On left: The first F-16XL, 75-0749, is seen in April 1982 after its removal from its assembly fix-ture. The composite wing skins and wing-fuselage mounting bolt locations are evident. On right:
The F-16XL-1 is seen being prepared for static structural proof testing in the spring of 1982.
(Both images Lockheed Martin)
Rollout Ceremony
The eagerly awaited F-16XL rollout ceremony began exactly on time, at 11 a.m.
on July 2, 1982, at General Dynamics’ Fort Worth facility.1 The large function was well attended by political dignitaries, senior corporate and Government officials, and high-ranking military officers. Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer David S. Lewis and GD President Oliver C. Boileau cohosted the event. Congressional attendees included such defense and aerospace stal-warts as Senators Barry Goldwater of Arizona, John G. Tower of Texas, and Howard W. Cannon of New Mexico, along with Representatives Jim Wright and Martin Frost, both of Texas.2
For the Air Force, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Gabriel, along with senior officers and representatives from key Air Force agencies and organizations involved in various aspects of research, development, acquisition, and manage-ment, were present. These included Dr. Alton G. Keel, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Lt. Gen. Lawrence A. Skantze, commander of the Aeronautical Systems Division; Lt. Gen. Kelly Burke, deputy chief of staff for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Lt.
Gen. Thomas H. McMullen, vice commander of the Tactical Air Command;
and Brig. Gen. George L. Monahan, of the F-16 Systems Program Office.
In recognition of NASA’s significant contributions to the F-16XL, NASA Administrator James M. Beggs represented NASA scientists and engineers who rendered invaluable assistance in development and refinement of the cranked-arrow wing and other important F-16XL design and flight safety features over a period of several years.3
During the ceremony, GD Chairman Lewis commented that the F-16XL
“combines the best technology of the 1980s with a proven design that enabled us to make only a minimum number of changes.”4 Herbert F. Rogers, vice president and general manager of the General Dynamics Fort Worth Division, added, “while the F-16XL looks drastically different, it really is not. The major differences are that the wings and tails have been removed and replaced by the cranked arrow wing, and two fuselage plugs totaling 56 inches have been added.” Rogers went on to note that General Dynamics was urging the Air Force to consider procurement of an F-16 variant based on the F-16XL design.
“The F-16XL represents a truly dramatic increase in fighter capability, and because it shares a substantial commonality with the F-16, it could easily be phased into production with the F-16.”5
In his comments, Skantze observed, “The F-16 is rapidly becoming the backbone of Tactical Air Command. It is being produced in a superb fashion, on schedule and at cost. It has well acquitted itself as a combat aircraft,” the latter a passing reference to its success in Israeli hands during combat against the Syrian air force that was unfolding even then over Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
He called the rollout “a very exciting event. It is a great tribute to the man-agement of General Dynamics and a far greater tribute to the work force and designer team of this great aircraft.”6
In his prepared remarks, Tower also noted the success of the F-16 pro-gram, and he added, “I am proud of what General Dynamics has done, and it has been consistent with the
Department of Defense’s goal of improving existing systems, rather than developing new systems.”7 Tower’s remarks may also have been a pointed commentary on the fact that the Air Force had com-mitted to embark on a totally new air superiority fighter to be devel-oped under the Advanced Tactical Fighter program. Featuring true supercruise performance (that is, the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds without using afterburner),
sensor fusion, thrust-vectoring, and advanced extremely high stealth capa-bilities, the ATF evolved to create the superlative Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor, the world’s most advanced air dominance fighter.
Just prior to the highlight of the ceremony—the debut of the F-16XL—
two armed F-16s taxied out in front of the assembled audience. One was loaded for an air-to-air mission with four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and a 300-gallon centerline fuel tank. The other was in an air-to-ground mission configuration with six 500-pound Mk-82 bombs, two 370-gallon under-wing drop tanks, an electronic countermeasures pod, and two AIM-9 mis-siles mounted on the wingtips. The F-16XL then taxied out and parked between the two F-16s. To graphically demonstrate its multimission capa-bilities, GD had configured the F-16XL to fly either an to-air or an air-to-ground mission on the same sortie without having to carry external fuel tanks. To emphasize its dual-role mission capabilities, the aircraft was loaded with AIM-9L missiles on wingtip launchers with four dummy AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles conformally carried at the location where actual mis-siles would have been attached in semisubmerged mountings. Additionally, 16 Mk-82 general-purpose bombs were mounted on individual low-drag bomb racks under the wings. Fort Worth General Manager Herb Rogers concluded the rollout ceremony by telling the audience that the first flight of the F-16XL was imminent, noting, “Just nineteen months ago, this was a paper airplane. Now it is a reality.”8
A Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor of the USAF Air Combat Command’s 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Wing, over Okinawa. (USAF)