F16战机基本概况.docx

F16战机基本概况.docx

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F16战机基本概况

AllF-16sarenotcreatedequal.FightingFalconsrollingoutofthefactorytodayarenothinglikeearlierversions.Somedifferencesarevisible—largercontrolsurfaces;widerinlet;tintedcanopy;squaredlandinglights;andvariousantennas,vents,bumps,andblisters.Mostdifferencesrequiremorethanthenakedeyetosee—structuralbeef-ups,improvedengines,digitalelectronics,vastlyincreasedcomputingcapacity,andsoftwarechangestoaccommodatenewfunctions,sensors,andweapons.

Theall-glasscockpit（nomechanicalgauges）ofthelatestF-16sisthemanifestationofmanyoftheseimprovements.Threelargefive-byseven-inchcolormultifunctiondisplaystransmitinformationfromavarietyofsensorstothepilotinstraightforwardcolorgraphics.Thecockpitfeatureshands-onthrottleandside-stickswitchcontrols,nightvisiongoggles-compatiblelighting,acolormovingmap,andalargehead-updisplay.Ahelmet-mountedcueingsystemallowspilotstotargetweaponsbysimplyturningtheirheads.

Beginnings

TheoriginalF-16wasdesignedasalightweightair-to-airdayfighter.Air-to-groundmissionsimmediatelytransformedthefirstproductionF-16sintomultirolefighters.TheF-16sthatfollowedexpandedandrefinedtheseroleswithbeyond-visual-rangemissiles,infraredsensors,precision-guidedmunitions,andmanyothercapabilities.CurrentandplannedversionsoftheF-16buildontheserefinements,enhancingcapabilitiesevenfurther.

Butthefundamentalstrengthsoftheoriginaldesignremain.AttheheartofeveryFightingFalconisthelightweightfighterconceptchampionedbyCol.JohnBoydandtheothermembersofwhatcametobeknownastheLightweightFighterMafiaintheUSAirForceandDepartmentofDefense.Thisgroupfavoredsimpleandsmallfighterdesignsthatcouldchangedirectionandspeedfasterthantheirpotentialadversaries—designsthatwerehardertodetect;designsthatwereinexpensivetoproduce,operate,andmaintain.TheFighterMafiaadvocatedusingtechnologytoincreaseeffectivenessorreducecost.Theywentsofarastoquestionandthoroughlyanalyzethebasicassumptionsofhowfighterswerejudgedandcompared.

EngineersinFortWorthtransformedtheseideasintorealityinthe1970s.Theresultinglightweightfightercombinedahostofadvancedtechnologiesthathadneverbeenusedinoperationalfighters.Ablendedwing-body,variablecamberwings,andforebodystrakesprovidedextraliftandcontrol.Fly-by-wireflightcontrolsimprovedresponsetimeandreplacedheavyhydro-mechanicalsystemswithlighterandsmallerelectronicsystems.Relaxedstaticstability,madepossiblebythefly-by-wiresystem,greatlyenhancedagilityandstability.Aside-mountedthrottleandstick,head-updisplay,thirty-degreeseatbackangle,hands-oncontrols,andbubblecanopyimprovedthepilot’sg-toleranceandsituationalawareness.

Allofthesetechnologieshadbeenexploredbeforeinavarietyofotheraircraftandresearchprograms.ButtheF-16prototype,orYF-16,wasthefirstairplanetoincorporateallofthemintoaproducibledesign.

ThedevelopmentoftheYF-16optimizedadesignforperformance.TheevolutionoftheproductionF-16s,ontheotherhand,becameabalancingactbetweenaddingandimprovingcapabilitiesandmaintainingtheoriginaldesign’soptimizedperformance.

Capabilityimprovementscantakemanyforms:

countermeasures,infraredsensors,lasertargetingdevices,missionizedrearcockpits,dorsalfairings,datalinks,satellitecommunications,helmet-mountedcueingsystems,conformalfueltanks,largecolordisplays,all-glasscockpits,improvedstores（reconnaissancepods,weapons,andotherwing-mountedsystems）,andauto-recoverysystems.Eachnewcapabilitybenefitsfromitsownevolutionaryprocess.Alloftheseimprovementleapsarepackedintoanairframestillcapableofsustainingnineg’sandofout-performingotherfourth-generationfighters.

Pratt&WhitneyandGeneralElectrichaveaddedtotheevolutionwithimpressiveimprovementsinengineperformance.TheoriginalPratt&WhitneyengineontheYF-16developedabout23,000poundsofthrust.TheenginesontheBlock50/52aircraftdevelopnearly30,000poundsofthrust.TheGEF110-GE-132engineontheBlock60F-16isratedat32,500poundsofthrust.So,eventhoughtheF-16’soverallweighthasincreased,itsthrust-to-weightratiohasimprovedaswell.

However,theLightweightFighterMafiawillpointoutthatthrust-to-weightratioisnottheonlyindicatorofaircraftperformance.Thefiguredoesn’taccountfortheeffectsofwingloadingandaerodynamicdrag.Abettermeasureofperformanceisenergyrate（orPs）,whichisafunctionofthrust,weight,velocity,anddrag.Everyexternalpayloadextractsaperformancepriceinaerodynamicdrag.AndF-16srarelyflywithoutafewstoreshangingunderthewing.

Technologycomestotherescueagain.Advancesinelectronicminiaturizationhaveresultedinlighter,morecompacthardwarethat,inturn,significantlyreducesdrag.Thelatestnavigationandtargetingpods,forexample,aresmaller,lighter,andaerodynamicallycleanerthanfirst-generationpods.Electroniccountermeasuresystemshaveshrunk,too,andhavemorerecentlyfoundtheirwayundertheF-16’sskin,eliminatingevenmoredrag.Weaponeersaremakingbombsandmissilessmaller,lighter,andmorestreamlined.Dragreductionshaveoftenaccompaniedeffortstoaddmoresystemsandweaponstotheairplaneandtomaketheairplanelessdetectibleandmoresurvivable.

WhiletheF-16todaybenefitsfromtheelectronicrevolution,theoriginaldesignersdidnotanticipateit.Infact,theypurposelykepttheaircraftasdenseaspossibletopreventadditionalsystems—andtheextraweighttheywouldbring—frombeingplacedinsidetheairframe.Technologyadvanceshaveallowedmuchmorecapabilitytobepackedintothatsamespaceor,insomecases,inmuchlessspace.

BuildingBlocks

KeepingupwithallthevarietiesoftheF-16isnosmalltask.Thejobissimplified,though,becausemostchangestotheF-16aremadeingroups,orblocks,totrackitemsontheproductionline.Wheneveranew-productionconfigurationfortheF-16isestablished,theblocknumberincreases.

ThefirstproductionaircraftfollowingthetwoYFprototypesandtheeightfull-scaledevelopmentF-16swereBlocks1and5.（FromBlock30/32on,amajorblockdesignationendingin0signifiesaGeneralElectricengine;oneendingin2signifiesaPratt&Whitneyengine.）Thecurrenthighestoperationalblockdesignation,however,isBlock60,whichisflownbytheUnitedArabEmirates.

SignificantmodificationprogramshavetheirowndesignationaswellsuchastheMid-LifeUpgradeandtheCommonConfigurationImprovementProgram.ThelatestproposedsignificantmodificationfortheF-16iscalledtheF-16V（VstandingforViper）.

TheAinF-16AreferstoBlocks1through20single-seataircraft.TheBinF-16Breferstothetwo-seatversion.ThelettersCandDweresubstitutedforAandB,respectively,beginningwithBlock25.ThenewserieslettersemphasizethemajordifferencesoccurringbetweenBlocks15and25.Block60denotesthetransitionfromtheF-16C/DtotheF-16E/F.

Full-ScaleDevelopment:

ProductionPredecessors

TheYF-16waschosenovertheYF-17intheLightweightFightercompetitionin1975.Workbeganonthefirstofeightfull-scaledevelopment,orFSD,F-16s,incorporatingthefirstmajor—mostlyinternal—designchanges.Thedesignerswereintentonretainingtheoutstandingflyingqualitiesoftheoriginaldesign.Sonochangesthatwoulddegradetheprototype’saerodynamicsweremade.Atthesametime,theyhadtoadapttheairplanetoamplifiedair-to-groundrequirements.Theoveralllengthgrewbythirteeninches.ThenoseacquiredaslightdrooptoaccommodatetheWestinghouseAPG-66multimoderadar.

Torespondtotheneedforlargerair-to-groundpayloads,thewingandtailsurfaceswereenlargedtocarrytheextraweight.Thewingareagrewfrom280to300squarefeet,whichisaboutasmuchasitcouldgrowwithoutrequiringadditionalinternalbulkheadstolengthenthefuselage.Thehorizontaltailsandventralfinsgrewaboutfifteenpercent.Theflaperonsandspeedbrakesgrewbyabouttenpercent.Anadditionalhardpointwasplacedundereachwing,givingtheaircraftatotalofnine.Theairframewasalsostructurallystrengthened.

OtherchangesintheFSDaircraftincludedalighterweightStencelSIIISejectionseat,asimplersingledoorinsteadoftwindoorsonthenoselandinggearwell,andaself-containedenginestarter.Thecanopytransparencywasstrengthenedtowithstandafour-pound,350-knotbirdstrike.Theradomewashingedtoeaseaccesstotheradar.

TheYF-16validatedtheaerodynamics,propulsion,andhandlingqualitiesoftheaircraft’sbasicdesign.Withthemajordesignissuesoutoftheway,engineersconcentratedmoreoninternaldetails—suchastheelectricalsystem,hydraulics,andavionics—withtheFSDaircraft.TheFSDaircrafthadnoblocknumbers,thoughtheyareoftenreferredtoasBlock0F-16s.

Blocks1And5:

GoingOperational

AftertheprototypeandFSDprograms,thefirstBlock1F-16（serialnumber78-0001）wasflownforthefirsttimeinAugust1978anddeliveredtotheUSAirForcethatsamemonth.Theaircraftwasfirstassignedtothe388thTacticalFighterWingatHillAFB,Utah,andlaterbecameaninterceptorwiththe125thFighterInterceptorGroupinJacksonville,Florida,followedbyatouratthe158thFighterInterceptorGroupinBurlington,Vermont.Itthenwasflownbythe127thTacticalFighterWingatSelfridgeAirNationalGuardBase,Michigan.TheaircraftwaseventuallysenttoLowryAFB,Colorado,asastudenttrainer.ThefirstoperationalF-16isnowond