The F-16 Fighting Falcon Should Still Be Feared

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a workhorse of the USAF and other air forces around the world. One of the most successful multi-role fighters in the world it still to this day is a combat aircraft that deserves respect in the air.
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[@terrancestorey7254]

A massive detail you missed was that by choosing the F-16, it made the F-15 cheaper to operate. The F-15 and F-16 both use F100 engines. Building thousands of F100s, drove the unit cost down. In a sense the F-16 made itself cheaper too. That's a win-win-win situation.

[@daljiba]

Its always not always low cost or minimum cost of operation but VICTORY IN BATTLE the hype is now busted by Indian AIR Force

[@chucklucas5653]

Per Wikipedia F-16 Fighting Falcon : Powerplant: 1 × General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan engine, 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) thrust 29,588 lbf (132 kN) wet or 1x Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 / 220E 29,160 lbf (130 kN) Go GE !

[@alistair676]

Its like a russian tank ;)

[@suspicioususer]

@@daljiba outproducing the enemy often leads to victory in battle. Ask the Germans

[@keirfarnum6811]

Breezy Mods Very astute comment about tooting ass!

[@wizzzer1337]

F-16 has the curves of a woman, it's the sexiest plane in my opinion and that's not just fetishization, that's an observation of a masterpiece of aerial design.

[@arcosiancosine1065]

Yep. Sexy jet to be sure.

[@raymondkisner9240]

wizzzer1337 hahaha

[@youtubemaster3374]

I think su 35 looke more sexy . F16 seems rather cute to me.

[@firepower7017]

muneeb riaz F-16s can compete against any mig you throw and to make it financially fair 2 F-16s vs any one MIG or SU you have

[@firepower7017]

OptimalOptimus50 A Su-27 can 1v2?

[@brockcherry5303]

best military based YT channel IMO. good facts, no automated bot voices, no keyboard know-it-all's in the comment section... what more could one wish for?

[@bannedinc.]

not to mention brit dry humor. a good way to give good vibes to the viewer! :D

[@romeor6231]

I find these videos to be rather boring. I feel like he's reading off a wiki page till the end.

[@brockcherry5303]

romeo r you lack taste, not only that, but matsimus uses personal experience mixed with online available data in his videos, i don't see any "script reading" vibes in his videos at all.

[@aurathedraak7909]

Brock Cherry no bull shit

[@thefreeman8791]

Dalek14mc is excellent as well. His dispels a lot of military myths on his channel. But he does get the all to familiar keyboard warriors/KZbin experts in the comment section of his channel. It is a good one that I would recommend as well.

[@senatuspopulusqueromanus3011]

Don't forget about the fact that it looks amazing too.

[@_Matsimus_]

Your Favorite Sheepdog so so so sexy I think

[@politedog4959]

It's the most beautiful jet fighter ever designed by the USA. If only it had canards though...

[@senatuspopulusqueromanus3011]

Augschburgball I would argue that the title of "most beautiful" would go to the F-86 Saber... It's definitely tied for first with the F-15 for best looking modern fighter though. PS: The F-22 is also beautiful, but I liked the looks of the F-23 better.

[@politedog4959]

Your Favorite Sheepdog naw, I don't like the nose design and the low mounted wings on the Sabre - Mig-15 looks better imo. The F-15 is a bit too bulky and squarish for my taste, especially the inlets. F-22 looks great, second to the F-16 probably, it's more elegant than the t h i c c F-35... F-23 is pure beauty, but sadly it never made it into production

[@senatuspopulusqueromanus3011]

Augschburgball Those are two of the things that I like the most about it though 🙃... And the F-15 is (arguably, and imo), the greatest straight up fighter ever to see real action. That's why it's so beautiful in my opinion. I agree with you on the F-35 though.

[@dilligafdude9434]

"Countries should fear the F-16 in their airspace." Because that means the F-22s are already there.

[@michaelsmith1348]

Yea baby

[@shevanel92]

LOOOOOOL

[@jamesnorth7318]

Half of the f22 fleet is unoperational and parts are being cannibalised already. I love the look and design of it. But it's overrated.

[@shevanel92]

The F-16 was the perfect multirole righter.

[@p51mustang24]

@midgetydeath Yeah the F-16 is more of an air-to-ground aircraft(now, in its later years of life), with reasonable air to air capabilities when needed. The LRSB, B2, F35, and stealth drones fulfill the roles of early war air defense supresson, then the F16 provides lower cost air to ground (but can still defend itself). Of course in places like the middle east the gen4 aircraft are actually superior to the gen5 aircraft, if only on the ground of cost.

[@drbendover7467]

The F16 fighting falcon will always be remembered as the best lightweight fighter in the world for its time long after the last country stops using them.

[@erusean8492]

Dr Bendover *cough* mig-35

[@Garhunt05]

The a4 skyhawk would like to have a word with you

[@tilenstibilj3930]

*cough* po2 *cough*

[@MakAlexMosc]

Skyhawk and Po-2 are not fighters.

[@Garhunt05]

MakAlexMosc the A4 was used as a fighter by numerous air forces. But if its rejected the f5 tiger 2 and f86 will suffice.

[@nibotkram7743]

Great vid. Nice to see a Brit who isn't bashing us in the US. The Falcon has been one of my favorites for decades. Truly an American legend I love your channel and thanks for your service to free people everywhere.

[@GrOuNdZeRo7777]

Always thought of the F-16 as the Honda CIvic of fighters, Very capable and popular with a huge following without breaking the bank.

[@jeffarab4947]

GrOuNdZeRo7777 Dangerous Things Channel so cool that was a good one eco mode too

[@KPunkZ]

Drive a civic, drive a civic, drive a civic, drive a civic. A car you can trust.

[@boomerisadog3899]

If the civic was a eg hatch with a k-swap, turbo, and awd.

[@wuhan827]

@@boomerisadog3899 ahhhh gotta love that viscous coupler on a Kswap

[@A7XKoRnRocks1]

The PAF has it as their main fighter since the 80's in fact Pakistan was one of the first customers due to the Afghan Soviet War and it was really successful there. My dad was a F-16 pilot in the PAF, proud of that.

