F-36 Kingsnake the return of the F16XL? #avgeek #blender3d #f36 #king #snake

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Recently the Air Force announced that it may be interested in obtaining a new low cost option to replace its fleet of F-16s, calling for a clean sheet design of a new either fourth and a half gen or fifth gen minus fighter. The role that today's F16s play cannot be understated: while the F22 and F35 are the air force's fifth generation frontline fighters, the F16 is by far the most numerous fighter the air force operates, with more F16 examples than all F15s, F22s and F35s combined. As a result you could make the argument that the F16 is the backbone of today's air force. And while the USAF's F16s have served with distinction during its operational lifetime, current Air Force leaders feel that the viper lacks the mission systems capability and networked software sophistication to be a serious contender. Additionally, the air force has stated that the goal is to have 386 squadrons. Assuming an average of 20 aircraft per squadron, that's 7,720 aircraft and plenty of new airframes that need to be produced.

Link to the video on the F-15EX (Eagle II) documentary


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Credits/Attributions:

"The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

F-15EX first flight photos courtesy of:
Alex Farwell / Viking Aero Images:

F-15 EX Concept Art:

F-22 and F-16 footage courtesy of:

Based on the article found in Hush-Kit:

f16xl supercruise avgeek specifications double delta f15e ace combat 7 f 36 kingsnake f-36 king snake f-36 kingsnake raptor

[billmandaue]

"King snake" is a great name for a fighter to replace the F-16, since king snakes (much like cobras) hunt and kill other snakes, such as vipers.

[blakena]

It would be so cool to see a derivative of the F-16XL flying around.

[iulianrusu]

So an F16 and a Draken had too much to drink one night...

[robertgarcia]

When i worked on the F-16XL for NASA, there many proposed projects for the aircraft. One was thrust vectoring (like VISTA) and removing the vertical tail. Lots of potential for this great F-16 derivative.

[smithnwesson]

An updated F-16 XL would be a great option as it gives you true multi role capabilities by allowing then to carry a ton of ordnance for bombing runs or mix and match with air to air missiles for escorts.

[russprescott]

I’ve always love the F-16 fighting Falcon. I was at Edwards AFB in the 80s with the F-16XL and the F-20 Tiger shark testing. XL was ahead of its time, maybe it time for her

[Condor]

I built a 1:72 F-16XL back in the 1980's, and have always dreamed they would put it into production. It was such a fantastic design.

[pyronuke]

I think the idea of building new 4th+ gen aircraft is a good one, as 5th gen are expensive to build and maintain. So building less potent but still capable fighters is probably the best call for replacing the aging old fleet.
And who knows, maybe by the time we are building 6th gen aircraft we may be building newer 5th gen to compliment those as well.

[montanabulldog]

Bringing back the F-16XL, would be a "Fantastic" idea, as the TECH of the aircraft is already known, so "Development", would be next to NOTHING . . . it was a "Mistake", not to have built it in the first place, but this NEW design, using the XL as its "Base Design", would save COUNTLESS DOLLARS . . . this project, should be started ASAP !.

[ronlucock]

Salesman: "Now let's see sir, would you like a 4th & a half Gen plane, or fifth-Gen minus".
Buyer: "Minus what?"

[pancudowny]

It's interesting what lessons in wing shape were learned from the Concorde, and the Saab J-35 Drakken.

[lordvalentine]

If I drink Guinness extra stout beer I too can super Cruise

[IamN-]

Can't wait till this becomes a 1/32 scale model

[mrsmith]

I worked on the XL from concept through development it has several more fantastic features that were not mentioned and at the roll out I was just positive this plane would be adopted like I was at the roll out of the F 16. I was very disappointed when it lost the completion. I would love to see an updated General Dynamics plane like the XL in our sky again.

[markleadbeatter]

I was always disappointed that the F-16XL never made it into production and would therefore be happy if this updated version was finally put into service. Let’s hope they can make a compelling case for it.

[michaeld]

The F-119 was designed from the onset to have flat nozzles. It wasn't modified to have flat nozzles, its prototype, the YF-119 as well as the PW5000 that came before it all had flat nozzles.

Modifying it with round nozzles will require more work and cost. It would be cheaper just to put the original flat nozzle of the F119. If you really want round nozzles then just design it to fit the F135, which is, in a way, a modified F119 with round nozzles

[markdittell]

Go with the F-22 engine but make it fully 3D thrust vectoring! add cool air sleeve mix chamber to spoil heat seeking. Yes this is exactly what the AirForce needs!

[markg.]

My new favorite aviation site. And not a computer generated voice. Thanks!

[philfoggs]

I remember the cranked arrow as a test bed back in the 80’s. I thought she was a good idea then. So yes given that the Falcon is nearing the the end of its service life, an upgrade of this type is perfect for extending its airframe life. The Navy has already upgraded the F/A 18 for greater range payload and mission capability. It would also cost us less money than creating a completely new bird to fill the void if the F-16 were taken out of service. Also a retooling will be much easier as well as training the ground crews to maintain an aircraft they already know. Btw I’m not a pilot but I grew up near a SAC base and I love military aircraft because they represent the cutting edge of aviation technology and enjoy reading about them. This video is a great assessment of how to keep a great aircraft flying into the near future while the next generation fighter is still in the computer.

[SeanOHanlon]

Interesting concept. I definitely like the twin rudders idea as I believe it increases maneuverability and stability. Building on a proven platform is the right idea.