@@heathfitzgerald363 Thanks! But blowing shit up, zooming along at Mach +, yanking and banking has to have its perks! Yep it was developed to be a pure crowd pleaser. A true aerial masterpiece of its service. Have a good one.
The Spitfire has won the Battle of England. What air war against a major power the F-16 has won? ... ZIP. For showboating against the Irakis and the Yougoslav is not the same as going deep into the Russian and the Chinese airspace ...
I mean, it's a good aircraft no doubt. But that same adage could be applied to the F-15, perhaps even more appropriately. And I really fail to see any parallels between the F-16 and the Spitfire. Like, at all. A better analogy, if one must be made, is the P-38. A competent multirole fighter that can compete in both air to air and attack roles, though arguably not the best in class at either.
The F-16 had another inadvertent first. During one of the flight tests of the F-16XL, powered by the uprated F110-GE-129 engine, reached supersonic speed without afterburner. Since supercruise was key feature of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (soon to be F-22) , and this occurred during the early years of the ATF program, folks within GE and General Dynamics gave passing thought at offering this aircraft as a possible ATF contender.
The F16XL had 27 hard points, just a ridiculous number. The XL could have been an awesome missile/bomb truck to fly in a group of F35's quarterbacking the operation. The 35's could lock up the entire opposing force and just have the XL's take them all out in short order.
The Navy didn't go with the F-14 in place of the F-16, the F/A-18 was the Navy's choice instead of the F-16 because they need 2 engines and a few other differences for ships.
I think they mention this in the video at 9:30 In 1975 the US Navy decided the YF-17 was better for them than the YF-16, but the F/A-18 didn't arrive until the early 1980s. In the early 1970s the choice was between the F-14 (1974+), F-15 (1976+) and F-16 (1978+).
Excellent production. Great editorial, well researched, and tons of fascinating archival footage. Thanks! (Re-post of my comment on the original which got lost in the shuffle) :)
as far as 4th gen fighters, this one is my favorite. The very first time I saw an F-16 was at an air show at the Mountain Home AFB. I witnessed the Thunderbirds aerobatics team and I was in awe of this aircraft. It just looks badass and fast; even parked on the tarmac.
Great video ! One of the most beautiful fighters ever produced (the other, in my opinion, is the F-22 Raptor) and which even today, thanks to constant updates, efficiently performs the tasks for which it is designed!
Always a great pleasure watching your videos. Lots of information, lots of research and a good sense of humour. The F-16 is my favourite 4th generation fighter. I fell in love with that aircraft when watching the movie "Iron Eagle" in 1986. IMHO that movie was superior to "Top Gun".
Flying the F-16 into combat alone is quiet smooth sailing, in and out, without a word on the radio. Package F-15s and it’s four sheets to the wind outright chaos start to finish, missiles, AAA, comm jamming, bogeys, defending up down sideways, VIDs, you can’t help but stores jettison on ingress so game over.
When I went through URT, I had a few instructors that flew the A model. It was riddled with issues, and they lovingly called the A model “The Lawn Dart.”
@@briancavanagh7048 There is a movie called 'Afterburn' from the 90's that I remember watching. I could well have this wrong but I believe it had something to do with the wiring of the plane in the early batches causing or leading to crashes.
@ hyenafur There were problems with avionics and flight characteristics early on that were still being contended with in the early 70's I think. (U.S. NAVY veteran '73>'77) 🇺🇸
@@briancavanagh7048 From what I remember, there were issues with the Fly-By-Wire systems in addition to multiple engine failures at various phases of flight.
“And as useless as the (Soon to be cancelled) POS $2.23 Trillion JSF-35 🍋 jet (that can’t FLY, FIGHT and WIN, especially in the RAIN! 🌧) and currently needs $500m in new programming - and a new engine ($800m worth)!!!”
As a former aviation/aerospace news editor for a weekly newspaper in Las Vegas, I was able to get closer to F-16D's than most civilians. The "Fighting Falcon" is truly an amazing workhorse of USAF hybrid technology.
My favorite jet but I'm highly biased. I'm no fan of conformal tanks, though. More gas, yes, but you can't get to anything on the upper strakes without removing them. 11:47 The F-16 has leading edge flaps, not slats. The two are very different. 12:22 Those are ventral fins for stability. 14:05 The early Blk 30 jets still had small mouth intakes with 110s.
I started working at General Dynamics 1/22/80 in the F-16 major mate 1112 area. Also later on I went to F-22 and finally F-35 , I retired 11/01/16 , I loved every minute out there in Ft. Worth !!!
p-51 is overrated. P-47 all the way. Its a tank and it will get you home. It was WWII equivalent to the A-10. And if you don't like the A-10, well, your wrong.
Uncle Joe S but who would have the time invest money to modernize a mig-21?when there are already upgrading the f-16 and the f35 is being exported all over the world. I don’t see even a modernized mig 21 taking a chance against the f35.
Can honestly say the F-16 is the only Jet Fighter i have ever seen in my life. A couple Venezulean F-16s visited my country 20 years ago... will never forget them
@@KjetilBalstad Tobago. It a little more laid back than trinidad. Great beaches and so many sights i cant even ti begin to list them. But Fort King George has a great view and Buccoo reef is stunning i heard
@@Tigershark_3082 alas, it takes a world war to justify the simultaneous manufacture of aircraft with similar capabilities (a la Corsair and Hellcat, P-40 and early P-51s, etc)
@8:38- I can't recall where I read it but according to whatever book it appeared in there is a top secret subunit in the Pentagon tasked with naming different weapons system development programs- the Acronym Selection Section or ASS.
I think you paid a fitting tribute to the F-16 my man, well done! My favourite version is the F-16 Viper variant, it's the ultimate F-16 in my opinion.
Read the book “Boyd” by Robert Coram for a deep look at how the US fourth-generation fighters were made, and how the true vision of the “fighter mafia” was never truly realized. The F-16 was the closest though, with the original YF-16 being almost perfectly built for EM fighter theory.