[@alantorres7916]

The only thing more dangerous than this is a British man with a la85a2 that hasn't got his tea yet

[@chookianna6146]

Sargeant Cookie XD

[@arandomyoutuber6634]

Sargeant Cookie I'm British but I lvoe the tea jokes and stuff except when people just talk about British people and tea and say stuff rude like that

[@alantorres7916]

ARandomKZbinr well I just thought it was funny how you guys like your team but if the jokes are too much I'll stop I just find them to be funny

[@alantorres7916]

randomguy8196 that's exactly why I put a2

[@alantorres7916]

ARandomKZbinr here a better joke The only thing more dangerous than a f16 Is someone useing a la5a1

[@demanischaffer]

I always loved how the Viper (USAF pilots nicknamed the Falcon that before it got the official name) Looked so futuristic for it's time

[@luska5522]

The nickname came from Battlestar Galactica

[@2serveand2protect]

It IS still feared and it is still a platform that has enormous potential improvement. It's (very simply) - an EXCELLENT DESIGN, that combined with the new advancements in electronics, is still extremely versatile and DEADLY. DAMMIT! What else do you need from a plane??

[@dragonbutt]

We need it to fly its self! Oh wait QF-16 :DDDD

[@charlie15627]

The F-16 is a beautiful machine, fast and agile. With avionics and radar upgrades, it can certainly have a long service life. Although stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35 have moved the game to a new level, the F-16 is still on par with a great many opposing aircraft and it's multirole capabilities make a valuable asset.

[@lmbtcs1879]

Charlie Harris f35 is cumbersome, f22 is great but damn costly

[@deatbird99k]

F-35 is a great jet but it's not a fighter it's a multi role and the F-22 is just godly

[@romeor6231]

The f-35 is far more agile than the f-16. Far stronger engine and little drag because of internal weapons.

[@charlie15627]

The F-35 and F-22 are both far superior to the F-16 but, they are also very expensive. We can't afford to replace all the F-16's overnight. The F-35 does cover all of the fields the F-16 does and then some, Including air-to-air. The F-16 does have a greater thrust to weight ratio and it carries more air-to-air weapons, externally, making it a better dogfighter. The biggest fear with it is that we're making the same mistake that we did with the F-4. Then, like now, we assume that our technology makes close-in dogfighting obsolete. It remains to be seen if we're right this time. At least the F-35 has a gun. Something the F-4 did not. Considering that, why would we spends hundreds of billions of dollars to replace them when they're still, quite effectively, doing their job. The replacements also need to be tempered in battle, before we lay all of our trust in them. The F-22 is just a beast all around but it also hasn't been tested in battle. Far as I know all it's done is follow some Russian and Syrian planes and monitor some of Syria's airspace.

[@young_dieg0301]

Also, the F-16's is getting an upgrade in a variant called F-16V

[@captaincurd2681]

F-16 is the Bruce Lee of the sky. Fast, agile shirt off combat machine.

[@HiHassanZia]

F-16 will never fade from the memories even decades later after it's retired, the most versatile, the most beautiful, the most feared, the most sexiest (which gives you goosebumps just by looking at it) and last but not least the Best multirole fighter jet ever developed....

[@JamesTMAK1]

If you haven't read it, i heavily recommend "Viper Pilot" by Dan Hampton. It's his experiences of being a SEAD Wild Weasel pilot in the F16CJ in both Iraq wars.

[@arcosiancosine1065]

Boyd is another good book.

[@TheSaintArmando]

Being a wild Weasel must be one of the most terrifying things.

Great read...love when he talks about all the pixies he had shot off during a raid.

[@veritechdcs9937]

I’ve heard horrible things about that guy. Go for Vipers In The Storm for something more humane

[@SteelbeastsCavalry]

DAMN RIGHT!!! 10:22 Ah..... that number just rings nothing but joy in my ears....

[@_Matsimus_]

SteelbeastsCavalry thought you would like this ;-)

[@LupusAries]

Come 'round, come gather here.... ;)

[@RaderizDorret]

Ah, the Viper. She's getting old and showing her age, but she was THE gold standard for most of her life and, in the hands of a skilled pilot, can bring down nearly any opponent it could potentially face. I kinda wish we could have gotten the F-16XL variant into production (cranked arrow full delta wing with at least 16 hardpoints, drastic increase in range and low speed handling characteristics, and minimal high speed performance degradation due to the increased weight). Could you do a video on the F-5, A-4, and A-37? All are very good "bang for your buck" aircraft that served proudly around the world.

[@billr.1230]

The reason we didn't buy the XL is because it bled off too much speed in a turn. The F-15E was a better, albeit, more expensive choice.

[@bobski8203]

A-4 Skyhawks were awesome. The US Navy still flew them in a defensive role back in the 1980s and 1990s. Nevertheless, they never did and never will compare to the F-16, no matter how superlative they may have been.

[@freefall0483]

Awesome aircraft. Even little things, like having AMRAAMs on the wingtip stations to allow your BVR weapons to be gone before dogfighting, thus improving roll rate, as well as the ability to match any 3rd generation aircraft BEFORE dropping A-G stores is legendary. Even after all of this time, the -16's RCS is very good. Just under 1 square metre. The addition of the Helmet Mounted Queing System and the Sniper A-G/A-A targeting pod makes it a severly dangerous opponent. Even after the F-35 comes all the way online, the -16 is likely to have a very long life with the ANG as well as many 3rd world countries. I beleive that it will be the MIG-21 of the new century.

[@metanumia]

I fell in love with the Viper as soon as I booted up Falcon 4.0 for the first time in 1998, after reading through the 3 inch thick manual of course! The F-16 is arguably one of the best defense acquisitions the U.S. Air Force has ever made, in terms of dollar-to-performance ratio.

[@arcosiancosine1065]

Falcon 4 is still around and better than ever thanks to some dedicated fans. Look up Falcon BMS. There's a few more manuals now too :)

[@metanumia]

Thanks so much +Arcosian Cosine ! I really appreciate the tip, I played BMS quite a few versions back, and I was thoroughly impressed at the time. Your comment reminded me I should go check out how it's doing these days, no doubt they've continued to improve and expand it. :)

[@corsairpl133]

Anodyne Melody if i only i had good PC and HOTAS...

[@Ag3nt0fCha0s]

Anodyne Melody oh yeah, F16 is a little workhorse. Much like the F5. A shame for the americans to have started so strongly with the F5, continued so capably with the F16, to finish so pathetically with the F35.

