The Vought/General Dynamics Model 1600 series was a fighter aircraft proposal designed for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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

carrier-based Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstan ...

derivative of the

General Dynamics 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 success ...

, but lost to the Northrop/

McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American 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 merger with Boeing in 1997, it ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now par ...

Development

Following the YF-16's victory over the

Northrop YF-17 The Northrop YF-17 (nicknamed "Cobra") is a prototype lightweight fighter aircraft designed by Northrop aviation for the United States Air Force's Lightweight Fighter (LWF) technology evaluation program. The LWF was initiated because many in ...

for the U.S. Air Force's ACF competition, General Dynamics decided a navalized variant could also best it in the Navy's Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program. Having no carrier aircraft experience, GD 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 Ai ...

(LTV Aerospace), which had designed the successful carrier-capable

F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Fr ...

and

A-7 Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design wa ...

for the Navy; if selected, Vought would have produced the carrier version of the F-16.Peacock 1997, p. 54. LTV created three concepts for the navalized F-16. The main proposal was the Model 1600, which was based on the Block 10 F-16. It featured structural strengthening, an arrestor hook, and a more robust undercarriage to accommodate the rigors of carrier launch and recovery operations. The Model 1600 employed the

Pratt & Whitney F401 The Pratt & Whitney F401 (company designation JTF22) was an afterburning turbofan engine developed by Pratt & Whitney in tandem with the Pratt & Whitney F100. The F401 was intended to power the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and Rockwell XFV-12, but the eng ...

, 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 an afterburning turbofan engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney that powers the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Development In 1967, the United States Navy and United States Air Fo ...

, while the Model 1602 used the

General Electric F101 The General Electric F101 is an afterburning turbofan jet engine. It powers the Rockwell B-1 Lancer strategic bomber fleet of the USAF. In full afterburner it produces a thrust of more than . The F101 was GE's first turbofan with an afterburner ...

. The aircraft was to be armed with AIM-7 Sparrow air-air missiles. Launch rails were to be added on the sides of the intakes for AIM-9 Sidewinder 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

(JTF22A-26C) afterburning

turbofan The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical ...

.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

-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

* * Peacock, Lindsay. ''On Falcon Wings: The F-16 Story''. RAF Fairford, United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Enterprises, 1997. . * Senior, Tim. ''The AirForces Monthly Book of the F-16 Fighting Falcon''. Stamford, UK: Key Books Ltd, 2002. . * *

External links

{{F-16 Fighting Falcon variants

1600 __NOTOC__ In the Gregorian calendar, it was the last century leap year until the year 2000. Events January–June * January 1 – Scotland adopts January 1 as New Year's Day instead of March 25. * January ** Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of ...

Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United States Single-engined jet aircraft Carrier-based aircraft General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Mid-wing aircraft