Special Sub-Topic: The Versatile F-16 Click Here To Play: The Versatile F-16

The F-16 was originally designed as an air-to-air only fighter jet.

True. While the Viper as we know it today is a very capable multi-role fighter, the initial design called for it to be a dog fighter...capable of highly maneuverable, close-in aerial combat. Due to budget constraints, the Defense Department needed one aircraft to do multiple missions, so it was modified for air-to-ground and a myriad of other missions.

The F-16 Block 50, single-seat variant uses what designator?

F-16CJ. The Block 50 single-seat variant is in the F-16C family, along with the Block 30 and 40. The Block 30 is an F-16C+ while the Block 40 is an F-16CG. The 2-seat variants are in the F-16D family.

What is the primary mission of the F-16CJ (Block 50)?

Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). The Block 50s are SEAD experts. The standard combat configuration is two AGM-88 HARMs (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) and are configured with a HARM Targeting System (HTS) pod to find and suppress enemy radars.

The F-16 Block 40 (near and dear to my heart) has a myriad of missions. Which of the following was never a mission of the Block 40 Viper?

Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). Most ASW activity is left up the US Navy. The F-16 is especially good at AI (Airborne Interdiction), hitting targets with precision munitions with amazing lethality while limiting collateral damage. The Viper can also provide overwatch and On-Scene Commander duties for CSAR operations. The F-16 could also be loaded with the B-61 tactical nuclear bomb (let's just hope this never happens).

What is the primary BVR (Beyond Visual Range) air-to-air missile used by F-16s in the post-Desert Storm era?

AIM-120 AMRAAM. AMRAAM stands for Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile and uses a command guided mid-course transitioning to an active radar terminal homing. This gives the Viper pilot the ability to break radar lock at a certain distance and get out the enemy's missile engagement zone before their missiles hit the target. The AIM-9 is a heat-seeking close-in missile, while the AIM-54 and AIM-7 are older missiles that are no longer used by the US military in combat.

The F-16 was the first mass-produced fighter jet to use a fully computerized digital flight control system. This system is commonly called what?

Fly-by-Wire controls. The control stick measures the pilot's applied pressure and moves the control surfaces (Ailerons and stabilator) accordingly. In fact, on the earlier models of the F-16, the control stick didn't even move. Due to massive amounts of pilot feedback requesting a movable stick, the system was redesigned to have the stick move about 1/4" and then measure the pilot's input pressure.

Which of the following bombs can the F-16 NOT carry?

GBU-28 Bunker Buster. The GBU-28 is a 5,000 lb laser guided bomb designed to penetrate and destroy deeply buried targets. The first two were employed in Iraq in 1991 using two F-111 Aardvarks. Since the F-111 was decommissioned in 1996, the F-15E Strike Eagle became the primary employment aircraft for this huge bomb. The GBU-31A is a 2,000 lb GPS precision bomb carried by most US combat jets. The CBU-87 is a standard unguided cluster bomb and the Mk 82 is an unguided general purpose bomb, both carried by a plethora of US and Allied combat aircraft.

Which F-16 variant, using an upgraded Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, conformal fuel tanks, and an internal targeting system (not pod-mounted), was sold to the United Arab Emirates in 2005?

Block 60. The Block 60, also called the F-16E/F, features a number of significant improvements over its predecessors. The jet comes standard with three full color Multi-Function Displays (MFDs), the APG-80 multi-mode radar, and the 32,000-pound-thrust-class General Electric F110-GE-132 engine.

Up until July 2005, when the 428th Fighter Squadron deactivated, Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico was unique due the fact that it had how many different Blocks of F-16s flying in the same Fighter Wing?

4. The 428th Fighter Squadron was a joint USAF and Singaporean squadron that flew Block 52s. The 522d Fighter Squadron flies the Block 50 and is set to deactivate in 2008. The 523d Fighter Squadron flew Block 30s and deactivated in May 2007. The 524th Fighter Squadron flies the Block 40 and is set to deactivate in August 2007.

In 2007, which of these US Air Force bases did not have F-16s permanently assigned there?

Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Peterson is the headquarters for US Space Command and has a smattering of VIP jets and C-130s, but no Vipers. Shaw has Block 50s and Hill has Block 40s. Kirtland doesn't have any Active Duty F-16s but it is the home of the New Mexico Air National Guard that flies Block 40s.