7) the F-16C can be positively identified as Block 50 via the presence of landing lights on the front landing gear door, and the lack of reinforcement plates on the dorsal fuselage.
    • The F-16C used as reference for the Osean livery in AC7 is F-16C 90-0802, a Block 50 Fighting Falcon of the USAF that is currently in service as part of the 14th Fighter Squadron in Misawa, Japan.
  • The two-tone green/brown camouflage (Color 2 in AC04, YK color in AC5, Mercenary color scheme in ACZ, Leasath color in ACX, Color 2 in ACJA, Color 2 in ACAHL, and Estovakian color in AC6) is based on the F-16A of the Venezuelan Air Force.
  • The golden color scheme (Estovakian SP in AC6, Color 3 in ACAH) is based on F-16C Block 30 85-1565 from 185 Fighter Wing (185 FW) 174 Fighter Squadron (174 FS) "Bats" Iowa Air National Guard. In Septembr 1996 aircraft has been painted in this color scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US Air Force. The plane got image of a bat on the tail fin and the inscription "The Bats 50th Anniversary" on left side and the "Pride of Siouxland" on right side.

Footnotes[]

  1. Players could use one Nonstandard Upgrade Request Form instead of credits for the Lv.6 upgrade.

References[]

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