General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Blockshade

Instructions

disclaimer: I know nothing about this plane. this is all from google F16 Fighting Falcon description type: Multirole Fighter Radar: AN/APG-68 Engine: General Electric F110 KD ratio: 92:13 Top speed: Mach 2 (2100 km/h) Main Armament: M61A1 Vulcan Cannon Missiles: AIM-120 AMRAAM's, AIM-9 Sidewinders TWR: 1.096 First flight: December 17 1973 Background: During the Vietnam War, the US needed air superiority badly, and based off of his experience, Colonel John Boyd came up with the Energy Maneuverability theory, the theory was that, speed can be traded for energy and energy can be traded for speed, it basically means that when a fighter climbs they gain potential energy, and that potential energy would become kinetic energy, also known as speed when they dive. When climbing, they lose speed but gain potential energy, and would get speed again when diving, this extra speed would allow a plane to turn faster (Unless the pilot blacks out from g-forces), maneuvering on a horizontal plain would bleed kinetic energy, putting the pilot at a disadvantage., they would have to pray for the best and slowly climb back up to regain it. Maneuvering in a vertical plain would result in faster loss of speed due to climbing, but also gains in speed from diving back down. The fighter who manages their energy the best would win a dogfight. Typically the fighter that climbs the highest before engaging would have the advantage due to being able to dive on the enemy and when they pull up, they would have more than enough energy to climb a bit higher and stall out above an enemy, since the enemy has less speed, they won't be able to climb up as well and follow, essentially energy trapping them below. They'll have to just dive away and run, however the fighter that climbed would have more potential energy and be able to dive onto their tail and catch up to them. Theoretically, lightweight fighters could turn and climb with much less speed loss. Boyd managed to secure the Department of Defense to fund General Dynamics and Northrop to study design concepts based off of the theory. So General Dynamics created the YF-16 and Northrop created the YF-17. Later on after the F16 was created and had it's first flight, later on, there was an Air Combat Fighter Competition issued by the Secretary of Defense, the winner of the competition would be ordered by the USAF. Both the YF17 and the F16 were entered in the competition, the F16 would go on to win this competition which began production of the aircraft. The F16 is still in service today First Combat: The F16's first successful air to air combat was on April 28 1981, when the Israeli Airforce downed a Syrian Mi-8 helicopter