All you have to know about the fighter mafia is that Pierre Sprey was a fucking hack. Anything that man is associated with is garbage. The only reason the F-16 is successful is because it did NOT follow the tenets of the fighter mafia.
@@BlunderMunchkin Not really the case. The Fighter Mafia were John Boyd and Harry Hillaker, and apart from the F-16 being modified into something more practical than a simple day fighter they did a good job with the requirements as well as designing it. And even though Sprey is a selfish moron he was at least responsible for convincing politicians to proceed with the LWF competition, but other than that he did nothing noteworthy and was considered a 3rd wheel by the Fighter Mafia.
...My Uncle was on the design team for the F-16 (& the F-111 before that). I still remember when he took me on tour of the General Dynamics plant in Forth Worth.
They really hit a home run on 4th gen. Still keeping the peace all these years later. Balls of steel on those test pilots. I'm glad they were mentioned.
In Norway and the Netherlands they were equipped with braking chutes for landing in icy conditions on short runways. A local modification on the F-35 as well.
The F-16 is a beautiful aircraft but for me the F-14 Tomcat is the most beautiful aircraft ever made ,it just has the looks of a world class sports car & i love it ,the new F-35 looks like a Lincoln log with wings its so fugly.
I remember seeing the Thunderbirds at the Plattsburgh air force base as a youngster. Today still it's one of the most impressive displays I've seen. I know they claim war has changed and we don't need large numbers of much of anything really, but the formula for this plane was right. Shove a huge engine into a small, maneuverable versatile package and crank out tons of them that don't cost a lot. I think I remember that working for some countries in the past. Then make the high end cutting edge stuff for the special hardcore business and to keep the whole ball rolling. Didn't Hitler and many others try the whole super machine and the one wonder weapon that would overcome unreasonable odds? And we've tried the whole theory of one super plane, vehicle, or whatever that can do it all and make all others obsolete saving us a ton of money plenty of times. For me it was the F-111. Great plane, but it didn't work out as one plane for everybody. You can go back as far as you want and each generation of generals or leaders, etc. have always insisted war has changed. My generation has heard the whole "they'll never be another bayonet war" They'll never be foot soldiers on the ground again" " they'll just blow up the whole world with a push of a button" My father was claiming this after Korea and here we are in 2020. This isn't about the F-35 by the way, I think it's great and will have terrific applications (being able to get large numbers of them on and off the ground quickly in shitty places) but it doesn't make anything newer or older any more or less obsolete nor save us tons of money by retiring all these old expensive planes as it was marketed. The A-10 has been obsolete for an extremely long time yet the American public likes it, it's cool, has it's purpose, and it makes money for certain congressmen and their districts. The Tomcat had updates ready to keep it a top notch fleet protector for a long time, but it simply came down to the wrong people not being able to make enough money off it. I love military hardware and don't mind a bit seeing my tax dollars spent on stuff as long as it's good and worthwhile. I strongly doubt we could keep more than 50-60 heavy bombers in the air for a week of total war. Playing the role of sensitive babysitter has weakened us
I agree/concur with like 11/12 (valid) points in which u made. Agreed with f16 statement(s).√ + nearing the end; sHitler did indeed vow his intended Vengeance (NOT; 'V' = VICTORY. BUT, Vengeance weapons) V1& V2 rockets! I forget the German for "wonder weapons"√💯 But, How is the A10 an antiquated platform? By definition, would it not require a replacement with (bare minimum) qualities, performance abilities equal to that of the Thunderbolt II... & C'mon CAS, unequalled! 30mm cannon's from treetop level = is beautiful! Ability to fire ANYTHING NATO HAS AMRAMS/JDAMS from it's rails. Not to mention The Flying Cross' amazing survivability! + All in an old; but, relatively (dirt) cheap 20 million dollars bird.. what, no serious person (outside of D.C. ) believes placing 1/3 billion dollar f35 (a, b, or, c) in such a Dangerous position of delivering CAS? That's 'close air support.' But, u knew that. Ok.. Yes, the A10 would struggle in the environment of sofisticated AAA systems. But, I MAINTAIN; f35 (with it's soft skin, & irreplaceable *top secret TECH) would struggle, & vulnerable in an unsophisticated AAA batteries/EVEN SMALL(er) ARMS firing up & out old school Hot Lead!✨💥✨ I believe, #we've🇺🇸 got a place for them both.!✨✌️✨
The babysitter role served us well during the cold war. Seems we got a bit lost since then. It takes teamwork for world peace, and we are an important part of that. Dark times are possible if not. We have the most armed population in the world. We probably don't need a quarter of what we have for defense of the nation at home. They'd be retarded to invade.
@@jc.1191 just the same I'd rather have 20 times as much as we need for defense. and 100 times what we need to keep the world in check. I love the new British/Aussie/USA shared military information and development bill. I've always said as long as we have the British on our side we can't be stopped, and Australia is no slouch. They are eager and willing to spend the money after the open hostility and attacks by the Chinese government over the past decade or 2. They will make an excellent hardcore ally when push comes to shove in the near future. I feel safe with us 3 on a team. Now is the population of each of our 3 countries would just toughen up a bit we'd be all set to achieve peace for at least 100 years
@@jtoddjb I agree with you on aukus. I think Japan is very tight in the area too. They pledged assistance under any attack of US in the region. I think the Australians are actually the most aware of the seriousness of China's threats. Would be nice to see democracies worldwide buildup for war as a deterrent.
