Description

Conceived as a natural follow-on to the successful F-16 Fighting Falcon, the General Dynamics F-16XL became the unwitting participant in an Air Force fly-off competition for which it was not designed. The most unique feature of the new aircraft was the innovative ‘cranked-arrow’ wing which increased wing area 155 percent, gave 83 percent more internal fuel capacity and 66 percent more lift over the basic F-16A. The F-16XL could carry twice the ordinance payload 50 percent further than its predecessor. The two F-16XL prototypes performed nearly 800 test missions over the 3 years of Air Force evaluations. Placed in flyable storage at the end of the Air Force test program in 1985, the F-16XL’s were loaned to NASA from 1989 to 1999 in support of the High-Speed Civil Transport program.
In this 248-page, print-on-demand book, created by the Air Force Materiel Command History Office at Wright-Patterson AFB, the illustrated history of the F-16XL is documented in over 900 colour & 35 black & white photographs, and 125 illustrations. Chapters cover early SCAMP design development, flight testing by General Dynamics and Air Force crews, walk-around details, and more, with many never-before-seen images.