Activated 3=Drop bomb

The General Dynamics F-16XL is a derivative of the F-16 Fighting Falcon with a cranked-arrow delta wing. It entered the United States Air Force's (USAF) Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) competition in 1981 but lost to the F-15E Strike Eagle. The two prototypes were shelved until being turned over to NASA for additional aeronautical research in 1988. Both aircraft were fully retired in 2009 and stored at Edwards Air Force Base.

General information
Type
Experimental fighter
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
General Dynamics
Primary users
United States Air Force
NASA
Number built
2
History
First flight
3 July 1982
Retired
2009
Developed from
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon

General characteristics

Crew: One (XL #1) or Two (XL #2)
Length: 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 5 in (9.88 m) (34 feet 3 inches (10.44 m) with an AIM-9 on the wingtip mount)[54]
Height: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)
Wing area: 663 sq ft (61.6 m2)
Empty weight: 21,157 lb (9,600 kg) [17]
Gross weight: 48,000 lb (21,800 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 48,000 lb (21,800 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F110-GE-100 turbofan, 17,100 lbf (76 kN) thrust dry, 28,900 lbf (129 kN) with afterburner
Performance

Maximum speed: 1,350 mph (2,170 km/h, 1,170 kn) [note 11]
Maximum speed: Mach 2.0
Range: 2,285 mi (3,675 km, 1,985 nmi) (longest achieved through October 1985[57])
Ferry range: 2,580 mi (4,160 km, 2,245 nmi) (with 2x 600 US gallons (2,300 L) drop tanks[25])
Service ceiling: 55,000 ft (16,750 m) [55]
Rate of climb: 62,000 ft/min (310 m/s) [52]
Armament

Guns: 1 × 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon[note 12]
Hardpoints: 17 pylons with a capacity of up to 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) of payload (Note: stations 2–5 and 13–16 were split into groups, similar to the F-15E)