@@jc.1191 Seriously and tactically, Japan would not forget how helpless it did find itself when the mammoth US Pacific Fleet was converging toward its shores and it could not oppose it even an Amerindian Kayak. Take a look at Japan, it is surrounded by two super powers that can blow the shit out of its cities with a few volley of ballistic heavy missiles. And one can be pretty certain that the Japanese population still has in mind the balls of fire that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagazaki. Why then would they follow the US in its desperate quest to contain two monsters that have already cut loose and are ready to devour anyone foolish enough to threaten them. China, Russia and Japan want only to do business with each other and insure their people prosperity and wellbeing, while the United States and Europe are only thriving to keep and protect the hegemony they've been enjoying over the world for centuries. One can bet that when it will really come to shoot at each other, some would be allies will simply find a way to sit the US so desired war out; they will simply and suddenly offer themselves as mediators, the same way some are trying hard to play that role. India, Turkey, Japan, Korea, even Europe know that a war between the US and Russia or China would swiftly turn into a nuclear exchange, and that they would certainly be the recipiendary of not only the multiple warhead ICBMs, but also the huge radioactive fall out clouds. Trust me on this ... GOOD SENS will always prevail, and the Collective West is gambling with the risk of finding itself isolated like a beaten puppy dog into a corner.
In 1977 I was a boy and put together a Revell model of the F-16. It was a sloppy job, but I loved the red, white and blue colors (seen @6:07 on this vid) and hung it from the ceiling in my room for a long time. Where has the time gone? I'm in my 50s now.
@@geraldbostock9858 Does Revell still exist? I also put together the B-24 Liberator. That was an even sloppier job, in hindsight. Attention to detail wasn't my forte at age 12. But I liked the planes and didn't have much else to do other than go out and play ball or read books.
The F-16 came into service in 1979 at Hill AFB Utah with the 388th TFW. We were up and running by 1980 If I remember the 421st AMU was the first ones to get them along with the multi nation squadron at Hill
WOW! What a great channel! Absolutely hilarious but informative. Also, I'm so glad I found it. It's keeping me company whilst i'm working all day today on the holiday.
The F-16 WAS the replacement for the F5 Freedom fighter. It was in competition with the F20 Tigershark which lost out. It was supposed to be a "giveaway" plane to nations friendly to the US but unable to afford their own air forces, but the performance value of the F-16 made it a mainstay aircraft in the US arsenal. The MIG-25 turned out to be a joke, a Russian Colonel flew one to an American Airbase in Japan and the US took it apart and found out that it couldn't do half of what Russia claimed it could do, it literally would fly itself apart if you pushed it past mach 1.8. It took Russia 40 years to finally get their act together and build a descent fighter aircraft and renamed the remodeled Mig-25 to the MIG-35, the plane that could finally do what they said the MIG-25 was supposed to be able to do, and with the MIG-35 you have to overhaul the engines if you push it to Mach 3.
Still my favorite fighter. Love this airplane, have for years. Of course, I still love my Marlin 30/30 lever action rifle. I don’t hunt anymore but, still fun at the range.
Why am I watching this damn it, I am 23 years old and I got grey hair already I don't need to fill my head with even more history that will probably never serve me any good in life
Talking about thunderbirds, maybe you could do an in depth video covering the remarkable Thunderbird 2, surely the greatest flying machine ever devised.
I hesitate to watch videos like this, mainly because of incorrect information. However, this one is really good. Good history of the development and illustrating the differences between the variants. I was hoping for a minute or two on the heavily modified Israeli version. Oh well, future content! Great job!
Well done, I've read a bit about the politics/development/industry history behind the F-16 myself and everything I cognitively heard you say in this video (meaning, I may/may not have missed something) checks out! :)
That's because those are the Thunderbirds the entire thing is a show from the flying and everything else. Regular Air Force definitely doesn't do that but you'd sometimes see some stylish aircraft marshalling it would be free style and not that Thunderbirds stuff.
"The Fighting Falcon." That's a great name, the "Strike Eagle" is another one!!! Why is it that in the history of fighter jets, no one has ever designed a jet that they then name "The Hobbled Grandma"?? What about "Terminally Sick Orphan"?
Great plane but they ruined my ears, pilots love that kick of the afterburners but sadly they were oblivious or just didn’t care about those working on the ground down at the end of the runway. And yes afterburners are not needed cause on air show day they don’t use them. I was stationed at Hill AFB. The largest f-16 squadron.
scrimmo USAF yeah they issued earplugs in fact got the same 3m double sided pieces of shit back in 1992, and even with the expanded foam ones don’t block ultra low frequency. But even still the use of afterburners one a 2 mile runway is just not needed.
The F-16 takes it's rightful place as a legend in the US combat aircraft space. Along with the P-51, P-38, F-4U, F-104, F-4, F-14 and F-15. It is highly maneuverable, fast, effective and fairly cheap. A real bargain.
F-16-N carries no external stores and therefore is far more agile than the F-18. This is why it is the "adversary" aircraft flown by the instructors at the Top Gun School.
I’m not sure where you got your info from, but the ACMI pod is carried externally along with other gear. The N variant may have no guns or missiles, but it most certainly has external stores. And even if what you said was factual, what’s the point of being “far more agile” when you can’t shoot at anything. It doesn’t even make sense to give it an F for fighter designation.
@@rtrThanos It was solely for training to push Top Gun pilots to think outside the box. A "what if the enemy actually had superior aircraft" situation.
I'm only 4 mins in and already this video has earned you a sub. Love it! I'm a huge F-16 fan. I like your geeky humour, for example when you said "also surpassed, even though by accident" I knew straight away you were talking about that historic 'first flight' that shouldn't have happened.
The main 2 things about the F-16 are that it's cheap, MUCH cheaper than it's larger cousin, the F-15 and it's very adaptable for both fighter roles and ground attack missions and has been designed to be able to accept upgrades which has been going on ever since it first entered service. It's a win win for both the USAF and the American taxpayer which is perfect. She's small, pretty fast, deliberately designed to be unstable to make her nimble and agile and in my opinion... pretty sexy. The true test of her quality is that she's still going strong now and is in service all over the World.🇺🇸🇺🇸✌✌
Really ??, ....no sarcasm intended,just was curious about that , In ever heard that one before,I live a mile from Nellis , no big deal 10,000 others do too , But were the losses there during exercises that extreme in accidents with the F16?