[@JZ909]

I spent countless hours in that tome of a book.

[@shadownor]

I was usaf weapons troop on f-15s, it is common knowledge that you dont want to get in a knife fight with a viper.

[@Yazaku]

I saw F16 in RIAT this year, and those was amazing planes. I think that was the most agile plane in the show, with Eurofighter and JAS 39 Gripen.

[@Eleolius]

Best looking plane on the market for decades. Though the Dassault Rafale looks slick too.

[@sseltrek1a2b]

the Rafale is almost a dual-engine sister to the F-16....very similar look (aside from the dual wings)...

[@jeffarab4947]

Steve Selinsky they are amazing and they perform maneuvers so tight and can really be deadly in air to air dogfights

[@DoctorYoda2]

Stealth technology decreases the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of a jet considerably. Which allows it to get closer to its target before it is detected, therefore decreasing the target's time to react before it is destroyed. The only thing that can be used to counter this is a low frequency radar system, but, low frequency radar has its downsides. 1. It is way less precise than high frequency radar, therefore it cannot launch a SAM as accurately as an HF radar system. 2. It's physical radar masts are HUGE compared to an HF radar unit. Therefore limiting the number of locations you can use it in. So I wouldn't say stealth technology is useless, but it doesn't give an advantage big enough to make turning your entire fleet of offensive aircraft into stealth aircraft a smart decision.

[@ricardosoto5770]

It also descreases the size of air defense bubbles around SAM sites.. allowing stealth airplanes to attack areas that were though to be covered by the SAM site.

[@Pow3llMorgan]

A mate I worked with was a former F-16 mechanic. He says from an engineering and servicing standpoint they are just excellent to work with. It's easy to get replacement parts and the knowledge base is huge because so many different forces fly and service them. Also the iconic air intake is especially suited for taking a nap in! :D

[@nathanlennox6056]

Until that one guy nobody pays attention to disappears one day after a runup haha

[@drutalero2962]

@@nathanlennox6056 nah. Every run up requires fod check.

[@drutalero2962]

Especially in the winter when it's cold 😃

[@oceanhome2023]

The nap would have been similar to the cat that decided to take a “Warm Nap” under the hood of my frozen car . It’s screeching disembowelment was thought to be slipping engine accessory belts as I blipped the throttle to clear it it DID start slipping due to the fresh warm guts in the pulleys. The true mayhem was not evidenced to me until I checked the oil ! Poor kitty

[@kathrynck]

The original F-16A was a brilliant dogfighter, but it had a lot of limitations. When the F-16C model came out, those limitations were largely addressed, but the added weight of the C model somewhat compromised it's dogfighting edge. In later block upgrades though, with the new engines going from around 24000 lbs thrust to about 30,000, that weight issue disappeared, and the F-16 really hit it's sweet spot. Any late block series upgrade version of F-16 is a very formidable gen 4 fighter, and at a great price. It's not the creme de la creme of 4th gen, but if you measure it by dollars per ounce of effectiveness, it can still give anything out there a run for it's money. It should probably avoid dogfighting with thrust vectoring planes though.

[@faridadungca5822]

kathrynck Could your thrust vectoring plane outmaneuver latest air to air missiles in a dogfight nowadays? Doubt it.

[@kathrynck]

@@faridadungca5822 I agree, maneuverability has become a secondary consideration in G5. More than the issue of trying to out maneuver a missile which doesn't have a squishy pilot... is the fact that missiles are less and less requiring a 12 o'clock aim to be fired at a target, which really deconstructs traditional dogfighting. Missile tech, stealth, advanced sensors, and pilot situational awareness - is replacing ye olden dogfight. Still, the vast majority of planes and missiles out there are gen 4 and 4.5. So dogfighting ability still has relevance "for now". Its an evaporating relevance though. Gen 4 & 4.5 are destined to become missile/bomb trucks, or desert decorations. But that was true of gen's 1-3 too.

[@Sreven199]

To me, the F-16 will always be my favorite Jet aircraft. It's so sleek, and beautiful, yet it packs a hell of a punch. Also, call me crazy, but I feel like it looks like an evolution of the P-51. The bubble canopy, the straight wings, the single large, prominent scoop on the underside of the fuselage.

[@killingfields1424]

You're right, it is a real evolution of the legendary P-51D. General Dynamics did said that they were influence with the P-51D when their YF-16 was to battle it out to win a contract for the airforce requirements to supplement the F-15 Eagle in the strike role against Northrop's YF-17, while the YF-17 relegated for the Navy and becomes the F-18 Hornet

[@cf6282]

Alan Caldoza I had the good fortune to see the YF16 as a youngster back in 1977. Sort of grew up with the machine. Forty years on I was able to show the F16 to my son. Amazing that this bird is still around and still looks beautiful. We went to see the F35 for the first time together a couple of years later. I really missed that big tail at the rear. But when it went up and saw it’s silhouette against the sky....I knew that is what I had to get used to. And it did impress me.

[@kylegoodman5196]

Gotta love that most of the countries who fielded Mig-29s are now flying F-16s with much higher operational rates and greater capabilities.

[@ricardosoto5770]

Its ironic that the Mig 29 who was a designed as a counter for the F 16 its being replaced by it. Politics and durability issues are responsible. In the end the Viper won. The Mig 29 is probably one of the most overrated airplanes in existance. Beautifull, fast and agile, yes.. but, with terrible range, avionics, and unrealiable. With a very short service life of between 2,500 to 3000 flight hours. And since Russia is mostl likey the country Eastern Europeans fear the most, buying the Mig 35, who supposedly fix those issues its a no no.

[@bananomet4052]

I always loved both F15 and F16, beautiful planes.

[@dankoz6340]

Stealth tech is simply trying to minimize your radar cross section. It's not complete disappearance. Most radars will be able to spot a "stealth" target if it's close enough... Or after it fires.

[@julienckjm7430]

That's a good thing that you start to do videos on fighters jet and military aircrafts also. This chanel will only get more interesting!!!

[@DeNihility]

One thing I love about Matsimus videos is that his vids always have subtitles; the auto-generated subs always work.

[@battleshipfleet]

I've always loved the F-16 since i saw iron eagle. such a beautiful jet, my favorite by far.

