The F-16 fighter jet official known as the F-16 Fighting Falcon was created by General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force and the United States Navy.
The plane was originally designed as a United States air superiority daytime fighter. This means it was only meant to fight during the day, but the F-16 fighter jet evolved into a successful all-weather fighter over the years that it was in service. The United States government was ordering F-16 fighter jets from as far back as 1976 and there have been over 4,600 of them publicly known to have been created for the United States military during that time. After its retirement in the US Military, many F-16s were still sold to other countries for their national defense needs. While the United States moved on to planes like the amazing F-22 Raptor and other next-generation fighter planes.
The F-16 was unique because it used relaxed static ability fly by wire for the first time. It also featured an all-glass bubble canopy with no infrastructure to block your view of the skies in a dog fight. As well as a side-mounted controlstick instead of the old school in the middle of your legs stick. As well as a full-functioning ejection seat. For weapons the F-16 was no slouch having an internal M61 Vulcan Cannon and 11 other mounting positions for weapons of all kinds. Making the F-16 fighter jet a very versatile military tool of air superiority for the United States military. The F-16 even saw time on aircraft carriers where it would be launched and then land back on the carrier with a pulley system.
What fighter jet does Tom Cruise fly in Top Gun?
That would be the F-16 Fighting Falcon! In Top Gun one and two, Tom Cruise plays a United States Navy fighter pilot with a knack for finding his way into international quagmires that require a handsome American pilot to save the day! In each movie Tom Cruise’s character Maverick flies an F-16. By the time they shot the second movie the F-16 was no longer militarily relevant in the United State Military. But, they used it anyway because it is a two-seater and allowed them to get actual footage of the actors in the plane’s back seat while a military pilot actually flew the plane upfront while they shot the movie. Making this blockbuster movie extremely realistic for the viewers since it was literally shot in the fighter jet’s cockpit.
Here is a cool video on what it’s like to be inside an F-16 when it’s flown by a capable and well-trained pilot. All I can say is it’s fast as fu.. boy!!!