What killed pilots in the earlier years was the fly by wire system. If the engine die the aircraft has no electrical power to the flight control. The second problem was the build quality. The wiring on the aircraft have chafing issue to the air-frame and hardware which caused shorts in the system.
@@RAPTORGAMINGz but he is in pakistan, milk also come from Pakistan and pkistan sell there own women to chinese. apnews.com/c586d0f73fe249718ec06f6867b0244e gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/hundreds-of-pakistani-girls-sold-as-brides-to-china-1.68255992 www.dw.com/en/bride-trafficking-how-chinese-gangs-lure-pakistani-girls-into-fake-marriages/a-48698883
I'm proud to have been able to fly the F-16 for 8 years. This jet will always hold a special place in my heart.
I was proud hanging shit on your wings, turning wrenches on the chassis, go go juice and all. One of my first Tier 1 aircraft.
Which other aircraft did you fly besides the F16?
@@1563ckg43 thank you for your service. Your job was just as important as ours. You guys and gals do an amazing job.
@@684W13 before the military i flew a cessna 182s and before the in flight school a T-38C
@@heathfitzgerald363 Thanks! But blowing shit up, zooming along at Mach +, yanking and banking has to have its perks! Yep it was developed to be a pure crowd pleaser. A true aerial masterpiece of its service. Have a good one.
The F-16 was the Spitfire of its generation.
"If it looks right, it flies right."
I never thought of that, accurate comparison
The Spitfire has won the Battle of England. What air war against a major power the F-16 has won? ... ZIP. For showboating against the Irakis and the Yougoslav is not the same as going deep into the Russian and the Chinese airspace ...
I mean, it's a good aircraft no doubt. But that same adage could be applied to the F-15, perhaps even more appropriately. And I really fail to see any parallels between the F-16 and the Spitfire. Like, at all. A better analogy, if one must be made, is the P-38. A competent multirole fighter that can compete in both air to air and attack roles, though arguably not the best in class at either.
Like Andrei Tupolev once said: only beautiful airplanes fly properly.
Hey nice looking, jet plane!! ✈️
The F-16 had another inadvertent first. During one of the flight tests of the F-16XL, powered by the uprated F110-GE-129 engine, reached supersonic speed without afterburner. Since supercruise was key feature of the Advanced Tactical Fighter (soon to be F-22) , and this occurred during the early years of the ATF program, folks within GE and General Dynamics gave passing thought at offering this aircraft as a possible ATF contender.
Hell yeah at the pentagon!!
It would have been more successful than the F-22 for sure.
The F16XL had 27 hard points, just a ridiculous number. The XL could have been an awesome missile/bomb truck to fly in a group of F35's quarterbacking the operation. The 35's could lock up the entire opposing force and just have the XL's take them all out in short order.
@@BlyGuy We have the F-15EX for that now.
@@twilightsuzuka6252 yea I know. I love the Eagle and it can carry a ton of ordinance, but not quite like the XL.
The F-16 comes with so many features now. It's amazing.
But, why still no cup holders????
What if you go inverted and hot cup of coffee falls on your pp?
@@FarazMazhar pp protector.
Faraz Mazhar
Just pull like 10G’s, you’ll be fine
Yeah, Need someplace to put the Sukhoi repellent.
Craig Dillon just use your g suit and hope you get lucky
Sorry for the reupload. A little remaster needed. Hope, that is final
Looks fine to me.
do not worry it is a very important aircraft and watching it is good, if you like aviation is really nice to have two parts even if it is remastered
@@Giorgiamelonitiamo Well, it's not actually two parts, this is just the third version of the original.
I bet you cut out the film of the first flight.
Thank you for fixing it!
The Navy didn't go with the F-14 in place of the F-16, the F/A-18 was the Navy's choice instead of the F-16 because they need 2 engines and a few other differences for ships.
Nice to see you here, love your channel!
The two main reasons the Navy selected the F-18 was it has two engines and robust landing gear that can take harsh carrier landings.
ruclips.net/video/XIZ1CZoCuYo/видео.html
I think they mention this in the video at 9:30
In 1975 the US Navy decided the YF-17 was better for them than the YF-16, but the F/A-18 didn't arrive until the early 1980s.
In the early 1970s the choice was between the F-14 (1974+), F-15 (1976+) and F-16 (1978+).
Funny thing is that the f-16 did serve in the navy in testing in small numbers (f-16N)
From a former F-16 Crew Chief I say WELL DONE! You really did your research. Keep up the good work!!👍
Excellent production. Great editorial, well researched, and tons of fascinating archival footage. Thanks!
(Re-post of my comment on the original which got lost in the shuffle) :)
It was well researched and footage collected by someone else. It's basically a condensed version of another video posted a year ago..
@@YukonDemon Yet it's still better.
The mascot of my son's middle school is the F-16.
Really?
Still a beautiful plane just for visual purposes
The middle and high school was the fighting Falcons. Very original.
So your schools mascot is a viper? Tough school
Hope she an lovely anthro mascot!
It's nearly a 50yr old design, and yet it still looks like it was designed yesterday.
One of the most beautiful planes ever..
Amen to that...always said the same.
I’ve always kinda thought it looked weird with the chin intake.
Except for th JAS-39 Gripen, that is. ;)
Hi Kamran102
@@henrikg1388 Jag gillar Gripen, men tycker F-16 är snyggare :-) Gripen ser väldigt "snäll" ut tycker jag. Bedrägligt snäll kanske ;-)
Yeah, F-16 is beauty)
hi T...
'
yeaaa that right F-16 is a soo beautifully falcon airplane
Lol funny
ruclips.net/video/XIZ1CZoCuYo/видео.html
as far as 4th gen fighters, this one is my favorite. The very first time I saw an F-16 was at an air show at the Mountain Home AFB. I witnessed the Thunderbirds aerobatics team and I was in awe of this aircraft. It just looks badass and fast; even parked on the tarmac.
Thank you Sky for a wonderful film. Appreciate your recognition of Col. Boyd's role in the creation of the F-16 LWF.
Great video ! One of the most beautiful fighters ever produced (the other, in my opinion, is the F-22 Raptor) and which even today, thanks to constant updates, efficiently performs the tasks for which it is designed!
Mig 21 looks good too
Always a great pleasure watching your videos. Lots of information, lots of research and a good sense of humour. The F-16 is my favourite 4th generation fighter. I fell in love with that aircraft when watching the movie "Iron Eagle" in 1986. IMHO that movie was superior to "Top Gun".
🤫💯😍 well, idk about being "better." But, I too -- fell in love wit the f16 from the movie "iron eagle!" 🤩✌️
Iron Eagle was great.
I always liked Hot Shots the most 😂
Best multi-role fighter ever. My favourite.
Flying the F-16 into combat alone is quiet smooth sailing, in and out, without a word on the radio. Package F-15s and it’s four sheets to the wind outright chaos start to finish, missiles, AAA, comm jamming, bogeys, defending up down sideways, VIDs, you can’t help but stores jettison on ingress so game over.
When I went through URT, I had a few instructors that flew the A model. It was riddled with issues, and they lovingly called the A model “The Lawn Dart.”
please elaborate.
@@briancavanagh7048 There is a movie called 'Afterburn' from the 90's that I remember watching. I could well have this wrong but I believe it had something to do with the wiring of the plane in the early batches causing or leading to crashes.
@ hyenafur
There were problems with avionics and flight characteristics early on that were still being contended with in the early 70's I think. (U.S. NAVY veteran '73>'77) 🇺🇸
@@briancavanagh7048 From what I remember, there were issues with the Fly-By-Wire systems in addition to multiple engine failures at various phases of flight.
hyenafur
It’s a good thing they ironed out those problems.
The F-16 is amazing. Light, fast, and maneuverable.
“And as useless as the (Soon to be cancelled) POS $2.23 Trillion JSF-35 🍋 jet (that can’t FLY, FIGHT and WIN, especially in the RAIN! 🌧) and currently needs $500m in new programming - and a new engine ($800m worth)!!!”
“(Yawn)” 😂
Such a gorgeous looking aircraft. Proves aptly the adage "old is gold"
This page is severly underrated
I loved watching these things take off at Bagram Air Field.
As a former aviation/aerospace news editor for a weekly newspaper in Las Vegas, I was able to get closer to F-16D's than most civilians. The "Fighting Falcon" is truly an amazing workhorse of USAF hybrid technology.
My favorite jet but I'm highly biased. I'm no fan of conformal tanks, though. More gas, yes, but you can't get to anything on the upper strakes without removing them.
11:47 The F-16 has leading edge flaps, not slats. The two are very different.
12:22 Those are ventral fins for stability.
14:05 The early Blk 30 jets still had small mouth intakes with 110s.
Damn, you know your hardware.
Double seater is uglier than conformal fuel tanks
and ofc hideous with both
F-16 the modern Bf 109
Edit: by "the modern Bf 109" i was referring to number produced.
Except its american but for our time yup
Pretty apt description. I like it
Who's the modern Yakovlev/Lavochkin then?
Actually...its the Modern P35 mustang...Bf 109 don't have bubble canopy...besides...its not U.S.Made....
P-51?
Just shows how sound the original design was. I love that bird - if it was a car, it was a '79 Porsche Turbo.
I started working at General Dynamics 1/22/80 in the F-16 major mate 1112 area. Also later on I went to F-22 and finally F-35 , I retired 11/01/16 , I loved every minute out there in Ft. Worth !!!
Phenominally concise and thorough tutorial on this fantastic airframe! I actually learned a few things previously unknown. Great work!
My two favorite fighters:
P-51
F-16
p-51 is overrated. P-47 all the way. Its a tank and it will get you home. It was WWII equivalent to the A-10. And if you don't like the A-10, well, your wrong.
@@hudsonr.218 p51 took out jets
Sky, you have done a Gem with this video with particularly good voice over.
Love the aesthetics of F-16, Mig 19, and F-22. Su-35. Looks like a wasp. Gotta love these machines. Technical Marvel's indeed.
hi M J...
'
forget it about ussr russia cheap low classic su-35
this guy does the best videos and research on warplanes on the internet. if he'd do the same for various warships, that would be a plus plus.
The next military story will be about the F/A-18
I wish. My favourite fighter jet
The F-18 is slow, expensive and not as awesome!
Jay Fish and Shoot 1190 is slow?
Uncle Joe S I I don’t need google when you have a cousin in the Air Force
Uncle Joe S but who would have the time invest money to modernize a mig-21?when there are already upgrading the f-16 and the f35 is being exported all over the world. I don’t see even a modernized mig 21 taking a chance against the f35.
Can honestly say the F-16 is the only Jet Fighter i have ever seen in my life.
A couple Venezulean F-16s visited my country 20 years ago... will never forget them
I once considered visiting Trinidad for no particular reason. Where should I go if I do, on vacation that is?
@@KjetilBalstad Tobago. It a little more laid back than trinidad. Great beaches and so many sights i cant even ti begin to list them.
But Fort King George has a great view and Buccoo reef is stunning i heard
@@RandomTrinidadian Thnx. Interesting, I'm a little bored with the common (around here) destinations. Looking for something new. I'll have a look. :)
The F-20 Tigershark would've been an excellent companion to the F-16, either as an aggressor or as an export fighter
I dream of the day I find a video about the F-16 where somebody doesn't whine about the F-20 in the comments.