[@man_vs_life]

Just getting started with Falcon BMS, so this was a nice vid to provide a little atmosphere. It's funny how you went from documentary style narration to more casual chat style - no hiding your enthusiasm for the plane, lol.

[@LuboCirdan]

F-16V Block 70/72 has already its buyers. Bahrain bought 16, then Slovakia 14, and the last buyer is Taiwan with 66.

[@Ozrico1o1]

It was an exciting time here at Ft. Worth when we were building this new fighter. I had friends whose fathers were at General Dynamics working on it. There were F-16's and B52's overhead every day, living here a few miles from the base.

[@JustinHo98]

This jet will always be my favorite simply cause my dad helped design the engine

[@MrBiggrim]

first time i saw this aircraft i thought it was the most beautiful plane ever. still do

[@snafuthebrave1922]

The F16 and the F18 are truly Mig killers.

[@ashimachoudhary7446]

They may be mig killer......what about the SU's

[@snafuthebrave1922]

@@ashimachoudhary7446 that's what the F22's and F15s are for...

[@faridadungca5822]

Snafu The Brave F-16 and F-15 are the MiG killers

[@faridadungca5822]

Ashima Choudhary dont worry the latest Eagle can handle well your SUs...

[@snafuthebrave1922]

@@ashimachoudhary7446 that's the job of the F15 and F22...

[@wikilcontainments]

My understanding was it wasn't meant to be a fighter but a test concept. The thing is a big maneuverable cruse missile with a cockpit on top. Thrust to weight is extreame, at an air show I've seen one follow the deck at 30 feet about 300 mph, go vertical in about one hundred feet, and be almost out of sight strait up in less than ten seconds. Breathtaking.

[@aaronlonghuynh5245]

Well, it is a light fighter.

[@Duvstep910]

+Matsimus Gaming the F-16 is the jet that make me want to be an air force pilot. i FUCKING LOVE THE VIPER

[@romanadamenko6111]

DCS promoting this vid on Facebook brought me to this channel :D great vid and I'm def subscribing

[@XavierAncarno]

The most beautiful canopy in the entire aeronautics world

[@mikedrop4421]

The best part of this story is something that's rarely talked about is the fact that both designs ended up being further developed, produced and deployed.

[@thrakerzad5874]

Probably the most iconic jet fighter/bomber in the world

[@heinrichvonkekelnazi393]

The F-16 is right up there with the F-14 as best fighters ever produced, in my opinion.

[@ricardosoto5770]

In not the best, at least the sexiest.

[@RealestSteve6969]

Love me an F16. Been a fanboy since I was a kid.

[@RoseNJohnSaunders]

MANY years ago I joined the USAF and became a mechanic on the Viper...it had its maintenance issues but nothing like the F-117. I agree that it is a beautiful jet that does its job well at a minimum cost and low-observable (stealth) technology is overrated (and why the F-117 was canx). Good to see props for this old fighter :)

[@NATORDEN]

Meanwhile in warthunder we pull 13gs in Hunter, sabre's meteors and g91s

[@overwatch_9461]

NATORDEN g91 is a bit shit dont you think

[@swayingGrass]

15G in a Zero for 1 whole second.

[@tilenstibilj3930]

my po2 can pull 9990gs

[@overwatch_9461]

BrokenHeadPVP k

[@corsairpl133]

NATORDEN On arcade you can pull 22g on Hurricane.

[@bleutz]

F-16 can also do suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD or Wild Weasel ) mission. That's what a multi-role fighter is, the Viper can do it all!

[@ricardosoto5770]

F 16C block 50/52 its wired for SEAD misions. The CJ models and the C plus.

[@shidder_mutt]

I don't always fly the viper, but when I do I don't carry more then two bombs and bingo in under half an hour. *Dos Gringos intensifies*

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

The Block 60 variants are true masterpieces of technology. Upgraded radar, software, radar and avionics and conformal fuel tanks that the UAE purchased makes that small air force a heavy weight contender in that part of the world.

[@joseglenn20]

too bad their skillset can't keep up with the Aircraft.

[@krebsfish5035]

The F-16 : old but gold

[@CristianValenzuela2155]

Pretty much it sums all up. Congratulations for a great video! One of the best F-16 videos ever, and I mean it.

[@graeme3023]

saved my arse on several occasions

[@shaolindreams]

Something about the F-16 struck a cord with me as a kid.... i think it's the beautiful design... Such a badass plane.

[@jonas2097]

you made a little mistake there Matsimus, the MiG-29 kill over Serbia late 90's was NOT a belgian F-16, but a Dutch one :)

[@gsmd770]

I remember whe I was in the first Gulf War in 1990 and those Falcons screaming by!!!! It was always great to see them! I was a U.S. Army Ranger. To see a A-10,F-15 or F16 was always a great thing,cause they were our backup plan!!!

[@Jake-wz7wy]

Im off sick today and matsimus has uploaded its all going good

[@ludvigthebirb7131]

ayyy me too

[@porkerthepig]

Same here lol

[@brendaproffitt1011]

Great video and the way you explained different thing's on this F16.lightfighter.and dogfights and upgrades bombs and missiles too. Thank you so much for your videos I do appreciate it a lot

[@robinderoos1166]

Well, our dutch ones are rolling fine, though flying not so much... Quite a lot of repairs and refitting is needed...

[@robertsaberniak007]

These birds are getting a big upgrade... the Pentagon approved a bill to improve all the avionics onboards these magnificent birds.

[@rubenyoranpc]

These fly over my house quite regularly. I live near Leeuwarden Air Base in The Netherlands, and I am sad to see them go for the f35's. Those things make a lot more noise than the f16

[@archerythomas]

Rubenyoranpc haven't noticed them making much more noise. Then again it will be a sad day to see them go. Thankfully we will keep them as pilot are being transitioned to the F-35. It will be a great sight seeing them fly over as I live underneath the Leeuwarden AFB flightpath :)

[@Idahoguy10157]

Every aircraft with afterburner (reheat) is loud

[@ricardosoto5770]

In the US has been lawsuits againt USAF airbases when they switched form the F 16s to the F 35 due to the noise.... to its true.

