busdriver

From JediMaster I don't follow what you're trying to say with "Deception jamming isn't as susceptible..." and I'm not sure why you might think a pilot would not now he's being subjected to jamming. Suffice to say he knows...honestly...he knows. And the radar knows...it's telling him.

Derk asks about the maneuverablity of a C model versus an A model. According to sqdn mates that flew both...indeed the lighter A model was (seemed) more maneuverable. According to "Target Arms" (FWS graduates) the C's software and LEF (Leading Edge Flap) programming was different. Add that to a heavier jet. From my prospective, one or two sorties flying against a C, I felt like I had the advantage in a turning fight.

Try poking around Secret Projects and you might find what you're looking for. Steve Davies is a knowledgable author. To be fair I'd have to confine my remarks to the F-16A of 20 years ago. We didn't have a BVR capability so it wasn't a major consideration for us. Against a BIG airplane like the F-15, we picked up a tally pretty far out. That's one of the reasons they would fly wider lateral and vertical splits than us. Even in a 2-v-2 they often had a very hard time getting a tally on both of us. Only F-15 guys could review their video tapes (unless they were sanatized) due to some of the very cool sh*t they had.

Nicely done!

I know you're asking about the MFD radar display, but a quick look in your HUD shows a high aspect contact with high Vc...almost 900 Knots. You'll merge in about 18 seconds.

Straight from the pages of the Dash 1, on page 1-2 it says The aircraft is powered by a single F100-PW-200 afterburning turbofan engine. Refer to figure 1-1. Maximum thrust is approximately 25,000 pounds. And on page 1-13 there is this The aircraft is powered by a single F100-PW-220 afterburning engine. Refer to figure 1-6. Maximum thrust is approximately 25,000 pounds. I can't recall that it ever came up in academics. I'm not an engineer.

Phone call to the squadron from the Command Post, after a phone call to them from the HTACC at Osan. 30 minute notice to launch a two-ship to intercept a known Soviet ELINT target up the west coast of the ROK. And correction, it was not a Tu-95...I just looked at the picture again. It was a Tu-16R. My first clue? No props and a swept wing... Anyway, an A model and a B model (with an AF photographer in the backseat) were short notice tasked...GCI vectors..."No Lock" intercept by the F-16s. Like all the pictures you've seen the rear guns were stowed (pointed skyward). Normally the ROKAF handled these intercepts.

I have some old issues of a General Dynamics magazine called Code One , from Jan 89 there is a small article about the "first" firing of an AIM-7 from an A model in the fall of 88. Another article from a 1988 issue provided an overview of the ADF transformation. Here's an online version of Code One's F-16 Evolution you'll find that the Block 25 indeed had the hardware & software to employ AIM-120s, but the missile wasn't ready before the fall of the Berlin Wall. JediMaster says Just so my remarks are not left open to interpretation, I'm discussing the situation during the Cold War. Your point is taken, the F-16 was not designed as an interceptor with BVR capabilities. In terms of air defense, the F-15 and F-4 with AIM-7s were superior. Air defense was not an F-16 primary mission. At the time I was in USAFE (RF-4Cs 81-84) the F-15s were not tasked with escort, they were there to provide air defense. At least that's what we were briefed. Doesn't mean they couldn't be tasked for it or weren't willing. So a guy flying a surface attack mission in an F-16A with "heaters and gun" could certainly expect to go up against everything the WP could put in the air. I doubt a PVO asset like the (4 G) MiG-31 would have be encountered west of, or for that matter, along the FLOT/FSCL but perhaps. Those unmaneuverable interceptors would become big fat targets at the merge. But everybody was prepared and expected to fight Floggers and Fulcrums. I do not recall them having autonomous BVR clearance since they were tied to GCI. WP simply had us out numbered, so the environment and logically the ROE did not permit unlimited F-4/F-15 BVR engagement. In Korea (late 80s) the USAF F-4s at Osan and Taegu as well as ROKAF F-4s were the primary air defense assets. The F-15s from Kadena were tasked with offensive and defensive counter-air...once they got to the ROK. However, on my wall is a picture of one of my sqdn's F-16A on the wing of a Soviet Tu-95. The A model is carrying a CL tank and two AIM-9s. It wasn't our primary or secondary mission...but some guys got lucky.

GalmOne you made me pull out the charts. First off, I flew Block 10s (in RTU) and Block 15s (PACAF and TAC). We carried either ALQ-119s or 131s at the time. I don't have the exact numbers, but let's say an ECM pod weighs a nominal 500 pounds (227 Kg). The drag penalty of the pod alone was not bad. It was "not carted" meaning there were no explosive cartridges allowing you to jettison it. So...on an otherwise clean jet with a pair of AIM-9s, it would not be terribly burdensome. We did not fly BFM/ACM/DACT sorties with pods as a rule, too hard on them I suppose plus then we'd have to hang two wing tanks on the jet. Having said that, my sqdn at Moody AFB sent 6 jets out to Nellis to support the F-15 FWS. They flew out there with an ECM pod on the CL, and a baggage pod (pilot's clothes)...and in formation with a tanker. So these guys spent a week fangs out, hair on fire trying to be badass bandits for the Eagles. Sadly I can't report how it was, I had announced I was getting out, so I was not allowed to go. I honestly don't know if the guys flying Block 25s ever carried or trained with AIM-7s. Pretty sure the guys at Shaw AFB did not, not sure about Hahn. I mean we NEVER talked about those jets having any BVR capability. I could be seriously in error, but ISTR that the Block 15 ADF mod for the ANG was the first operational use of AIM-7s on the F-16. Plus...I was at Kunsan during the conversion from A models to the C model. I was one of the last A model only guys in the sqdn. There was no BVR discussions/tactics or training. I was the sqdn Training Officer.

