The General Dynamics F-16XL is a derivative of the
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
, with a
cranked-arrow delta wing. It was originally conceived as a technology demonstrator, later entered in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
's (USAF)
Enhanced Tactical Fighter
The Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) was a strike fighter/interdictor program conducted by the United States Air Force between 1980 and 1984, to seek replacements for the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. It resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F-15E ...
(ETF) competition but lost to the
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without rely ...
. Several years after the prototypes were shelved, they were turned over to
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...
for additional aeronautical research. Both aircraft are currently stored at
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
.
Development
SCAMP
In 1977, the F-16XL started out as the F-16 SCAMP (Supersonic Cruise And Maneuver Prototype) at
General Dynamics Fort Worth. Under the leadership of