General Dynamics F-16XL


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 Enhanced Tactical Fighter 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]; one of the two aircraft has since been placed on display.

Development

SCAMP

Shortly after winning the lightweight fighter program, General Dynamics Fort Worth began investigating possible derivatives with the goal of enhancing both air-to-air and air-to-ground mission capabilities while retaining parts commonality with the. Under the leadership of Harry Hillaker, the Supersonic Cruise and Maneuver Prototype project was started. Several wing designs were considered, including one using a forward-swept wing, but the large "cranked-arrow" wing was pursued due to its higher lift-to-drag ratio at supersonic speeds.
The company worked closely with NASA's Langley Research Center and invested significant R&D funds for wind tunnel testing. Over several years the design was refined which led to the final design by late 1980.

Enhanced Tactical Fighter competition

In 1980, the USAF signed on as a partner, providing the fuselages of the third and fifth production s for conversion. These two fuselages became the only examples of the.
In March 1981, the USAF announced the Enhanced Tactical Fighter program to procure a replacement for the F-111 Aardvark. The concept envisioned an aircraft capable of launching deep interdiction missions without requiring additional support in the form of fighter escorts or jamming support. General Dynamics submitted the while McDonnell Douglas submitted a variant of the F-15 Eagle. Though the two aircraft were competing for the same role, they had fairly different design approaches. The required very few alterations from its base, while the had major structural and aerodynamic differences from the original. As such, the would have required much more effort, time, and money to put into full production. Additionally, the had two engines, which gave it a much higher maximum takeoff weight and redundancy in the case of engine failure.
In February 1984, the USAF awarded the ETF contract to McDonnell Douglas. The two were returned to the Air Force and placed in storage at Edwards Air Force Base. Had General Dynamics won the competition, the would have gone into production as the F-16E/F.

Design

The wing and rear horizontal control surfaces of the base were replaced with a cranked-arrow delta wing 115% larger than the original wing. Extensive use of graphite-bismaleimide composites allowed the savings of of weight, but the and were and heavier respectively than the original.
Less noticeable is that the fuselage was lengthened by by the addition of two sections at the joints of the main fuselage sub-assemblies. With the new wing design, the tail section had to be canted up 3.16°, and the ventral fins removed, to prevent them from striking the pavement during takeoff and landing. The also received a larger inlet which would go on to be included in later variants.
These changes resulted in a 25% improvement in lift-to-drag ratio in supersonic flight while remaining comparable in subsonic flight, and a plane that reportedly handled smoothly at high speeds and low altitudes. The enlargements increased internal fuel capacity by, or about 65%. The could carry twice the ordnance of the and deliver it 50% farther. The enlarged wing and strengthened hardpoints allowed for a highly configurable payload:
  • 16× wing hardpoints
  • 5× wing hardpoints
  • 4× semi-recessed AIM-120 AMRAAM stations under fuselage
  • 2× wingtip stations
  • 1× centerline station
  • 2× wing "heavy/wet" stations
  • 2× chin LANTIRN stations

NASA testing

In 1988, the two aircraft were turned over to NASA Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility for supersonic laminar flow research for the High Speed Civil Transport program. The F-16XL was considered ideal for these tests because of its cranked-arrow wing and high-speed, high-altitude capabilities. The tests were carried out by a NASA and industry team and were intended to achieve laminar flow over the wings, validate computational fluid dynamics design methodology, and test active suction systems. These tests involved the installation of either passive or active suction aerodynamic gloves. The active suction glove was intended to suck away turbulent airflow over the wings during supersonic flight, restoring laminar flow and reducing drag. The NASA Langley Research Center developed and coordinated experiments.
was fitted with an active suction glove encasing the left wing. Designed and built by North American Aviation, it had laser-cut holes that were nominally diameter at a uniform spacing. The suction was provided by a Convair 880 air-conditioning turbocompressor where the 20mm cannon's ammunition had been. The glove covered over of the wing. Overall, completed 31 test flights for these tests from May 1990 to September 1992. Afterwards, it was used to test takeoff performance, engine noise, and sonic boom phenomena.
had its engine replaced with the more powerful General Electric F110-129. It achieved limited supercruise, a design goal of the that was never attained in ETF testing, when it reached at on full military power. It was mounted with a passive glove on the right wing and an active suction glove on the left wing. The passive glove was fitted with instruments to measure the flow characteristics over the wing. The active suction glove was designed and fabricated by Boeing; it was made of titanium and had over 12 million laser-cut holes, each in diameter, spaced apart. Suction was provided by a cabin-air pressurization turbocompressor from a Boeing 707, installed where the 20mm ammunition drum had been, which exhausted above the right wing. Overall, performed 45 test flights from October 1995 to November 1996.
While "significant progress" was made towards achieving laminar flow at supersonic speeds, neither aircraft achieved the requisite laminar flow characteristics at intended speeds and altitudes. Nonetheless, NASA officials considered the test program to have been successful. NASA briefly investigated using a Tupolev Tu-144 which would more closely resemble the high-speed civil transport aircraft to continue supersonic laminar flow research, but did not pursue the idea due to a limited budget.
At the conclusion of their test programs in 1999, both were placed into storage at NASA Dryden. In 2007, Boeing and NASA studied the feasibility of returning to flight status and upgrading it with many of the improvements found in the USAF's in order to further test sonic boom mitigation technology. was taxi tested at Dryden and given systems checks. However, both were retired in 2009 and stored at Edwards AFB.

Aircraft on display