The F-16XL is an experimental variant of the famed F-16 Fighting Falcon, sporting some of the most out-of-the-box aerospace engineering ever to see life but never to reach close to its potential in active service. The F-16XL, built by General Dynamics, had the mission of testing the benefits that a cranked-arrow delta wing could provide in a solution for better lift, range, and payload capacity.
The origins of the F-16XL go back to 1977’s F-16 SCAMP, which stood for Supersonic Cruise and Maneuver Prototype. The very visionary concept was testing the feasibility of supersonic cruising, today more commonly referred to as “supercruising.” Advanced features at the time included carbon-fiber wing skins reducing the weight of the aircraft by an estimated 600 pounds.
It was later evaluated in the U.S. Air Force’s Enhanced Tactical Fighter program, where it was up against the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle to supersede the aging F-111 Aardvark. This cranked-arrow wing design increased its lift-to-drag ratio considerably, enabling it to carry twice the amount of ordnance of a standard F-16 approximately 40% farther. The fuselage was lengthened by 56 inches to allow for a different wing configuration, a configuration that carried a total of 27 hardpoints for armaments.
Despite all these advanced capabilities, the F-16XL lost to the F-15E in the year 1984. The development cost of the F-15E was much lower. In addition to this fact, there was a perceived future growth potential of the F-15E. Having two engines afforded greater survivability. Compared to the F-15E, the F-16XL needed more modification and was only a demonstrator whereas the F-15E was already an operational aircraft.
After the competition, the two F-16XL prototypes were handed over to NASA for aeronautical research. NASA has put these aircraft to a range of experiments throughout the years, such as sonic boom studies and studies on supersonic laminar flow. This revolutionary design from the F-16XL was later incorporated into newer models of the F-16 family, namely the F-16C/D and F-16E/F Desert Falcon.
The legacy of the F-16XL lives on in the wealth of information gleaned for aeronautical research, as does the shape of her planets in the mind of every A320 driver. Never used in anger, the F-16XL was a glowing icon of light, supercruising fighter jets with surrealistic capabilities.
According to aviation expert Brandon J. Weichert, “It’s too bad that the F-16XL was not taken in by the Air Force, as it was, without question, a better plane than the F-15E and would have been more innovative.” Thus, the story of the F-16XL is an interesting footnote to the latter’s history, just like military aviation, and how it speaks to the torturous nature of progress in aerospace technology.