Forum: General F-16 forum

I'm working on a series of web pages detailing the physical (visible) differences between the different versions of the F-16, primarily to aid the scale modeler, but I think the info will be of interest to many here. I have been working on the US Navy F-16N section, and I have a question I can't find the answer to. I'm hoping someone here might know.

Starting with the F-16C (Block 30 I think) a vent was added to the ammo loading panel on the bottom side of the right strake. Since the F-16N did not have the gun fitted, I'm trying to determine if the vent was present on the ammo door or not. I can't find a photo of an F-16N that shows this area clearly.

The vent I am describing is visible on the bottom of the strake, next to the right ear of the standing airman in this photo:

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Alright, you're gonna make me do it dude....I can go down to Palm Springs, and take a walkaround of the N that's on display at thew Pond museum. I might be going next weekend, and can take shots of that area for ya.
edit: whoa! I just checked, they have the Marines F-16N there...defenitely gotta make it down there for that!

Well, I can't answer your question, but I can tell you that that vent isn't only a vent. If you reach your hand up and forward through it, you'll have access to the rounds limiter for the gatling gun. To be honest, I don't know -exactly- what it does, I'm an Avionics specialist heh... but there's a switch for on and off, and a sort of dial control that we're supposed to have set at 990 for ground mx.

I was guessing it as a vent. All I know for sure is that some jest have something there, others just have a flat panel.

The vent serves 2 purposes, first it allows any hot gases built up to exit the gun bay, reducing the chances of a gun bay fire, also, as pointed out by ViperStrike, it allow ground crews to verify the gun is safe. The rounds limiter visible is a training device. By setting it to a specific number, and setting it to ON, it will automatically shut the gun system down when the preset number of rounds have fired, thereby preventing the pilot from shooting all ammo. It is set to OFF during combat, giving the pilot full control. By setting it to 990 and on, the limiter helps electrically safe the gun firing circuit. From what I can tell the vent was there on the Ns, but I'll check for some photos.

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h2, sir! ask and you shall receive! you got lucky this time, since I was planning a trip down there anyway

This is F-16N <a href="f-16_fighting_falcon_airframe-1749.html">163277</a>.

Habu, is that the N in the Navy/Marines splinter scheme?

Affirmative, sir. Wink

The vent in question is on older jets than the block 30/32's. I have seen them installed on the block 10,15 and 25's as well.
its been too long since I have touched a block 1 or a block 5, but then they were all updated to block 10 standards

I've got more pics to put up, and I'll add them to gallery.

Ooh...ok, just cross-referenced the aircraft, and make note that this is NOT the exact a/c that is on the TB sheet. The one on the TB sheet is BuNo 163269. The splinter scheme, as I just found out by looking at my pics, is COMPLETELY different from the TB sheet and this aircraft at the PSAM. This begs the question:
Is the scheme painted on the museum aircraft original? Was it added just for display, or is it that there were just differnt dark green/light grey splinter schemes?

Does anyone have any info on this? Pics would also be great.

I read somewhere there were two different a/c with two different green/gray splinter schemes. Sorry, don't recall where I read it or which a/c they were. Well I guess we know one of them.

Or both....I started a thread over at the ARC, see if that turns up anything.

The aircraft with BuNo 163269 was, to my knowledge, the only one that carried a green-grey splinter scheme with 'Marines' titles added to it. You can check a picture in the photo gallery.

Greets,

Forum: General F-16 forum

F-16N question