F-16 and (Mitsubushi) F2

[jcf]

Free 488 page F-16XL book from NASA. MOBI, EPUB and PDF formats.
Elegance in Flight: F-16XL

[kerick]

That looks fantastic!

[tahsin]

I see nobody is asking THE question. Yes, it predates the TV series. Yes, it inspires the Colonial Viper. No, such pilots flying the F-16 were to be called Viperriders, not Viperdrivers.


It happens because of this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/dlgy5u/vought_v526_selected_configuration

And that happens because in 1974 there are some views that Forth Worth should stage an hostile takeover of Dallas to ensure a full challenge against Northrop's Cobra that might really do well in the export market. That would end up in a courtroom and if you check the Secret Projects forum you might or might not see the Vought efforts to replace the F-105 after the A-7D entering the service to replace the F-100. In the 1960s.  Even if the GAU-8 could never be as optimized as the A-10 installation.