This Is The Weirdest F-16 Ever Built (Gallery)

Today, the F-16 is one of the most familiar modern fighter jets. It has had numerous versions and upgrades that have allowed it to remain relevant nearly half a century after its debut. However, not all variations of the plane became popular. One of them impresses with a strange appearance and spends a decade shrouded in secrecy. What do we know about the XL-version of the F-16?

See what the F-16XL >> >> >> looks like

In the early 1980s, General Dynamics was tasked with creating a more capable variant of the F-16. The aircraft should carry more weapons and have improved range.

The new version of the plane uses carbon fiber composite elements. Although the wings are 115% larger than the original F-16, the weight is only 2 tons more. The fuselage has been lengthened and the air intake enlarged. There are also changes in the fin.

The improvements make the aircraft with better aerodynamic performance in supersonic flight and larger tanks by 65%. The range is 50% greater than the standard F-16, and the aircraft can carry twice as many bombs and missiles.

All this has been achieved while retaining the single jet engine configuration. The achievement is possible thanks to the introduction of a triangular delta wing. In 1981, there was a chance that this would be the future multipurpose fighter of the USA, but it lost to the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The two prototypes created are stored and classified. The project, called the F-16XL, was not abandoned.

In 1988, both aircraft were transferred to NASA for research related to supersonic flight. The experiments continued until 1999.

The F-16XL is equipped with a more powerful engine, and the two wings are of a different shape. The goal is to develop a supersonic aircraft with reduced noise and increased stability at high speeds.

The project did not lead to the creation of a “quiet” supersonic aircraft, but scientists are extremely pleased with what they learned from the F-16XL.

In 2007, there is even a possibility that the experiments will be renewed. NASA and Boeing are considering upgrading the F-16XL to the technological standards of the F-16 Block 40. Tests have resumed, with the official retirement of both prototypes not until 2009 – 29 years after their creation.