The Vought/General Dynamics Model 1600 series was a

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

proposal for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

's Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program. The Model 1600 was a

carrier-based A carrier-based aircraft (also known as carrier-capable aircraft, carrier-borne aircraft, carrier aircraft or aeronaval aircraft) is a naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. Carrier-based aircraft must be able to launch ...

derivative of the

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

, but lost to the Northrop/

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

Development

Following the YF-16's victory over the Northrop YF-17 for the U.S. Air Force's Air Combat Fighter program, General Dynamics decided a navalized variant of the F-16 could also be suitable in the Navy's Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program. Having no carrier aircraft experience, General Dynamics teamed up with

Vought Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace (part of Ling-Temco-Vought), Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought ...

( LTV Aerospace), which had designed the successful carrier-capable F-8 Crusader and A-7 Corsair II for the Navy. If selected, Vought would have produced the carrier version of the F-16. Peacock 1997, p. 54. Vought created three concepts for the navalized F-16. The main proposal was the Model 1600, which was based on the Block 10 F-16, which featured structural strengthening, an arrestor hook, and a more robust undercarriage to accommodate carrier launch and recovery operations. The Model 1600 featured the Pratt & Whitney F401, but two other powerplant choices were also explored. The Model 1601 had an improved

Pratt & Whitney F100 The Pratt & Whitney F100 (company designation JTF22) is a low bypass afterburner, afterburning turbofan engine. It was designed and manufactured by Pratt & Whitney to power the U.S. Air Force's "FX" initiative in 1965, which became the McDonnell ...

, while the Model 1602 used the General Electric F101. The aircraft was to be armed with

AIM-7 Sparrow The AIM-7 Sparrow (Air Intercept Missile) is an American medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and various other air forces and navies. Sp ...

missiles. Launch rails were to be added on the sides of the intake for

AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile. Entering service with the United States Navy in 1956 and the Air Force in 1964, the AIM-9 is one of the oldest, cheapest, and most successful air-to-air missiles. Its latest variants rema ...

missiles. However, the Navy preferred a twin-engine aircraft, among other reasons, and on 2 May 1975 it selected the Northrop-

YF-17-based Model 267 proposal, which became the

. Buttler 2008, p. 207.

Variants

;Model 1600 : A strengthened version of the F-16 Block 10 with carrier arrestor hook and revised nosewheel.Senior 2003, p. 21. It was powered by the Pratt & Whitney F401 (JTF22A-26C) afterburning

turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...

.Thomason 2009, p. 163.Buttler 2008, p. 208. ;Model 1601 : Similar to Model 1600, except equipped with an upgraded

(JTF22B-25) afterburning

. ;Model 1602 : Similar to Model 1601, except with a General Electric F101-100 engine, a further enlarged fuselage, and avionics and armament changes.Buttler 2008, p. 206. ;Model 1602B : Final submission in March 1975; least like the F-16.Thomason 2009, p. 164.

Specifications (Model 1600)

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

{{F-16 Fighting Falcon variants 1600 Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States Single-engined jet aircraft Carrier-based aircraft General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Mid-wing aircraft Proposed military aircraft of the United States 1970s United States fighter aircraft Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear