View allAll Photos Tagged generaldynamics
USAF 93-0536 - General Dynamics Lockheed F-16C Block 50Q Fighting Falcon - US Air Force
at London International Airport (YXU)
during the 2018 London Air Show
USAF 77 FS - SW "Gamblers"
The 77th Fighter Squadron is part of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
VIPER demo-team
General Dynamics F-111E-CF
67-0120
TF30-P-100 x2
11 390 kgp
Surface alaire48,77 m2
Maximale44 923 kg
2 656 km/h (Mach 2,5)
Rayon d'action 2 139 km
Externe14 290 kg de bombes, missiles
The last F-111E from 20th Tactical Fighter Wing in the UK. It was directly transferred from USAF service at RAF Upper Heyford to the museum in late 1993, prior to the base closure in 1994
A veteran of Operation Desert Storm, it was based at RAF Upper Heyford with the 20th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force prior to arriving at Duxford for display in 1993. On loan from the United States Air Force Museum.
Captain Jerry Lindh was a pilot with the 55th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England (UK).
He and his EWO officer, Major David McGuire, were killed when their aircraft (F-111E #68-0052) crashed upon landing with a ground ejection in-sufficient altitude for parachute deployment. The crew stayed with the aircraft to avoid hitting a local village.
Just arrived for RIAT 2014 during the Red Arrows Pit-Day on Friday 11th July were a pair of Royal Danish Air Force
General-Dynamics F-16's.
Nearest is two-seater F-16B ET-614/83-0614 and behind F-16A E-008/87-0008.
The crews were in the process of shutting down just outside the crowd line before de-planing and removing their bone-domes to reveal their sweaty brows having worked hard on the transit here from Denmark.
The aircraft were later towed into their weekend static parking slots after us public had left the Red Zone area designated for the Red Arrows 50th Anniversary celebrations.
More of that later..............
Phantom Pharewell, Wittmund Airbase (2013) - Germany
General Dynamics F-16AM Falcon, FA110 Belgium Airforce
Tail of F-16BM Falcon, FB24 in the back
Photo selection
For high lift at low speeds the F-111 has wing flaps that span the full trailing edge, as does my model. The wings also have leading edge slats. I couldn't incorporate those, unfortunately. They would have weakened the wing too much. On the real aircraft, when the slats are deployed, larger covers open up on the wing root that also serve as air brakes and my model does have those.
USAF 90-0824/WW General Dynamics F-16C Block 50B Fighting Falcon c/n CC-24 - Day 2 Avalon 2013 Australian International Airshow. File: 90-0824_WW_YMAV_20130227_0145
Willard Martin (b. 1917) held various jobs before he was hired by Convair San Diego as a metal worker. For the next 30 years, Martin worked at Convair, eventually serving much of his career as the Operations General Supervisor, a task that involved supervising experiment department operations, engineering test lap support, model shop operations, mockup and wind tunnel support. In addition, he managed all instrumentation fabrication, installation and field support operations for the Cruise Missile Program and others. In 1976, he was elected by members of the National Management Association, General Dynamics Convair Chapter, as Director of Public Relations from 1976 to 1977.
Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
What would become arguably the most successful fighter aircraft since World War II started modestly, and like many late 20th-Century fighter designs, as a result of lessons learned in the Vietnam War. Among those lessons was that large, heavy fighters were not always the answer: the F-4 Phantom II, while a superlative aircraft, had often found itself outclassed by smaller, more nimble North Vietnamese MiG-17s and MiG-21s. The call for the US Air Force to develop its own lightweight fighter was spearheaded by fighter pilot and air combat theorist John Boyd. At first, Boyd’s proposals were dismissed by the USAF, who feared losing funding for the F-15 Eagle then in development. Boyd and others were able to convince the USAF of the usefulness of a light, cheap fighter as a complement to the heavy, expensive F-15, and finally the USAF agreed to issue a requirement for a Lightweight Fighter (LWF)—though with no guarantee that it would actually buy it.
Both General Dynamics and Northrop responded with designs, which would become the YF-16 and YF-17 Cobra. The first YF-16 was rolled out in December 1973, and first flew in January of the next year—accidentally, as the prototype veered off the runway and the test pilot felt it safer to takeoff rather than try to steer it back. The YF-16 won the flyoff against the YF-17, and the USAF selected it to go into service as the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Simultaneously, the YF-16 won a flyoff for the Multinational Fighter; the MNF was planned to be the successor to a number of aircraft in NATO service, and the competition between the YF-16, YF-17, France’s Mirage F.1M, and the SEPECAT Jaguar was fierce. Once selected, production of the F-16 would be vastly expanded, with it not only being produced in the United States, but also in the Netherlands and Belgium as well (to be followed later by Turkey and South Korea). In a short time, the F-16 had come a long way.
Production F-16s differed from the prototype by being slightly larger and heavier, though the initial production batch retained the “small tail” tailplanes of the prototype. Though heftier than the prototype, the F-16 retained the basis of Boyd’s ideal lightweight fighter: it was extremely maneuverable, to the point that a number of early F-16s crashed as the aircraft could take more than the pilot. Its maneuverability is due both to a favorable thrust-weight ratio and its deliberately unstable design: the F-16 was one of the first fighters to employ a wholly-fly-by-wire control system, with the hydraulic controls of older fighters being replaced by microprocessors controlled by a central computer. The microprocessors are able to make the dozens of decisions per second required by the design. For this reason, the F-16 is also known as the “Electric Jet.” General Dynamics had attempted to mitigate these effects on the pilot by reclining the ejection seat backwards and moving the control stick to the side. The pilot also has superb visibility due to the F-16’s bubble canopy.
The Fighting Falcon’s baptism of fire would not take long. Israel, which had been among the first to purchase the F-16, scored the type’s first air-to-air kill over Lebanon in 1981, as well as its first significant strike mission, the raid on Iraq’s Osirak reactor. In the following year, Israeli F-16s scored possibly as many as 30 victories over Syrian MiGs during the 1982 Lebanon War. Pakistani F-16s were to see limited action during the Soviet-Afghan War, shooting down 10 Afghani and Soviet aircraft that strayed into Pakistan’s airspace. For the United States, the F-16 would see its first action in the First Gulf War, though here the USAF used the Falcon’s large payload in strike missions; USAF F-16s saw no aerial action during this conflict.
By the early 1990s, the USAF relegated its F-16A models to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, reequipping its units with later mark F-16Cs. Many of the ANG’s F-16As were upgraded to ADF standard. The last USAF F-16A left service around 2000; aircraft not placed in storage at AMARC in Arizona have been sold to other nations, while some are scheduled for conversion to QF-16 drones.
F-16As are among the most prolific fighters in the world, in service worldwide, flown by ten nations, three of which are in NATO. These aircraft (save those flown by Venezuela) have been significantly upgraded to F-16 MLU (Mid-Life Upgrade) standard, making them equivalent to F-16Cs. Besides Israeli and Pakistani kills in the type, a Dutch F-16AM shot down a Serbian MiG-29 during the Kosovo War in 1999. Other NATO F-16AMs have seen service over Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. These older models of F-16s will remain in service until probably 2020 at least, to be replaced by the F-35A Lightning II.
F-16A 79-0327 was an early Block 10 "small tail" F-16, and was initially assigned as a test aircraft to the 53rd Test Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida. In 1982, it was transferred to the 56th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona, and remained in the desert until being transferred to the Air National Guard. While with the ANG, it served with the 174th Tactical Fighter Wing (New York ANG) at Syracuse and the 162nd TFG (Arizona ANG) at Tucson; while with the 174th, 79-0327 saw combat in the First Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). It was retired in 1992 and became a ground instruction trainer at Sheppard AFB, Texas.
This might have been the end of the line for 79-0327, as even the A-model GF-16s were being scrapped by 2006, but it was selected for preservation and returned to Luke, where it was repainted in "Red Tail" Tuskegee Airmen colors for the 302nd Fighter Squadron, which traces its lineage back to the 332nd Fighter Group of World War II fame. The entire tail was painted red, with the 332nd's nose stripe on the intake and wing stripes on the wing; 79-0327 was named "By Request II" in honor of a P-51C flown by the 332nd. Since the 302nd was based at Luke, the rudder uses part of the Arizona state flag. It was placed on display in 2006.
I got this picture purely by chance. I'd finally gotten to go on base at Luke in August 2020 (after missing out two years in a row), but my friend who was driving me got lost looking for the airpark, and we ended up down by where the 302nd was formerly based (they moved from Luke to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska in 2007). I was able to hop out and get a quick picture before we headed back (in the right direction this time).
I'd seen pictures of "By Request II" when it went on display, but never thought I'd actually see the real thing!
General Information
Aircraft Type: General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon
Air Force: Belgium-Air Force
---
Registration: FA-101
Cn: 86-0077 / 6H-101
Name: Dark Falcon
Location & Date
Location: Kleine Brogel (EBBL)
Date: 2019 09 14
Comments
Flying display during the Kleine Brogel Spottersday 2019. Belgian Air Force F-16 Solo Display piloted by Senior-Captain Aviator Stefan “Vador” Darte.