@@ablethreefourbravo What can I say? The F-20 is my favorite plane
@@Tigershark_3082 Fair enough. At least you admit your bias :-)
@@ablethreefourbravo Don't get me wrong, I also love the F-16, which is why I said they could work well together. F-20s escorting F-16XLs
@@Tigershark_3082 alas, it takes a world war to justify the simultaneous manufacture of aircraft with similar capabilities (a la Corsair and Hellcat, P-40 and early P-51s, etc)
excellent attention to detail... and good presentation...
Sky, I love your channel! You're on my post notifications now! Informative AND funny.!................
@8:38- I can't recall where I read it but according to whatever book it appeared in there is a top secret subunit in the Pentagon tasked with naming different weapons system development programs- the Acronym Selection Section or ASS.
You do a great job in covering all the interesting deta8ls!
I think you paid a fitting tribute to the F-16 my man, well done! My favourite version is the F-16 Viper variant, it's the ultimate F-16 in my opinion.
Especially in Greek HELLENIC markings and colour. ❤F-16 🇬🇷 VIPERS
Doug Masters and Chappy Sinclair approves
"Looks like they'll be importing oil this year."
Unlike other videos, yours is of true documentary quality. Thanks
Except for the fact it calls the f-16 a falcon which it isn't. It's called the viper
Read the book “Boyd” by Robert Coram for a deep look at how the US fourth-generation fighters were made, and how the true vision of the “fighter mafia” was never truly realized. The F-16 was the closest though, with the original YF-16 being almost perfectly built for EM fighter theory.
.
All you have to know about the fighter mafia is that Pierre Sprey was a fucking hack. Anything that man is associated with is garbage. The only reason the F-16 is successful is because it did NOT follow the tenets of the fighter mafia.
@@BlunderMunchkin Not really the case. The Fighter Mafia were John Boyd and Harry Hillaker, and apart from the F-16 being modified into something more practical than a simple day fighter they did a good job with the requirements as well as designing it.
And even though Sprey is a selfish moron he was at least responsible for convincing politicians to proceed with the LWF competition, but other than that he did nothing noteworthy and was considered a 3rd wheel by the Fighter Mafia.
Read the book
Not to be prescribed to new cadets😁
@@dumdumbinks274 isn't A10 warthog his brainchild sort of
...My Uncle was on the design team for the F-16 (& the F-111 before that). I still remember when he took me on tour of the General Dynamics plant in Forth Worth.
Still one of the few aircraft ever made that can accelerate in a vertical climb
I might be a bit biased but Greek f16 c block 52+ with the Aegean ghost camo look amazing , great work pal !
They really hit a home run on 4th gen. Still keeping the peace all these years later. Balls of steel on those test pilots. I'm glad they were mentioned.
I've been involved with this airframe for 41 years. Good video, time for an update.
Fantastic and well presented video. Just finished reading "Viper Pilot" a few days ago, so this was an easy click and watch. Thank you!
Another epic documentary Sky! Truly comprehensive and fascinating. Thank you 😊
My favorite single engine fighter jet...
In Norway and the Netherlands they were equipped with braking chutes for landing in icy conditions on short runways. A local modification on the F-35 as well.
The blended wing was done on the SAAB Draken in the 50s which was looked at before designing the F-16
Luv the Drakken it's a lifting body with winglets lol
*gOtTa Do A cObRa*
The F-16 is a beautiful aircraft but for me the F-14 Tomcat is the most beautiful aircraft ever made ,it just has the looks of a world class sports car & i love it ,the new F-35 looks like a Lincoln log with wings its so fugly.
I remember seeing the Thunderbirds at the Plattsburgh air force base as a youngster. Today still it's one of the most impressive displays I've seen. I know they claim war has changed and we don't need large numbers of much of anything really, but the formula for this plane was right. Shove a huge engine into a small, maneuverable versatile package and crank out tons of them that don't cost a lot. I think I remember that working for some countries in the past. Then make the high end cutting edge stuff for the special hardcore business and to keep the whole ball rolling. Didn't Hitler and many others try the whole super machine and the one wonder weapon that would overcome unreasonable odds? And we've tried the whole theory of one super plane, vehicle, or whatever that can do it all and make all others obsolete saving us a ton of money plenty of times. For me it was the F-111. Great plane, but it didn't work out as one plane for everybody. You can go back as far as you want and each generation of generals or leaders, etc. have always insisted war has changed. My generation has heard the whole "they'll never be another bayonet war" They'll never be foot soldiers on the ground again" " they'll just blow up the whole world with a push of a button" My father was claiming this after Korea and here we are in 2020. This isn't about the F-35 by the way, I think it's great and will have terrific applications (being able to get large numbers of them on and off the ground quickly in shitty places) but it doesn't make anything newer or older any more or less obsolete nor save us tons of money by retiring all these old expensive planes as it was marketed. The A-10 has been obsolete for an extremely long time yet the American public likes it, it's cool, has it's purpose, and it makes money for certain congressmen and their districts. The Tomcat had updates ready to keep it a top notch fleet protector for a long time, but it simply came down to the wrong people not being able to make enough money off it. I love military hardware and don't mind a bit seeing my tax dollars spent on stuff as long as it's good and worthwhile. I strongly doubt we could keep more than 50-60 heavy bombers in the air for a week of total war. Playing the role of sensitive babysitter has weakened us
I agree/concur with like 11/12 (valid) points in which u made. Agreed with f16 statement(s).√ + nearing the end; sHitler did indeed vow his intended Vengeance (NOT; 'V' = VICTORY. BUT, Vengeance weapons) V1& V2 rockets! I forget the German for "wonder weapons"√💯 But, How is the A10 an antiquated platform? By definition, would it not require a replacement with (bare minimum) qualities, performance abilities equal to that of the Thunderbolt II... & C'mon CAS, unequalled! 30mm cannon's from treetop level = is beautiful! Ability to fire ANYTHING NATO HAS AMRAMS/JDAMS from it's rails. Not to mention The Flying Cross' amazing survivability! + All in an old; but, relatively (dirt) cheap 20 million dollars bird.. what, no serious person (outside of D.C. ) believes placing 1/3 billion dollar f35 (a, b, or, c) in such a Dangerous position of delivering CAS? That's 'close air support.' But, u knew that. Ok.. Yes, the A10 would struggle in the environment of sofisticated AAA systems. But, I MAINTAIN; f35 (with it's soft skin, & irreplaceable *top secret TECH) would struggle, & vulnerable in an unsophisticated AAA batteries/EVEN SMALL(er) ARMS firing up & out old school Hot Lead!✨💥✨ I believe, #we've🇺🇸 got a place for them both.!✨✌️✨
The babysitter role served us well during the cold war. Seems we got a bit lost since then. It takes teamwork for world peace, and we are an important part of that. Dark times are possible if not. We have the most armed population in the world. We probably don't need a quarter of what we have for defense of the nation at home. They'd be retarded to invade.