[@joaogirardi2943]

The thing is, it started as a light jet fighter to execute air superiority missions during daylight and then it was gradually upgraded to do ground attack, night missions and got AESA radar and better stuff. So I think the F-16 set an example of how you should design a jet fighter, you start small and then you work your way up to what you want. That's how the F-35 program should have been done. If it followed the example of the F-16, maybe the F-35 would have already been operational way earlier than it really was and the program cost would have been way smaller.

[@dumdumbinks274]

Not really. The F-35 program has been expensive due to political interference and delayed decisions i.e poor management. Could have affected any program.

[@leotmh4135]

Love it when i was kid, F-16V still badass, cost effective and competitive to 4.5th generation jet fighter e.g. EF-2000, Rafale

[@ArmaBulgarian]

Also, it is worth mentioning that my motherland, Bulgaria, has ordered 8-16 F-16 Block 70/72 Aircraft, and I quite like it. If I would want to see one thing implemented into the Bulgarian Air Force F-16 Block 70 aircraft, it is sturdiness. I remember that during one of the Graf Ignatievo Air Shows, where I was with my father, who once was a part of the Air Force, and I asked him what was some of the gear present on one of the runways. He explained as follows: 'Ah, those. They were obtained in preparaton for the new jets, because their engines are more susceptible to dust, unlike a MiG-29, whose engines are sturdy and require less maintenance in that regard.'

[@Tuberuser187]

Great upload as always, thanks mat.

[@_Matsimus_]

Nonarei thanks for watching buddy

[@TheTrueMorningStar]

Here in 2019 India has just started building their brand new F-16s! Glad to hear I was so in love with this jet as a kid we lived next to an air base where one of my moms friends served and I would always go watch them fly. I had photos of this jet all over my room!

[@brandondaniels9471]

The Toyota Corolla of fighter jets 😂😂😂

[@amoxintubeu]

I think it is a Camry.

[@BeamRider100]

lightweight porsche turbo more like

[@ToreDL87]

@@amoxintubeu More like AE86 Corolla, commandeered by a capable driver = Good luck beating it in a knife fight.

[@AvroBellow]

I agree that the F-16 is a phenomenal fighter but I have just one question. WHO should fear the F-16 Fighting Falcon? The same people who should fear the F-16 should also fear the MiG-29/31/35, Su-27/35/57, EF-2000, Rafale, JAS-39, J-10, J-20, F-14, F-15, F-22 and F/A-18C/D. Essentailly, anyone who should fear the F-16 should also fear almost every other modern fighter in operation today because it means that they're probably still flying the F-5 Tiger, the MiG-21 Fishbed or the MiG-23/27 Flogger. With competent pilots, the only modern fighters that I can think of that would need to fear the Falcon would be the Lightning II or the Super Hornet. Also, while the F-16 is a great fighter and could hold its own against any adversary, it is now outclassed in the West by Sweden's JAS-39 Gripen and Russia's MiG-35 Super Fulcrum. The F-16 is very cost-effective but not to the same degree as the JAS-39. The most attractive part of buying the F-16 is knowing that you've also bought the allegiance of the USA. However, if you're a NATO member, you already have their allegiance and so that rather large perk ceases to be relevant.

[@ricardosoto5770]

The F 16 in air to air no longer cutting edge, with the latest russian and eurocanards being better dogfighters and having better BVR until the new AESA, ECM and misile upgrades become common in F 16s. But the F 16 still a fearsome ground attack airplane with about 100 different stores in more than 5000 combinations. And since its more or less cheap, its available to even small NATO or South East asian countries. A F 16 with things like cruise missiles or semi ballistic missiles still can create lots of problems for Russia in Kaliningrad or even St Petesburg or for China in the South China sea.

[@Just-To-Subscribe]

You already mentioned it, but could you do a video about the A 10 and if the f35 is able to replace it?

[@dragonbutt]

Its not hard to replace a Flying gatling cannon when you have guided hydra rocket pods and tanks that have roof armor thick enough to stop a Depleted Uranium 30mm round. Oh, and they're literally turning to dust as we use them. And they dont survive shoulder launched missiles either (No A-10 has ever taken one "on the chin" and kept fighting). And they're pretty slow, consuming a bunch of fuel to just loiter around. The A-10 is SO out of place on the modern battlefield that its getting replaced with propeller aircraft. COIN aircraft.

[@demanischaffer]

Dragon Butt A-10 isn't getting replaced by any prop planes, the USAF light attack program is to augment it

[@petem6755]

@ dragon butt, a10s typically use countermeasures, so instances of getting hit is not as common. However, of some of the missile hits on the A10, some were suspected of being sa7 strela type missiles, for which the damaged a10 was able to make it home...which is quite a feat. the su25 couldn't do that in afghanistan.

[@tobyihli9470]

It's like a light has gone off inside the heads of our military and militaries in other countries about the f35. They don't talk about replacing those other planes with it anymore. They have realized that an f35 working in conjunction with all those other planes has a synergy that makes them all so much more potent. They are going to upgrade all the other planes and keep them in service a lot longer now. They are all almost gen 5 planes when there is an f35 leading out front.

[@mississippirebel1409]

Matsimus- Your video was good but if u think stealth is overrated, then I suggest doing some research. I’ve been in and around the US military for over 30 years. I can tell you that stealth is a game changer. It allows fighters to penetrate enemy air space and get that crucial first shot! With the F-35, it allows it to penetrate enemy air space and take out the enemy’s command and control assets. Also even if the enemy does manage to detect the F-22 or F-35, they will still have have a very hard time getting a weapons lock on them. You are right about not having a whole fleet of stealth/5th gen aircraft. A lot of missions don’t require the capabilities of a 5th gen fighter and a 4th gen fighter like the F-16 or F-15 can carry out that mission.

[@ricardosoto5770]

I totally agree. When people try to compare SU 35s, Rafales, Typhoons or F 15s to F 35s and F 22s, I remind them that the Russians are getting SAMs with a 400km range now. Even western SAMs are getting ranges in the 160km range (PAC 3MSD, PAAC 4, David Sling) or 260km (Aegis), and air to air missiles seem to be getting there too. Meteor, R 77. I wonder how your favorite non stealth fighters would survive such enviroment without heavy casualties.

