General Dynamics F-16XL Fighting Falcon

General Dynamics · United States · first flew 1982 · fighter

The F-16XL was an experimental cranked-arrow delta-wing derivative of the F-16, built to test whether a larger wing could improve range and low-altitude ride without sacrificing fighter performance.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, delta
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	visibly longer fuselage than a standard F-16
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

much larger cranked-arrow delta wing than a standard F-16
visibly longer fuselage than a standard F-16
single engine, standard F-16 nose and canopy

Its much larger cranked-arrow delta wing and longer fuselage make it visibly bigger than a standard F-16, despite sharing the same nose, canopy and single engine.

Specifications

The General Dynamics F-16XL Fighting Falcon has a length of 16.51 m (54 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.88 m (32 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1982, the F-16XL competed unsuccessfully against the F-15E for the USAF's dual-role fighter requirement before being handed to NASA for aerodynamic research through the 1990s and 2000s.

Variants

Built as both single-seat and two-seat prototypes; never produced beyond these two aircraft.

Where you'll see it

Both prototypes flew as NASA research aircraft after losing the fighter competition, rather than serving operationally.

Related aircraft

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