General Dynamics F-16A Block 10 Fighting Falcon
General Dynamics / Fokker / SABCA · United States · first flew 1980 · fighter
Variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon — family overview.
The F-16A Block 10 is an improved early-production Fighting Falcon incorporating revised avionics, cockpit lighting compatible with night-vision goggles, and updated IFF equipment. It represents the final early-block F-16A before the substantially improved Block 15.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Blended wing-body and strakes unchanged from earlier blocks |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat F-16A with Block 10 avionics improvements
- Revised cockpit lighting and IFF, otherwise same airframe
- Blended wing-body and strakes unchanged from earlier blocks
Indistinguishable from Block 1 and Block 5 F-16As by external appearance alone; all share the same blended wing-body, strakes, and single ventral fin that define the early F-16A family.
Specifications
- The General Dynamics F-16A Block 10 Fighting Falcon has a length of 15.03 m (49 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.45 m (31 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 2120 km/h (1317 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Block 10 deliveries began in 1980, completing the early F-16A production run before the major Block 15 upgrade introduced the enlarged tailplane and other significant changes. All three NATO consortium production lines — General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Fokker in Schiphol, and SABCA in Gosselies — produced Block 10 aircraft.
Variants
Follows Block 5 and precedes Block 15 (which introduced an enlarged horizontal tail); many Block 10s were later upgraded through MLU programmes.
Where you'll see it
Delivered to USAF, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway; widely exported in subsequent blocks to Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and many other nations.
Related aircraft
- F-16 Fighting Falcon
- SABCA F-16 Block 10B Fighting Falcon
- SABCA F-16A Block 10A Fighting Falcon
- General Dynamics F-16A Block 5 Fighting Falcon
- General Dynamics F-16B Block 1 Fighting Falcon
- General Dynamics F-16B Block 5 Fighting Falcon
- F-16C/D Fighting Falcon (Block 50/52)
- KF-16 Fighting Falcon
- Aermacchi MB-339K Veltro II
- AIDC AT-3 Tzu Chung
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