Meet the F-16XL: The F-16 is undoubtedly getting a lot of press now that it went to war for Ukraine. However, many forget the tale about the next-gen F-16 that won’t fly for any air force, including Ukraine.
The F-16XL is a curious airplane that never made it to active duty with the U.S. Air Force.
It was designed to replace the F-111 Aardvark.
The fighter had a radical delta wing-shaped design and was an outgrowth of the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) program.
The delta wing was large – almost double the size of the standard F-16 wings.
The F-16XL was the product of the Supersonic Cruise and Maneuver Prototype (SCAMP) project. The SCAMP program wanted to examine whether an F-16 could incorporate supersonic transport aerodynamics on Air Force airplanes.
This could increase lift and create a more agile airframe.
F-16XL: Defense Contractor Got an Assist from NASA
General Dynamics was the defense contractor behind the development of the F-16XL and the company expended vast amounts of effort and resources into research and development starting in 1980.
They partnered with NASA and utilized the space agency’s wind tunnels for 3,600 hours of testing. Finally, two F-16XLs were built.
The fighter had a longer fuselage than the base model F-16 – extended by about 56 inches.
The design also lacked ventral fins.
Was the F-16XL Better Than the F-16?
One would think that the “XL” nomenclature meant “extra-large,” but other wrinkles made the F-16XL unique.
The prototypes were the stars of testing and evaluation. They proved they could fly twice as far and carry double the payload compared to the F-16.
What They Were Saying in 1983
I looked back to decades-old media coverage of the F-16XL, and people in charge of the warbird were enthusiastic after that test run.
“The F-16XL flight-test program has conclusively demonstrated that the XL performs as predicted. This performance level represents a significant increase in mission capability for USAF. Coupling this with the affordability and low risk of the F-16XL presents USAF with a viable way to increase mission capability while simultaneously growing to a forty-wing TAC force structure,” said D. Randall Kent in 1983, who was then Vice President and Program Director for the General Dynamics F-16XL program.
The F-16XL Was Seen As an Expensive Time Suck
Unfortunately, the Air Force and General Dynamics spent significant funds developing the F-16XL. Even though the prototypes dominated the skies in 1983 after three years of work, this was seen as a lengthy testing period compared to other fighters available.
The Air Force ended up choosing the F-15E Strike Eagle instead. It would take many years and even more money to get the F-16XL into full production mode. The F-15E had two engines with greater thrust, speed, and climbing ability. It could reach supersonic speeds easily at any altitude. The Strike Eagle had a bigger munitions payload and could carry many missiles and bombs.
The F-16XL had one Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200 turbofan engine. Maximum speed was MACH 1.8. The service ceiling was 50,000 feet with a maximum range of 2,850 miles. The climb rate was 62,000 feet per minute.
The two F-16XLs were then placed in storage, but NASA took an interest and brought them out of safekeeping at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1988. The idea was to study air flow around the wings, leading them to research how the F-16XL could accelerate to top speed.
Time for an Experimental Period
“Each of those aircraft was then used in a variety of experiments that only concluded in 1999. That included a 1995 sonic boom study, in which F-16XL #849 flew 200 feet behind a NASA SR-71 to probe the boundary of the SR-71’s supersonic shock wave. These tests measured and recorded the shape and intensity of the shock waves. Those studies helped NASA’s High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) program engineers to better understand supersonic shock waves in order to reduce sonic boom intensity near populated areas,” according to Peter Suciu.
The F-16XL last flew in 1996, and then it went back into storage at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
One F-16XL later became a museum piece at Edwards Air Force Base, and another sat for visitors to peruse at Museum Air Park outside the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