[@wigon]

You forgot to mention one of the earliest advanced F-16 versions which was the Israeli F-16I Sufa. There was also the Lavi project based upon the F-16 that apparently Israel sold off to China which resulted in the Chinese J-10 fighter jet (although China and Israel deny this). At any rate, check out the F-16I Sufa. It was the first F-16 variant to feature conformal fuel tanks and has an added dorsal spine housing extra fuel and electronics. israeli-weapons.com/weapons/aircraft/f-16i/F-16I.html

[@sonykroket]

The F-16 was the first to be ergonomical and efficient in a world dominated by jets that became more and more expensive and complicated.. It was so revolutionary, the angle of the pilotseat to the Fly-by-wire system etc. Plus it flies like a Porsche.

[@mickaeldelatre3320]

The story of the F16 development is very interesting (a french military history journal talked about it a few years ago) : to be short, a genius engineering and tactical team said "F U" to the Air Force brass, went with a new way to design aircrafts around global performance instead of minimaxing what the Air Force wanted (leading to the 60s disaster), and proposed a Hi-Lo mix around a "few" air supremacy, long standoff, more expensive but very efficient fighter (F15) and "lots" of more cost-effective but still efficient all around fighters able to go up and personal against enemy fighters (F16). The initial version of F16 wasn't meant to be with a radar, they should have been guided through AWACS under the F15 umbrella until they could attack with heat-seeking missiles. ... then of course top brass went in the way and wanted "toys" for the F16, including a nuclear capacity, and thus "skyrocketing" the price. As the plane was very cost-effective from the start and well designed, fortunately the final version was still very good. (if needed, I could find the article and scan it, but it's in french ...) And the lesson is : when you get top brass out of the way, you build fantastic airplanes with skilled engineers and tacticians. Now remind me what happened with F-35 ? :/

[@ChucksSEADnDEAD]

mickael delatre the irony is that the final version of the F16 blows the original vision out of the water and it's success in exports was exactly because multirole is much more useful than pure fighters for other NATO countries which barely need fighter aircraft. The F20 Tigershark was the pure fighter the Fighter Mafia wanted, and it was a massive failure. If the F16 were a short-range guns and heaters only fighter it would have failed and the whole of Europe would have used Tornados and Mirages.

[@mickaeldelatre3320]

I have of course to agree with you ! I'm not expert enough to know if its bombing capacities come from this nuclear option added in, but it sure was a good opportunity for NATO countries - imho the design was really good and could thus expand its role (even though the autonomy is a bit short). ... Now I remember in Falcon 4 the take-off with a full bomb load, it felt like a truck. The pure joy of dropping the bombs on target just because you knew that at last you could turn again correctly :D (and I will always remember the troll US AA team deciding that it was a good idea to set up right in the middle of the airstrip SECONDS BEFORE I LANDED, but that's another story)

[@dragonbutt]

The irony here is that the day of the hot rod single seat day fighter, of which the F-16 was designed to be, was pretty much done by the time it was introduced. So that "Genius engineering team" was actually extremely short sighted, and the "Toys" for the F-16 were actually necessary to keep it USEFUL. You said it yourself. The damn thing wasnt even designed with a radar in mind in the first place. Meanwhile the F-35 is pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible while actually being similarly mobile to the F-16, while offering more sensory capacity than the F-16 could ever mount. And dont you "Well the F-35 lost a dogfight against it" me. The F-35 only lost because the F-16, in order to be similarly weighted to a fully fueled F-35, was equipped with external tanks. More drag = More time on the throttle = consuming fuel faster = invalid testing because the F-35 was more efficient. You know what you get when "Skilled engineers and tacticians" design a plane? Literally any fucking military aircraft. They arent paid to be shit at their job like the engineers at Rafale.

[@becauseiwasinverted5222]

Not to be a ball breaker, but you guys have things backwards a little. The Fighter Mafia/Reformers never wanted the high low mix. They wanted the F-15 out of the game entirely, replaced by a F-16 with no radar and no bombing capability. The USAF told them to go suck the long one, however, and put the F-15 in service as the standard air superiority fighter and the F-16 as the standard fighter-bomber, with many more capabilities than the reformers originally wanted. It was the USAF that made the F-16 the marvel it is, not those madmen. As for the F-20, the reformers had no love for it because it was full of complex electronics and was "multirole".

[@ricardosoto5770]

Actually those wonderfull toys, will ensure that the F 16 remains relevent even today--- Ballistic missiles, look at Rock and Rampage (those crazy israelis), Cruise Missiles, well you got JSM, JASSM, Delilah. Glide bombs like JSOW, SDGB. Laser Guided Bombs. Antiship Missiles like Penguin, NSM. HARM and SLAM air to ground missiles. Get the F 16 an ASEA radar and Iris T and Meteor air to air misiles and it will remain relevant for years.

[@Reepicheep-1]

I first noticed this plane in movie "Jewel of the Nile". A 2-seat version taxis through a marketplace shooting up bad guys, gets both wings cut off, rockets a gate, then afterburners its way down a highway into the desert. Finally, burned and exploded by a flaregun. Occupants had no idea how to control the plane At All.

[@Empanadaking20]

Privet tovarivh matsimus

[@fabio6170]

crazy russian gopnik its roman not soviet 😅

[@gerrycrisostomo6571]

This is video is 100% CORRECT and I totally agree with you Matsimus. The F-16 is definitely one of the best fighter planes that ever came out during the late 70's, along with the F-15 Eagle and can still hold on it's own TODAY. During the late 80s, the US Air Force embarked on the Advanced Tactical Fighter program or the ATF because their biggest concern is the proliferation of highly capable surface to air missiles that can detect and shoot down non-stealth fighters. They have no concern with their plane's air to air capability or fighting adversary's aircraft in a dogfight. It's very important to note here that while the F-16 lacks the stealth capability, it has the top speed, acceleration, and maneuverability which is greater than the F-35 Raptor. The latest reiteration of this fighter, the Block 70 uses the latest electronics array and radar and has the capability of the F-35's radar tracking and targeting system. The Block 70 Viper also uses the more advanced GE engine which has 35,000 pounds of thrust with afterburner, which gives it higher top speed and acceleration than the previous models and probably also gives the F-16 the supersonic cruise capability without using the afterburner. The radar cross section of the Block 70 is also reduced significantly with the use of the more modern materials and manufacturing process. If I were a fighter pilot, I can confidently fly this plane against the adversary's latest and most advanced fighters like the Chinese J-20 or even the Russian SU-35s and PAK-FA fighters.

