В истории мировой авиации (особенно боевой) есть a lot of really legendary aircraft. Some of them, being created in the days of the Cold War, were and will be produced for a long time. One of these aircraft is the F16. This fighter is planned to produce more (at least) until 2017. This is one of the most numerous machines of the entire NATO bloc.
Main technical characteristics
- The crew - one pilot.
- The total length of the airframe is 15.03 m.
- The total wingspan is 9.45 meters (if rockets are suspended on the wing pylons, the span is exactly 10 meters).
- The maximum height of the airframe is 5.09 m.
- The total area of the wing is 27.87 m².
- The size of the common chassis base is 4.0 m.
- Track gauge - 2.36 m.
- The mass of the empty aircraft is within 9.5 tons. Variations are possible depending on the types of additional fuel tanks and models of engines installed.
- Take-off weight - from 12.5 to 14.5 tons. Dependence - as in the previous case.
- The maximum speed of the F16 fighter is 2 M at an altitude of 12,000 meters, and about 1.2 M near the ground.
How did his story begin?
The history of the aircraft begins in the mid-60s.After the failures in Vietnam, the Americans came to the conclusion that they need a specialized light fighter, which would allow them to immediately gain air supremacy. As part of this program, the F-15 model was quickly created, but it turned out to be unnecessarily complicated and very expensive.
Start creating a new aircraft
At the very beginning of 1972, the Air Force deliveredoffer to all major American aircraft manufacturers. It was assumed that the state order will go to the company that won as a result of an open tender. Soon there were only two real applicants for receiving the order. They were General Dynamics and Northrop. Two years later, they presented their prototype models, called the F-16 and YF-17.
The first aircraft was built according to the classicscheme, used one engine. The YF-17 was twin-engined. The second car turned out good, but again was unnecessarily expensive and difficult to manufacture. Not surprisingly, F16 was chosen as the winner of the tender. The fighter was much simpler, and the prospects for its mass mass production were much more real. However, the "loser" YF-17 is not forgotten. It was the developments on this project that formed the basis for the creation of the F / A-18 Hornet carrier-based fighter.
Cheaper design
To reduce the total cost of construction,Aircraft design used engines Pratt & Whitney F100. They, by the way, were “borrowed” from the F-15 model. The wheels of the landing gear developers took from the aircraft Convair B-58. However, you should not consider the new fighter a collection of borrowings. In particular, the car's glider was absolutely new: it was developed from scratch, designed according to a revolutionary unstable scheme.
From now on, the flight depended not only on skillpilot, but also from the constant work of correction systems, without which it was simply impossible to achieve the sane behavior of a brisk car at dangerous approach angles. This is a fundamental difference F16. A fighter whose speed exceeds 2 M on pitch, in general, it is meaningless to try to align in manual mode. It is for this reason that the mechanical drive in the structure is completely absent, which was a revelation for the world aircraft industry in those years.
In general, the purpose of the aircraft for maximumhigh speeds foreseen throughout. Firstly, a completely new anti-overload seat was created for pilots, which helped a person to withstand acceleration up to 9G. Not far from the handle of the steering wheel is a special support for the hands of the pilot. The fact is that at maximum acceleration, the whole body of a person becomes much harder, and therefore he simply physically cannot keep his limbs on weight.
Огромное значение придавалось эргономике:all necessary controls were within easy reach and were very conveniently located. Because of this, the pilot was less tired when piloting, the presence of the second pilot in the cockpit was no longer required. However, there are still double modifications, but they are intended solely for educational tasks.
First problems
For its time, the new aircraft was a real one.breakthrough. In particular, there was practically no mechanical connection between the control units and the machine’s executing systems. It is for this reason that one incident happened. When the first experienced F16 (fighter) went to take off, he began to twitch and scour the runway. Despite the anxiety of what is happening, the pilot still managed to gain the necessary speed and take off.
В процессе разбора инцидента выяснилось, что The reason for the inadequate behavior of the aircraft lies in the outdated system of training pilots, when they too strongly pulled the handle of the steering wheel. “Smart” electronics immediately transferred this effort, which was excessive, to engines and steering wheels, as a result of which the fighter began to “run” along the runway. When the circumstances of the incident cleared up, in the USA they immediately began rewriting the instructions for flight training and preparing new tutorials.
Note that in this regard, it is unique F16. Fighter-analogue from domestic spaces, that is, the MiG-29, requires a more complex system of training young pilots.
Current state of affairs
Сегодня все произведенные «старички» Ф-16 не only remain in the ranks, but also preparing for full-scale modernization. True, the prospects for this have not yet been determined. So, in 2014, the Americans planned to retrofit all their aircraft of this model to the level of the F-16V. The last letter in the index indicates Viper, "viper". It is planned to add an active phased array, the installation of a more functional and powerful on-board computer. In addition, work was planned to improve the cockpit ergonomics.
According to experts, up to this versionvirtually any F16 can be upgraded. The fighter after the conducted work package will become somewhat more maneuverable and tenacious in the conditions of modern air combat.
But, as we have already noted, the prospects for thisthe beginnings are rather vague. It's all about a decent budget cut. Huge sums are spent on bringing to the “mind” of the F-35 model, and you need to do something with the fleet of new F-22s. Most likely, the upgraded fighters will be exported, while the newest F-35 will be dominated by the United States. In particular, many US allies in NATO have already shown interest in improving their aircraft.