@@jc.1191 just the same I'd rather have 20 times as much as we need for defense. and 100 times what we need to keep the world in check. I love the new British/Aussie/USA shared military information and development bill. I've always said as long as we have the British on our side we can't be stopped, and Australia is no slouch. They are eager and willing to spend the money after the open hostility and attacks by the Chinese government over the past decade or 2. They will make an excellent hardcore ally when push comes to shove in the near future. I feel safe with us 3 on a team. Now is the population of each of our 3 countries would just toughen up a bit we'd be all set to achieve peace for at least 100 years
@@jtoddjb I agree with you on aukus. I think Japan is very tight in the area too. They pledged assistance under any attack of US in the region. I think the Australians are actually the most aware of the seriousness of China's threats. Would be nice to see democracies worldwide buildup for war as a deterrent.
@@jc.1191 Seriously and tactically, Japan would not forget how helpless it did find itself when the mammoth US Pacific Fleet was converging toward its shores and it could not oppose it even an Amerindian Kayak. Take a look at Japan, it is surrounded by two super powers that can blow the shit out of its cities with a few volley of ballistic heavy missiles. And one can be pretty certain that the Japanese population still has in mind the balls of fire that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagazaki. Why then would they follow the US in its desperate quest to contain two monsters that have already cut loose and are ready to devour anyone foolish enough to threaten them. China, Russia and Japan want only to do business with each other and insure their people prosperity and wellbeing, while the United States and Europe are only thriving to keep and protect the hegemony they've been enjoying over the world for centuries. One can bet that when it will really come to shoot at each other, some would be allies will simply find a way to sit the US so desired war out; they will simply and suddenly offer themselves as mediators, the same way some are trying hard to play that role. India, Turkey, Japan, Korea, even Europe know that a war between the US and Russia or China would swiftly turn into a nuclear exchange, and that they would certainly be the recipiendary of not only the multiple warhead ICBMs, but also the huge radioactive fall out clouds. Trust me on this ... GOOD SENS will always prevail, and the Collective West is gambling with the risk of finding itself isolated like a beaten puppy dog into a corner.
Thanks for the great presentation of my favourite 4th gen fighter
Designed by pilots for pilots!! An amazing fighter jet
there will never be another fighter jet like f 16
no matter how cool 5th generation jets are. there is just something about f 16 which make so special
The jet I work on is featured in this video, that's amazing
In 1977 I was a boy and put together a Revell model of the F-16. It was a sloppy job, but I loved the red, white and blue colors (seen @6:07 on this vid) and hung it from the ceiling in my room for a long time. Where has the time gone? I'm in my 50s now.
Ha. I have the same story. Still love the plane!
@@geraldbostock9858 Does Revell still exist? I also put together the B-24 Liberator. That was an even sloppier job, in hindsight. Attention to detail wasn't my forte at age 12. But I liked the planes and didn't have much else to do other than go out and play ball or read books.
The legend👍
The F-16 came into service in 1979 at Hill AFB Utah with the 388th TFW. We were up and running by 1980
If I remember the 421st AMU was the first ones to get them along with the multi nation squadron at Hill
Almost as beautiful as the P51 Mustang.
……. And the WW 1 Spad! LOL 😂
Fantastic vid man! Thanks for sharing, and greets from the Netherlands. T.
Imagine congress telling the military "no thats too much money" nowa days! 😂
this is the best, most superior fighter jet ever designed. I love it and its development over the years. Its the BOMB!!!!
ab
the wide single intake and smooth top of the fuselage resemble a whale shark cruise feeding.
WOW! What a great channel! Absolutely hilarious but informative. Also, I'm so glad I found it. It's keeping me company whilst i'm working all day today on the holiday.
I live near Shaw Airforce base so I get the privilege of watching these beautiful jets fly very often
The F-16 WAS the replacement for the F5 Freedom fighter. It was in competition with the F20 Tigershark which lost out. It was supposed to be a "giveaway" plane to nations friendly to the US but unable to afford their own air forces, but the performance value of the F-16 made it a mainstay aircraft in the US arsenal. The MIG-25 turned out to be a joke, a Russian Colonel flew one to an American Airbase in Japan and the US took it apart and found out that it couldn't do half of what Russia claimed it could do, it literally would fly itself apart if you pushed it past mach 1.8.
It took Russia 40 years to finally get their act together and build a descent fighter aircraft and renamed the remodeled Mig-25 to the MIG-35, the plane that could finally do what they said the MIG-25 was supposed to be able to do, and with the MIG-35 you have to overhaul the engines if you push it to Mach 3.
The Mig-31 is the renamed Mig-25, the Mig-35 is the renamed Mig-29
One of my favorite looking planes, along with the F-15 and F-14!
I also prefer the official name "(Fighting) Falcon" to the nickname "Viper".
How about a review of the Rafale from Dassault Aviation ?
Still my favorite fighter. Love this airplane, have for years. Of course, I still love my Marlin 30/30 lever action rifle. I don’t hunt anymore but, still fun at the range.
i expect to see f-16v vipers in the next ace combat video game
_Novels of eternal love_ - damn, the sophistication of YT sites just went up a notch or two. Well done!!