[@flybeep1661]

Could have mentioned the nick name pilots give it. It's often called the Viper.

[@ToreDL87]

Well that goes without saying.

[@bleutz]

The F-16 went operational at Hill AFB, Utah in 1979. 388 TFW I worked on the Viper for 11 years, a truly great fighter!

[@CountSpartula]

The F16 is a beautiful plane.

[@metanumia]

I've been lucky enough to observe F-16 formations fly by me from a distance of less than 1 kilometer on four separate occasions. Let me tell you, those things are absolute beasts up close, the sound of their P&W engines is awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping. You just can't appreciate how beautiful and fast these jets are until you've seen them in person. Fortunately I wasn't the *target* of the F-16's, unlike other people who have also had the opportunity to see and hear them fly over very close. I'd be beyond petrified if I knew I had to go into combat with an enemy who was supported by these jets. When F-16's fly in formations in excess of Mach 1 over you at an altitude of around 300 meters, at first you hear absolutely nothing, you can't see anything on the horizon, then... all of the sudden a faint sparkling appears in the distance and you hear a subtle rumbling like distant thunder or a herd of buffalo stampeding far away... Seconds later, the jets fill the sky above you, streaking overhead at a dizzying pace while producing a deafening, sonorous *ROAR* like a gigantic metal dragon breathing fire at you. In a split-second after that, they're just gone... then *BAAABOOM* the sound waves beat on your chest, reverberating shocks fill your stomach and cranium! It's a truly visceral experience and I highly recommend it! Thanks for the great video, +Matsimus Gaming. I really appreciate your military vehicle analyses, and always learn a little bit of interesting information from them, keep up the great work! :D

[@ludvigthebirb7131]

too bad that Denmark is throwing these out now in favor for the f-35

[@bruh5361]

Ludvig Juel Martens the f-35 is still a very good aircraft

[@romeor6231]

You do realize the that f-35 is superior in every single way?

[@ludvigthebirb7131]

alright first: not in "every" way but ya its still superior. Second: its a legend, its battle tested and the f-35 so far is only superior on paper.

[@fabiantaveras8458]

people will hate the F-35 no matter what fam.

[@USSAnimeNCC-]

Ludvig Juel Martens just hope those pilots don't suffocate 😁

[@A7XKoRnRocks1]

The reason why the F-16 is being shadowed in the USAF is because of the F-15, F-15 is the main power of the USAF.

[@kyle857]

Also the F-35 is the new low in the F22/F35 family.

[@meccnr3536]

Now jets?

[@_Matsimus_]

MECCNR _ going up in the world lol

[@malcolmcossar6447]

I just came upon this video,and I'm glad that I did!Everything I heard is what I've read and heard for yrs about this great plane,with no guessing just facts!As an American I'm finally glad the US Air Force is finally starting to upgrade this great plane to keep it one of the best in the world for yrs to come!

[@cody42069420]

Can't wait for the block 50 release on DCS !!

[@marchills4131]

The Mig-29 is a close second, but I've always found the F-16 to be the most physically beautiful jet fighter aircraft ever designed. I also like that it was born of the hard lessons of the Vietnam war that identified the need for a lean, agile and lethal dog fighter.

[@armandorodrigues144]

that's because it is pretty much the ideal design for a true dogfighting aircraft that we can achieve with present day technology and knowledge about aerodynamics, if not how would you explain it still going around kicking everythings *ss? be it F-22/35/15, Eurofighter, Rafale, etc... the F-16 still keeps a positive W/L ratio in practice (it of course depends on the pilot) there are still 2 things that could actually improve it's dogfighting performance and those would be thrust-vectoring and canards which I guess that due to the compact size thrust-vectoring would be more effective while the 2 together might not make the most out of each individual advantages (it works for the J20 because it is massive) the case of the F-16 is not unique, in some cases it is unique like Israeli F-15 pilots first thinking they were being "demoted" to F-16 but after flying it never wanting to go back, for some Israeli pilots flying the F-16 is reaching the top in their Air Force the F-15 and F-14 as well are also aircraft designs that were never surpassed by a enemy aircraft or potential replacements, or did no one think it was much more than a coincidence that the F-22 looks like a F-15 with more angles to defeat radar? that is why I do not understand one thing, why is there a need to design unproved aircraft to replace them? is it because they are aging? then can someone explain to me the following: which would be cheaper, more cost-effective and more mission effective, launching in 2018 a new production run of F-22s/F-35s or instead launching the production of 800 (probably more) new F-16s based on a revised or modernized design? because those F-16s would keep the base of the design with some tweeks like slight reduction of radar crossection but the major upgrade would be internal, a revised F-16 would be built the the most modern alloys instead of those that were the best the industry could offer in the past, it would also incorporate new building techniques that have made structures stronger while still cutting a bit on the weight, it would probably incorporate a lot more carbon-fiber for the protection in major components then it would of course also receive a huge upgrade in avionics and such and since the design was bing revised they could make space where older F-16s might have lacked and thus stoping the F-16 from receiving such upgrades conclusion: you would get a stronger and most likely lighter airframe which allows higher wingload (and also allows a higher payload), increases overall performance (like speed) but it also works to reduce it's fuel comsuption, a modern engine would probably further reduce it's running cost while still increasing it's output while modern avionics would reduce/simplify the load of information received by the pilot allowing him/her to keep on top of everything going on around the "battleground", this together with a more powerfull radar allows the increase of mission efficiency by allowing it to attack from longer distances than it could in the past e it the F-14, 15 or 16 there's something that should be obvious, a revised/modernized design of proven concepts do not carry the extra expense of lenghthy tests (since you already know those are more than capable of flying), it is a much cheaper option than designing entirely new aircraft that you have to yet prove it can fly, and there's even room to add things like thrust-vectoring and internal weapon bays (especially on the F-15 and F-14) and you would get the "same old friends" for at least 20 or 30+ more years and in addition with a lot of market (Israel would most likely want to replace their older F-15s and F-16s, similar to many countries in the world and their F-16s, even if the US sold them slightly downgraded versions of the new aircraft)

[@dumdumbinks274]

The same argument you are presenting can be applied to the F-4, which was and still is a capable aircraft, especially the modernised versions which are comparable to 4th gen fighters. Upgrading old designs simply doesn't allow much growth, and the F-16 has some known flaws. For instance, the likely reason the F-16 doesn't have thrust vectoring is because the aircraft is extremely easy to lose control of past 20d AoA, so the benefit of TV is almost useless. Upgraded F-16s are in production anyway with new airframes, and are still quite inferior to fighters like the F-35, and not only at long range. The same goes for upgraded F-15s.

