KF-16 Fighting Falcon

Korea Aerospace Industries / Lockheed Martin · United States · first flew 1984 · fighter

Variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon — family overview.

The KF-16 is the South Korean license-built version of the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, backbone of the Republic of Korea Air Force.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Blended body with cropped-delta wing
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Single-engine multirole fighter
Ventral chin air intake
Blended body with cropped-delta wing

Identify it by the single engine, the distinctive intake under the nose, the frameless bubble canopy and the blended body with a cropped-delta wing and single fin.

Specifications

The KF-16 Fighting Falcon has a length of 15.06 m (49 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.45 m (31 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2178 km/h (1353 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

The F-16 first flew in 1974 and the more capable C/D models in 1984. Under the Korean Fighter Program, Korea Aerospace Industries assembled and later built F-16C/D Block 52 aircraft locally as the KF-16 from the mid-1990s.

Variants

Korean production covers single-seat KF-16C and two-seat KF-16D Block 52 aircraft, subsequently upgraded with new radar and weapons. They are broadly equivalent to advanced US and export Block 52 Falcons.

Where you'll see it

The KF-16 is a mainstay of the Republic of Korea Air Force; the RAF never operated the F-16, having selected the Tornado and later the Typhoon and F-35 instead.

Related aircraft

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