GalmOne here's a better discussion from 2002. Su-30MK Beats F-15C 'Every Time' It mentions the tactic at the time was 20 years old...go figure. So maybe it has not been fixed.

Absolutely positively...no worries...I was not offended. Eagle guys said much worse. As to the first part...I suspect it has been corrected. I would hope it has been fixed. To get an idea, albeit as a simmer, this might help . In regards to why it was easier for the F-16, IMO it's the wide range of speeds for corner velocity (think maneuverablity and nose authority). The F-18 excels in this regard also. I felt quite comfortable at the merge vs an F-15 (if I wasn't hauling two external tanks). For me the F-18 was a more difficult opponent...when you get really slow the Hornet has better nose authority (bastiges). The Eagle excels BVR no doubt about it. Way back during my time in the ROK, many anticipated scenarios had the Eagles from Kadena showing up for "two weeks" (killing all the NKAF) then going back to Kadena. That left USAF F-4s (2 sqdns dual tasked A-A & A-G), A-10s (1 sqdn), F-16s (2 sqdns), OV-10s (1 sqdn) and a bunch of ROKAF F-5s and F-4s to conduct the air-land battle. Plus there were 2 F-4 sqdns down at Clark in the PI as reinforcements.

LOL...as a guy that flew A model Vipers in the 80s I have a different POV than your assertion the F-16 was a secondary fighter. I was also what was called an Electronic Combat Pilot (poor man's EWO) in my sqdn. There was nothing in our mind set or training about waiting for the Eagles to clear the skies of bad guys for us. Oh, indeed that would be the preferred option. But we planned/trained to be self sufficient. Sneak up? I had a co-worker that was a ANG F-4D driver that snuck up on a flight of two Eagles. I did sneak up on a pair at low altitude in Germany during REFORGER, but I was in an unarmed RF-4C. I never snuck up on an Eagle during DACT. But we knew how to exploit a "feature" in their radar to arrive at the merge alive. It was energy depleting, it was risky (die pre-merge or arrive without a tally...poor SA).

Terrain Following? Suspect it would be illuminated when the autopilot is coupled to a TF mode.

Out of curiosity (not criticism), why would you want to use KTAS instead of KIAS? I've not done any ICE-T...Indicated > Calibrated > Equivalent > True air speed conversion problems since UPT 32 years ago. And all the F-16 AVTR video I ever watched showed KIAS.

Those sure are pretty!

That worked!

Thanks Wrench, No, I've not extracted the hidden LOADOUT.INI was simply using PFunk's. I'll try pasting over his and see what it gets me before I try extracting the original file. I'll let you know. Much obliged for the gouge.

PFunk, enjoy the skins very much. I'm having a problem with the Loadouts. I get four AIM-9Ls (no tanks) for all air-to-air missions and four AIM-9Ls and two 370s for surface attack. I have to individually load SA munitions. I am incredibly ignorant regarding modding, but I noticed a potential gotcha in the LOADOUT.INI. There are 11 stations in the INI file. The F-16A (Blk 10 and 15) that I flew only has 9 stations numbered from the left wingtip #1 to the right wingtip #9. So I edited the LOADOUT.INI, renumbering and building SCLs similar to what we used. Because I deleted stations 10 and 11, the loadout screen default loadout showed empty wingtips and I would up with a 370 default loaded on the left wing. OK, so I know my re-numbering edit messed up something that doesn't match stations. I removed/replaced my edit with your original LOADOUT.INI, but still there is no default surface attack weapons showing up. FYI, with variations, a typical Standard Combat Load (SCL, pronounced "scal") for SA would be something like... Sta #1- AIM-9P/L Sta #2- (not mounted, clean wing) Sta #3- MK-84 (parent mounted to the MAU) or 3 x MK-82 on a TER Sta #4- 370 tank Sta #5- ALQ-119/131 Sta #6- 370 tank Sta #7- MK-84 (parent mounted to the MAU) or 3 x MK-82 on a TER Sta #8- (not mounted, clean wing) Sta #9- AIM-9P/L Strictly speaking offensive counter-air (sweeps) were not part of our tasking, but air defense was. The SCL for that looked something like: Sta #1- AIM-9P/L Sta #2- AIM-9P/L Sta #3- empty or not mounted Sta #4- (not mounted, clean wing) Sta #5- 300 tank Sta #6-(not mounted, clean wing) Sta #7- empty or not mounted Sta #8- AIM-9P/L Sta #9- AIM-9P/L I have a fresh merged install (SF2V, SF2I, SF2E, SF3x1, and SF2x2) with only one other mod at this time (MiGBuster's Pack 4 Hi Res F-16A)