[@avivagreenwald1752]

Armando Rodrigues is making a very wise point. Improve on the things that have succeeded instead of dismissing them as old and no longer relevant. Sure, you can add new planes just don't get rid of the old ones and their ongoing programs of development. The second point, cost-efficiency, is a very relevant problem. If you took all the money invested in F35's program, and made F16s instead, would all the F35s as a combined force really be as powerful as all of those F16s ? Probably not. It's ten f16s in the air for each f35. And the ratio keeps climbing. So Armando, you are right.

[@dumdumbinks274]

"Improve on the things that have succeeded instead of dismissing them as old and no longer relevant." - And end up with systems that can't handle the new threats because they have already reached their full potential. "Sure, you can add new planes just don't get rid of the old ones and their ongoing programs of development. " - Old planes have high maintenance costs due to wear and tear. All airframes have a expected lifetime and become unsafe to fly after significant use. You're going to end up buying replacement airframes anyway so why not put the investment into a more capable fighter? "If you took all the money invested in F35's program, and made F16s instead, would all the F35s as a combined force really be as powerful as all of those F16s ?" - That is a complicated question for several reasons. The F-35 program is for 3 variants, not 1. The F-16 is only capable of filling the shoes of 1 of those 3 variants. The F-35 program cost includes funding for transferable technology that has already been used to upgrade the F-15 and F-16. The most notable upgrades being the APG-82 and APG-83 radars, but also EW tech and avionics. "...would all the F35s as a combined force really be as powerful as all of those F16s ? Probably not. It's ten f16s in the air for each f35. And the ratio keeps climbing. " - It's actually more like 2 F-16s per F-35A (the only variant the F-16 can sub for), and no they wouldn't be more powerful. Logistics issues would be far more prevalent in a larger fleet of any type than a smaller fleet of more capable aircraft. And don't forget the F-35 is still in development and hasn't even left low rate initial production. Once full rate production hits when all the big issues are sorted out the F-35 will clearly be the better option. "They could put two smaller engines to replace the single engine. Perhaps shave off more weight and gain fuel efficiency." - That would still increase weight and fuel consumption. Overall it would result in a fighter with less range but slightly more thrust and maybe a bit more maneuverable. On top of that modern engine technology means that single engine fighters are more reliable than twin engine fighters.

[@avivagreenwald1752]

dumdumbinks274 , at least one point you're making is a misunderstanding. When I suggested don't get rid of the old ones, I wasn't referring to the actual old plane, I am saying keep them in production. What you thought I was saying is quite laughable indeed! :)

[@dumdumbinks274]

Fair enough, though if a superior aircraft is available and affordable it would be better than just producing an old design with upgrades. Sadly it doesn't seem as though 5th gens are currently affordable enough to completely phase out 4th gens.

[@JZ909]

I think the best part of the F-16 is how it was developed. It started as an extremely simple dogfighter that could carry some dumb bombs. Then it got AIM-7s, then PGMs, Link-16, AIM-120s, LANTERN pods and later Sniper pods etc. Every improvement was a relatively low cost, low risk add on, that could always be canceled if it wasn't working out. I think that model, of starting with a solid airframe that has room for future improvement, and then improving it as various related technologies mature is a much more cost-effective model than stuff like the F-35, which was supposed to be better at essentially everything on day 1, and as a result is way behind schedule with massive cost overruns.

[@hoffmanstream1107]

If the americans would'nt have forced the israelis to seize their IAI Lavi project that plane would have been a much better platform ...

[@ricardosoto5770]

The Lavi was going to be very expensive due to scale economies anyways. Uncle Sugar is paying for those F 16s anyways.

[@RICKYCHAVEZ1980]

First of all, I enjoyed this video a lot, very cool. I love the F-16 falcon and it’s my personal favorite.

[@ehtisham713]

Pakistan Air Force shot down 10 soviet and afghan aircrafts.... Pakistan Zindabad

[@williamgustafsson98]

Thanks for a good docutmentary about the F-16 Fighting Falcon!! It´s one of my favorite too. A lightweight, low cost, singel engine, multi-role-fighter. One of the best in the world, maybe the best! And it´s impressive that the fighter are still in service. I love it! #FightingFalcon #Viper

[@airsoftman612]

Denmark(where i'm from) are currently putting our f16 out of service and replacing it with the f35 jets bought from USA

[@qatronano]

airsoftman612 same in norway

[@JohnSmith-dq7sr]

I don't understand why it had to be the f35, does anyone know why eurofighter or saabs fighter is not good enough?

[@richieh7901]

Lil Fong just the pure networking power of the f 35 can you imagine how powerful a bunch of smart fighters working together can be that's the plan for the f 35

[@possiblyadickhead6653]

Richard Hayhurst it is not like any other fighter couldn't have down the same

[@Berthrond]

Because they were about to use Gripen due to economical reasons , but american diplomats and other agents pressured Norway and Denmark to buy american or they would punish them with less trade.

[@shellyth5700]

Still my favorite military jet since I was very young. Always love to see it mentioned!

[@viperdriver82]

2 words .........Iron Eagle😉😄

[@knightlife98]

If I knew nothing about Fighter Jets(and that's basically the case...lol) and I saw a F-16 on the ground. My first thought/assessment would be, that this thing must be one helluva'n agile machine! But, that raised canopy though....., the 360 degree view the pilot has is quite exceptional!

[@TR1ppl3]

Don't forget the B61-12 nuclear bomb which is still in a testing phase, and it will be devestating for those who will encounter the f16 with this bomb.

[@MrMaximkozin]

As a kid I grew up building models of it. 20 years later as, an Air Force tech I got to maintain them from the newest models to ancient once going back almost to the ones that bombed Iraq in the 80s, I really hated it cause I was lazy and never knew what real work looks like on and Eagle or worse yet - a Phantom. This Video gave me a new look on my Air Force experience