How good is the F-16 in the sky?
Сравнительно немолодой самолет F16 обладает maneuverability, rare for western cars, is slightly inferior in this only to domestic Su-27 and MiG-29. This is largely due to the fact that this machine became the first mass-produced fighter, the design of which involved new computerized control systems that ensure the sustainability of the airframe in any conditions, regardless of the actions of the pilot himself.
Impressions of the pilots
Almost all pilots who were first givenF16 aircraft, experienced a real pleasure from the management of new technology. The car is notable for its excellent controllability, the “volumetric” cockpit canopy in the form of a bubble provides excellent visibility, and the indicators bringing information directly to the glass enable the pilot to be aware of any changes in the state of the car without being distracted by studying the instruments.
The US military especially likedease of learning young recruiting. So, if it took months to train strikes on ground targets on other planes, the F16 Fighting Falcon fighter required no more than two or three sorties. Colossal amounts of fuel and time were saved. The accuracy of the bombing of the new aircraft was such that the pilots called the aiming mark on the display "the point of death". Despite this, he still had some problems, and not all of them were “cosmetic”.
Operational problems
Но и недостатки у новой машины также имеются.First, both the engineers and the military themselves, have repeatedly pointed out that, due to the presence of only one engine in the design of the engine, its real combat survivability may turn out to be small. This is especially the case of the Israeli pilots. They have in honor F-15. With two engines, this machine repeatedly allowed pilots to return to the base when one of them failed due to the MANPADS missile.
Secondly, a lot of criticism is too low.located air intake. Because of this, the F16 fighter, the technical characteristics of which are understood in the article, needs very good aerodromes, cannot be operated in conditions of dust storms and from unpaved runways.
There are problems with the landing itself.Many pilots on the "Fighting" transplanted with the F-4. This aircraft was notable for considerable weight, and therefore it landed tightly and securely. But the F16 fighter (the photo of which you will find in the article), with its low weight and one engine, even landing with experienced pilots often begins to “goat”, jumping along the runway. As a result, the chassis is quickly worn out, which is very dissatisfied with the staff, who constantly have to change torn tires.
Многие пилоты высказывали нарекания по поводу lateral arrangement of the handle of the steering wheel. Because of this, it was necessary to make changes to the design: they added artificial play, due to which the handle was located, as it were, in the center. After that, the new F16 (fighter, the characteristics of which are discussed in the article) became much more familiar to the old generation of pilots, who were used to the central location of the steering wheel.
Беспрецедентная открытость тестирования нового the aircraft still could not identify all the deficiencies in the design. So, at the very beginning of the 80s, it suddenly turned out that the famous “smart” automation sometimes gives catastrophic failures. As a result, several pilots were killed at once, who completely lost control several meters above the ground during complex maneuvers.
Considering that the first games were not the mostimpressive navigation equipment, the pilots unhappily called their aircraft "Cessnami with missiles", indicating the low reliability of the machine, which did not exceed that for simple civilian technology.
Пришлось добавлять продвинутую защиту от скачков voltage, as well as the introduction of additional batteries in the design, to prevent voltage subsidence in some specific cases. At present, almost all possible "childhood diseases" have been finally defeated, and the pilots do not have any problems with the operation. Considering that the number of operators includes at least a dozen countries, it is possible to speak with confidence about the relatively high reliability of the F-16 and its good prospects in the area of further modernization.
"Practical use"
In April 1981, these aircraft participated inraids on Palestinian refugee camps, being part of the Israeli Air Force. Already by the end of the month, the F16 fighter drove out a Russian (then Soviet) aircraft, operated by a Syrian pilot, and soon the Falcons shot down two Mi-8s belonging to the Syrian military contingent. A triumph, say, a dubious one, since even a pilot managing a much older machine could have shot down a pair of transport helicopters without even making contact with them.
In mid-July was won far moreconvincing victory when the Israeli pilot shot down a Syrian MiG-21. In the first Lebanese war, five F-16s were shot down by Syrians who had flown MiG-23 by then. In general, the Israelis often used this aircraft as a ground attack aircraft. So, in the same year of 1981, they “in a gangster manner”, without warning and declaring war, invaded Iraq’s airspace and bombed the Osirak reactor near Baghdad. The structure was completely destroyed, the link of fighter losses had not.
С 1986 по 1989 год пакистанские пилоты сбили a number of Afghan transport aircraft, helicopters (including one Mi-26), and also shot down one Su-25 attack aircraft, which was piloted by Alexander Rutsky. Did the old MiG “against the F16”? At that time, only MiG-21s could be in service with the Afghans. In combination with the low skill of the pilots, he physically could not resist the new technique.
But all these are episodes in which the American allies “ran in” the new technique. Did they use this plane by themselves? Yes, it was like that.
The invasion of Panama and other episodes
But this episode is not exciting when you callall desire Yes, an entire link of these fighters participated in the invasion of Panama, but the Panamanians did not have any aircraft at all, and therefore there were no cases of air battles in that war.
But during the Gulf War it wasThe F-16 was the most massive machine of the Coalition, having made at least 13,450 sorties. A total of 249 vehicles participated in those events. It is officially believed that at that time the Americans lost about 11 planes shot down, and another five - damaged. Whether these numbers correspond to reality is another question. In Iraq, there was still combat-ready aviation, and there were pilots too.
