American multi-role fighter aircraft F-16 AM Fighting Falcon COBI 5913 - Armed Forces 1:48

Did you know:

• In 1967, forward-thinking Colonel John Boyn assembled a team of excellent engineers, known as the "Fighter Mafia," to prepare a lighter, more maneuverable, and cheaper aircraft to replace the aging F-104.
• During the development of the aircraft, the theory of "Energy and Maneuverability" by the brilliant mathematician Thomas Christie was taken into account. 
• When the right people come together, the right thing is created, and that was the versatile F-16 fighter, which had no competitor at the time it was introduced into the United States arsenal. 
• Right after the first tests, it was clear that the designers had managed to build an extraordinary aircraft that still maintains air superiority more than 50 years after its first flight.
• The fighter was designed to be deployed in any weather, day or night.
• The structure of the fighter withstands 9G overload, even with full tanks.
• The production of one F-16 fighter requires 2,500 hours of work (assembly + testing). Each aircraft contains 45,000 meters of electrical and optical cables.
• The AM versions represent a mid-life upgrade for European users. The aircraft gained the ability to launch AMRAAM missiles, a modern cockpit, and new avionics.
• The Falcon is equipped with an advanced enemy weapon jamming system. So far, more than 4,500 units have been produced in various versions.
• The price of one aircraft, depending on equipment, is around 500 million CZK.
• The Royal Norwegian Air Force operated 57 F-16AM/BM aircraft until 2022, when they were replaced by modern F-35s.

Technical specifications:

• dimensions: wingspan 9.8 m, length 14.8 m, height 4.8 m
• weight 8,272 kg empty and 16,875 kg maximum
• power unit: Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 jet engine with a thrust of 79 kN (max. 106 kN)
• fuel tank capacity 3,104 kg
• maximum speed 2,145 km/h
• rate of climb 255 m/s
• maximum service ceiling 18,500 m
• combat radius 550 km
• maximum range 4,800 km
  
• armament: built-in M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon, 20 mm caliber (500 rounds) + missiles on pylons up to a weight of 7,711 kg
• crew: 1 person

From the memories of instructor Hans Magnus:

,,The transition from Starfighters to the new F-16s was an intense experience. These aircraft were incomparable, and it is no exaggeration when I say that the F-16s were a revolution in military aviation."