Nice. Was this reuploaded?
Yes it was
@@SkyshipsEng I love your videos, they really help me with the history of these aircraft!
@@duncanmurphy8085 All for you)
Very concise. Very cool. 🙂
Why am I watching this damn it, I am 23 years old and I got grey hair already I don't need to fill my head with even more history that will probably never serve me any good in life
This is a very good summary of the history of the F-16.
Talking about thunderbirds, maybe you could do an in depth video covering the remarkable Thunderbird 2, surely the greatest flying machine ever devised.
Thunderbirds are GO!
F.A.B...
I hesitate to watch videos like this, mainly because of incorrect information. However, this one is really good. Good history of the development and illustrating the differences between the variants. I was hoping for a minute or two on the heavily modified Israeli version. Oh well, future content! Great job!
Republic Of Singapore Air Force Rocks🇸🇬❤️
Well done, I've read a bit about the politics/development/industry history behind the F-16 myself and everything I cognitively heard you say in this video (meaning, I may/may not have missed something) checks out! :)
That ground crew intro looked weird af
That's because those are the Thunderbirds the entire thing is a show from the flying and everything else. Regular Air Force definitely doesn't do that but you'd sometimes see some stylish aircraft marshalling it would be free style and not that Thunderbirds stuff.
Excellent narration, learning about the F16 from a Russian! Thank you for not being too prejudice...
"The Fighting Falcon." That's a great name, the "Strike Eagle" is another one!!!
Why is it that in the history of fighter jets, no one has ever designed a jet that they then name "The Hobbled Grandma"??
What about "Terminally Sick Orphan"?
The F-16 was and forever will be my favorite aircraft.
Great plane but they ruined my ears, pilots love that kick of the afterburners but sadly they were oblivious or just didn’t care about those working on the ground down at the end of the runway. And yes afterburners are not needed cause on air show day they don’t use them. I was stationed at Hill AFB. The largest f-16 squadron.
Apparently your employers never heard of hearing protection.
scrimmo USAF yeah they issued earplugs in fact got the same 3m double sided pieces of shit back in 1992, and even with the expanded foam ones don’t block ultra low frequency. But even still the use of afterburners one a 2 mile runway is just not needed.
We always wore earplugs and headset muffs. Never could tell when a couple of fighters would rip down the runway.
The F-16 takes it's rightful place as a legend in the US combat aircraft space. Along with the P-51, P-38, F-4U, F-104, F-4, F-14 and F-15. It is highly maneuverable, fast, effective and fairly cheap. A real bargain.
F-16-N carries no external stores and therefore is far more agile than the F-18. This is why it is the "adversary" aircraft flown by the instructors at the Top Gun School.
hi D S...
'
F-16 is more faster speeding than F-18
The F-16 is simply some thing nobody really wants to dogfight.
I’m not sure where you got your info from, but the ACMI pod is carried externally along with other gear. The N variant may have no guns or missiles, but it most certainly has external stores. And even if what you said was factual, what’s the point of being “far more agile” when you can’t shoot at anything. It doesn’t even make sense to give it an F for fighter designation.
@@rtrThanos it can play. Sometimes that is enough.
@@rtrThanos It was solely for training to push Top Gun pilots to think outside the box. A "what if the enemy actually had superior aircraft" situation.
I'm only 4 mins in and already this video has earned you a sub. Love it! I'm a huge F-16 fan. I like your geeky humour, for example when you said "also surpassed, even though by accident" I knew straight away you were talking about that historic 'first flight' that shouldn't have happened.
Badass fighter it cannot stand in front of Mig 21.
It got shot down once by am Mig21 while being piloted by a 3rd World countries pilot. How many Mig21 got shot down again?
hi D S...
'
american F-16 falcon is the best airplane than ussr russia cheap low class mig-21
Pakistan F-16 fighting falcon shot down indian su-30 and mig-21 also a helicopter on 29 Feb 2019.tea Fantastic
@@David-eh9le Really when?Answer is never
The main 2 things about the F-16 are that it's cheap, MUCH cheaper than it's larger cousin, the F-15 and it's very adaptable for both fighter roles and ground attack missions and has been designed to be able to accept upgrades which has been going on ever since it first entered service. It's a win win for both the USAF and the American taxpayer which is perfect.
She's small, pretty fast, deliberately designed to be unstable to make her nimble and agile and in my opinion... pretty sexy. The true test of her quality is that she's still going strong now and is in service all over the World.🇺🇸🇺🇸✌✌
I live across town from Luke AFB. There's a reason they call F-16's: "Lawn Darts".
Really ??, ....no sarcasm intended,just was curious about that , In ever heard that one before,I live a mile from Nellis , no big deal 10,000 others do too , But were the losses there during exercises that extreme in accidents with the F16?
What killed pilots in the earlier years was the fly by wire system. If the engine die the aircraft has no electrical power to the flight control. The second problem was the build quality. The wiring on the aircraft have chafing issue to the air-frame and hardware which caused shorts in the system.
Very Nice Video Fully Informative Thanks For Sharing
..."anybody see an aircraft carrier around here"?
The F-14 such a beautiful airplane
F16 killer of mig21 & su30
u must be pakistani because only a pakistani are believer such thinks
Vishvajit Kumar tea is fantastic 😂
@@RAPTORGAMINGz yes tea is fantastic because it made with pakistani girls milk.
@@vishvajitkumar9497 haaaaaaaaa
@@RAPTORGAMINGz but he is in pakistan, milk also come from Pakistan and pkistan sell there own women to chinese.
apnews.com/c586d0f73fe249718ec06f6867b0244e
gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/hundreds-of-pakistani-girls-sold-as-brides-to-china-1.68255992
www.dw.com/en/bride-trafficking-how-chinese-gangs-lure-pakistani-girls-into-fake-marriages/a-48698883
Great channel and videos. Your analysis is on point.