The F-16C Fighting Falcon is a fighter aircraft featured in many Ace Combat games as one of the earliest available aircraft. Designed first and foremost as a lightweight close-range dogfighter, the F-16 has evolved to become equally lethal in both air combat and attack missions. In most of its appearances, the F-16C carries a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, and features higher maneuverability than most comparable aircraft, making it a highly versatile option for players early in a game's campaign.
The F-16C was in use by a variety of nations as early as 1995. During the Belkan War, it was used by both the Allied Forces and the Belkan Air Force. Notable units that used the aircraft were the mercenary air squadron Crow Team and Belka's elite Silber Team.[1]
F-16C Fighting Falcons were used by Warwolf Squadron as one of their primary aircraft during the conflict in Africa. They used this aircraft in the level Inferno, where they engaged SRNMiG-21bis Fishbed aircraft over Hamada and an oil facility nearby. However, Warwolf Squadron would eventually leave Africa after the destruction of Carruth and used different aircraft on later missions.
F-16C fighters of the 482nd fighter wing were later deployed to Miami to assist Warwolf Squadron against remnants of the New Russian Federation led by Andrei Markov. Viper Squadron also used F-16C fighters during the attack on Washington, D.C., engaging Su-35 fighters in the midst of chaos. Despite their best efforts, most of them suffered heavy casualties, with one of their pilots being killed in a kamikaze attack by one of the fighters. A few F-16 fighters were even no match for Markov's PAK FA when he destroyed them one by one while engaging Bishop over D.C. Despite this, several F-16 fighters still patrolled the area.
"A low-weight fighter developed to, among other things, support large lead air superiority planes. A combination of the high-cost, hardly-seen F-15 and the low-cost, widely-used F-16, the F-16C was designed to be a compromise between the two, incorporating the latest technology of the time such as fly-by-wire, making it both stable and agile. Those who attested to the effectiveness of low-weight fighters had high hopes for the F-16C. Its vast improvements gave it increased mobility and greater effectiveness in air-to-surface combat, making it an effective attack—and thus multirole—plane. Its nickname is "Fighting Falcon.""
"A tractable, lightweight fighter with well-balanced maneuverability and stability. It has an exceptionally light weight and aerodynamic blended wing body, and though a single-engine plane, it is equipped with a powerful engine. Called the "Fighting Falcon", its relatively low cost and high power are the reason it has been adapted by air forces all over the world. To date, more than 4,000 of this best-selling model have been manufactured."
"A tractable, lightweight fighter with well-balanced maneuverability and stability. It has an exceptionally light weight and aerodynamic blended wing body, and though a single-engine plane, it is equipped with a powerful engine. Called the "Fighting Falcon", its relatively low cost and high power are the reason it has been adopted by air forces all over the world. To date, more than 4,000 of this best-selling model have been manufactured."
Osaka - Found in Red and Black - Alpha. Spawns to the northeast during the 2nd phase of the mission. If the ace is shot down by an friendly NPC, the kill will not count.
"The F-16C has a powerful single engine and a blended wing body. Its high cost-performance makes it a standard for lightweight fighters. The smaller size of this aircraft makes it highly maneuverable, which roll and banking capabilities that are slightly superior to other aircraft. Although basic, its armaments are easy to use and adaptable to both air-to-air and air-to-ground tasks. The F-16 is a highly capable aircraft in almost any pilot’s hands."
Estovakia SP: Golden body with black nose, "Estovakia Air Force" printed on fuselage sides and large black hawk on tail. Based off the "Pride of Siouxland" F-16A of the Iowa Air National Guard.
Special 1: Chilean 3 Grupo F-16 dark Air Superiority Gray livery
Special 2: Thick black strokes. Very similar to Silber Team's F-16C
Named Pilots
Ice - Found in Rolling Thunder. Spawns to the east after half of the enemy units have been destroyed without allowing any damage to be inflicted on the Davis Unit.
"Also known as the "Fighting Falcon." Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
"Also known as the "Fighting Falcon." Small and lightweight, this aircraft is a well-balanced fighting machine for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat."
Color 1 for the F-16C in Assault Horizon uses the 23rd Fighter Squadron's emblem behind the canopy, due to being based on a 23FS aircraft.
The F-16C in most Ace Combat games is the F-16C Block 50 or Block 30, distinguishable from their 'Big Mouth' intake and Wide-Angle Conventional HUD. In games with higher resolution (AC6, AC:AH, ACI, AC7) the F-16C can be positively identified as Block 50 via the presence of landing lights on the front landing gear door, and the lack of reinforcement plates on the dorsal fuselage.
The F-16C used as reference for the Osean livery in AC7 is F-16C 90-0802, a Block 50 Fighting Falcon of the USAF that is currently in service as part of the 14th Fighter Squadron in Misawa, Japan.
The two-tone green/brown camouflage (Color 2 in AC04, YK color in AC5, Mercenary color scheme in ACZ, Leasath color in ACX, Color 2 in ACJA, Color 2 in ACAHL, and Estovakian color in AC6) is based on the F-16A of the Venezuelan Air Force.
The golden color scheme (Estovakian SP in AC6, Color 3 in ACAH) is based on F-16C Block 30 85-1565 from 185 Fighter Wing (185 FW) 174 Fighter Squadron (174 FS) "Bats" Iowa Air National Guard. In September 1996 aircraft has been painted in this color scheme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the US Air Force. The plane got image of a bat on the tail fin and the inscription "The Bats 50th Anniversary" on left side and the "Pride of Siouxland" on right side.
An aggressor squadron is an allied squadron that pretends to be an enemy during training or exercises. Aggressor aircraft use liveries based on other countries' air forces.