F/A-16E Sea Viper

[DogfighterZen]

  

[HarryPhishnuts]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but those USMC decals look really good on that Viper!

Yeah it's a little bit of a reality distortion effect when you look at it.

[perttime]

.. of course, reality distortion is what people come here for 

[HarryPhishnuts]

Getting close. Just need to put it all together, little touch up an and final varnish. Hopefully wrap it up by this weekend.

[comrade harps]

Loaded for bear.

[NARSES2]

Looking good sir 

[HarryPhishnuts]

Caught a tail wind and was able to wrap her up early. Overall I'm pretty happy with the result. Just as a recap to the build the base kit was a Hasagawa 1/72 F-2. The CFT, exhaust nozzle as well as some antenna/sensor bibs and bobs are from the Hasagawa 1/72 F-16I and the weapons are from the spares box or various weapons kits. I had to 3D print the main gear, LAU-131 rocket pod, launch rail of the AGM-65E, Litening Pod cheek mount and the wing fold "gears". The main gear I designed myself but the rest I found out on Cults3D. The decals came from a 1/72 Hasagawa F/A-18C. Mig AMMO Atom paints and AK Acrylic pencils for the weathering.

This was the second part of a project I started earlier this year. The first part was a de-navalized JASDF-18L so I swapped the decals, main gear and weapons between the kits. I fell in love with aviation as a kid in the late 70's/early 80's right when these aircraft entered service. I built the classic Monogram read-white-blue F-16 and the Revell F/A-18 in blue and gold. I've always been fascinated by the possibilities of proposed "alternate" versions of the F-16/F-18 so this was my chance to explore that a little bit.

So as you know, I've also been using ChatGPT and other AI tools to assist with some of my builds. For this one I used ChatGPT to things like load out and configuration options, deployment conditions and of course back story. To that end it wrote up a Jane's-like entry for the F/A-16E. Thought it did a pretty good job.

General Dynamics/Vought F/A-16E Sea Viper
(United States — Carrier-borne Multirole Strike Fighter)

Type
Single-seat, carrier-based multirole fighter/attack aircraft.

Programme
Developed jointly by General Dynamics and Vought under the 1975 Naval Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program, the F/A-16 Sea Viper entered service in 1982 as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps' primary light strike and air-to-air fighter, replacing the A-7E Corsair II and F-4 Phantom II.

Designed from the outset for carrier operations, the Sea Viper combined the compact efficiency of a single-engine airframe with the robustness and maintainability required for embarked service.

By the late 1990s the U.S. Navy transitioned to the F/A-19 KingSnake for extended-range fleet defence and strike, while the U.S. Marine Corps elected to retain and modernize the proven Sea Viper. The resulting F/A-16E Sea Viper Enhanced, first flown 2012 and declared operational 2016, remains unique to the Marine Corps.

Description
Purpose-designed naval fighter with an all-metal/composite semi-monocoque fuselage, single chin-mounted air intake, and mid-mounted swept wing (≈ 37.4 m²) with five pylons per side and outboard folding panels.
Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs) faired along the upper fuselage increase range without occupying pylons.
Carrier-grade twin-wheel nose gear, long-stroke main units, catapult launch bar, and reinforced arrestor hook are integral design features.
Quadruplex fly-by-wire controls with automatic leading-edge scheduling ensure precise low-speed handling.
Single-seat cockpit fitted with large-area colour display, wide-FOV helmet-mounted sight, and full HOTAS.

Power plant
1 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229E afterburning turbofan, 79.2 kN dry / 129 kN reheat.

Performance (clean configuration)
Parameter   F/A-16E Sea Viper E
Max speed   Mach 2.05 (2 120 km/h @ altitude)
Cruise   Mach 0.85
Service ceiling   55 000 ft (16 760 m)
Combat radius   850 nmi (1 575 km) internal; 1 150 nmi with CFT + 300 gal tank
Ferry range   2 150 nmi (3 980 km)
Rate of climb   > 50 000 ft/min (254 m/s)
Catapult take-off   140 m
Approach speed   122 kt (226 km/h)
Weights
Empty 10 900 kg; internal fuel 3 900 kg; maximum take-off 21 800 kg.

Avionics (USMC Block E)
* Radar: AN/APG-83(V) AESA (A/A, SAR/GM, maritime).
* Targeting/EO: AN/AAQ-28 LITENING G4 (right chin, station 5R); AN/ASQ-213 HTS(E) (left chin, 5L) for HARM cueing.
* IRST: NIFLS (Naval Infrared and Laser Sensor) ahead of IFF array for passive ID and laser cueing.
* EW/Countermeasures: AN/ALQ-254 IDES integrated suite with RWR/ESM, internal jammer, ALE-47/55 dispensers
* Communications: Link-16, secure SATCOM, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC).


Dimensions
Length 16.4 m; Wingspan 11.7 m (8.6 m folded); Height 5.1 m; Wing area 37.4 m².

Crew
1.

Operators
United States Marine Corps: VMFA-232 'Red Devils', VMFA-312 'Checkerboards', VMFA-251 'Thunderbolts'.
(Former operator: U.S. Navy — replaced by F/A-19 KingSnake from 1999.)

Status
Operational with USMC since 2016; ≈ 180 airframes converted from earlier F/A-16 C/D standards to E-model configuration by 2023. Expected to remain in service beyond 2035.

Export / Foreign Adoption
Several allied operators of earlier Sea Vipers have incorporated selected E-model technologies through mid-life upgrade programs. Italy, Spain and Australia have each integrated AESA radars, LITENING-class pods, CFT hardware, and elements of the IDES EW suite to extend the service life of their domestic variants. These retrofits provide near-E-model sensor and mission capability without full re-manufacture.

Remarks
The F/A-16E Sea Viper remains a cornerstone of Marine Corps expeditionary air power. Its AESA radar, chin-mounted LITENING/HTS pods and NIFLS IRST combine SEAD, strike and air-defence roles within a single airframe. With CFT-extended range and carrier compatibility, the E-model continues to embody the USMC's doctrine of versatile, self-supporting air operations well into the 2030s.

So there ya go, project complete, back to the stash   

[Old Wombat]

Nice! One of the best F-16s I've ever seen!     

[su27rules]

      

[Weaver]

Nice one! 

[chrisonord]

Very nice, non standard F-16's are the way to go 

[kerick]

This rules!
It was worth the wait!

[comrade harps]

Pretty

[NARSES2]

That is very, very nice   

[DogfighterZen]