Copyright © 2019 Ivan Coninx
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | Instagram
E-mail: info[at]ivanconinx[dot]be
91-0418 General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon United States Air Force @ RIAT 2024, RAF Fairford 19/07/2024
An F-16C of the 18th AGRS based at Eilson AFB in Alaska passes low level in California while on a training sortie while the jets of the Blue Foxes were temporarily based at Nellis AFB in Nevada
350 Squadron, Belgian Air Force F-16AM FA-86 painted to comemmorate the unit's 80th anniversary. 15th July 2022
SABCA/General Dynamics F-16A Block20MLU msn78-0191/6F-18/B-061 de 1978
Royal Danish Air Force (22/05/1981 - ...)
B.A.115 Orange Caritat, 80 ans du 2/5 Iles de France
13/10/2021
PictionID:54460553 - Catalog:1986 Kearny Mesa Plant1986 - Title:1986 Kearny Mesa Plant1986 - Filename:19860000 Kearny Mesa Plant1986.jpg - - ---- Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
General Dynamics NF-111A 63-9778 used in the NASA/USAF Advanced Fighter Technology Integration program. Photographed at Edwards Air Force Base in October 1997.
88-0526 General Dynamics F-16CM Fighting Falcon United States Air Force @ RIAT 2022, RAF Fairford 17/07/2022
Piction ID: 83794517 Long range conventional standoff weapon--Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---Note: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.)--Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Many US aircraft designers in the 'fifties and 'sixties seem to have had an obsession with internal weapons bays. The F-105 and F-106 had them and so did the F-111. On the F-111 it was rarely used to carry bombs (except on the nuclear tasked FB-111s). Instead, many early F-111s were fitted with an M61 Gatling gun in one half of the bay, with the other half left empty.
The F-111s that first served in the Vietnam War would sometimes carry Sidewinder missiles in the other half of the bay and I decided to fit one of the to my model as well, even though I'm not sure whether this was still common practice in the late 'seventies. Call it artistic license.
In the 'eighties, most F-111s were modified to carry Sidewinders externally, on launch rails fitted to the outside of the outboard wing pylons.
USAF F-16C 89-2026 of the 510th Fighter Squadron based at Aviano AFB, Italy comes in to land at RAF Lakenheath
The large fixed inner part of the wing with the wing glove area was another challenge on this build. It's fairly thick, but has sharp edges.
It's a sinister looking beast from this angle. Using LEGO joysticks/ antennas sticking out of the fuselage sides to represent angle-of-attack probes was something I copied from Lego Monster's F-111.
E-006 cn 6F-049 -
General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon -
RDanAF Esk.727 -
Royal Intl. Air Tattoo RIAT '24 (Arr Day 2) -
RAF Fairford,
18-Jul-2017 Gloucestershire, England, GBR.
USAF F-16C 89-2018 of the 510th Fighter Squadron based at Aviano AFB, Italy comes in to land at RAF Lakenheath
As well as all the RAF aircraft the 1977 Royal Review also included three aircraft from Commonwealth air forces.
This General Dynamics F-111C serialled A8-143 also took part in the flying display, demonstrating its famous torching routine.
Of note is the fin flash. These days, RAAF aircraft do not wear national insignia on the fin apart from the VIP fleet that carry the national flag.
Finningley, Yorkshire
30th July 1977
Praktica LTL, Kodachrome
19770730 9532 A8-143 6 sq FIN clean
PictionID:44462947 - Title:Convair 660 model 127-67-3 - Catalog:01_00093856 - Filename:01_00093856.tif - - - Image donated to SDASM from Convair/General Dynamics-- ---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
F-111E. C.N. E-248. 79th FS from RAF Upper Heyford. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 9 May, 1996 as AA FV9278. Departed AMARC 27 April, 2001 to HVF West LLC Gov't Demil, Tucson, AZ (scrapped). Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide, dated September, 1992)
89-2009 General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon United States Air Force @ RIAT 2007 RAF Fairford 14/07/2007
The main undercarriage on the F-111 came in different versions, for carrier use and for use from unpaved runways (even though the close proximity of the engine intakes to the ground would have made that a tricky proposition). Both versions are fairly agricultural looking contraptions, but I managed to make it work.
The white thing under the aft fuselage is an AN/ALQ-119 ECM pod, which was an almost standard fit to F-111s in the 'seventies.