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How high can an F-16 go?
Ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,420 m). Range: 575 miles (925 km); Maximum Range: 1,260 miles (2027 km). Crew: F16A: 1; F16B: 2. Armament: General Electric M61A1 20mm six-barrel cannon and two wingtip Sidewinder or Sparrow air-to-air missiles; nine additional hardpoints capable of carrying up to 15,200 pounds of other stores.
How high can a jet engine operate?
51,000 feet
Jet Engine Efficiency Maximum operating altitudes for general aviation turbojet airplanes now reach 51,000 feet. The efficiency of the jet engine at high-altitudes is the primary reason for operating in the high-altitude environment.
How long can an F-16 fly on afterburner?
In full afterburner at low altitudes, the F-16 can burn in excess of 64,000 pounds an hour. At full throttle, a U.S.-variant F-16 with maximum external fuel stores has about 20 minutes until it’s on emergency reserves (which would only last an extra minute or so at full afterburner).
What limits an aircraft service ceiling?
An aircraft’s service ceiling is defined as the altitude at which its climb rate becomes so slow that it has effectively “topped out.” It can keep climbing a bit higher (until it reaches its “absolute ceiling”), but most pilots will not exceed the service ceiling.
What happens if a plane flies above its service ceiling?
The absolute ceiling is the highest altitude at which an aircraft can sustain level flight. Due to the thin air at higher altitudes, a much higher true airspeed is required to generate sufficient lift on the wings. Hence, the aircraft will not have any excess capacity to climb further.
What is the difference between service ceiling and absolute ceiling?
The single engine absolute ceiling is where the rate of climb is zero. The single engine service ceiling is the altitude at which a twin-engine aircraft with one engine feathered can no longer climb at 50 feet per minute in smooth air.
How is the F-16 used in air combat?
In an air combat role, the F-16’s maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceed that of all potential threat fighter aircraft. It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter.
How many miles can a F-16 fly?
It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point.
What was the purpose of the F-16 in Desert Storm?
U.S. Air Force F-16 multirole fighters were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm, where more sorties were flown than with any other aircraft. These fighters were used to attack airfields, military production facilities, Scud missiles sites and a variety of other targets.
What kind of Cannon does an F-16 have?
Armament: one M-61A1 20mm multibarrel cannon with 500 rounds; external stations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles, conventional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions and electronic countermeasure pods Crew: F-16C, one; F-16D, one or two