US Navy F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet crews were fighting a truly different aircraft, flown by superb aerial tacticians
The F-16N Viper is a specialized variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, originally flown by the U.S. Air Force, that the U.S. Navy acquired to serve as an adversary aircraft in air combat training. Its role was to replicate the performance and tactics of fourth-generation Soviet fighters.
As noted by F-16.net, in the mid-1980s, the U.S. Navy was actively seeking a new aircraft to replace those used for adversary training. At that time, the F-5 and A-4 were still in use, but the Navy had become dissatisfied with their ability to meet training needs. They lacked up-to-date avionics, were on the verge of obsolescence, and demanded increasingly heavy maintenance. In addition, there was a pressing need for a highly maneuverable, high-speed jet to perform adversary duties. To address this shortfall, the Navy decided to procure and adapt a customized version of the F-16 for the role.
Designated the F-16N, this model was derived from the standard F-16C variant widely operated by the U.S. Air Force. It was equipped with an Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation (ACMI) pod mounted on the right wingtip. The Navy sought this aircraft as a replacement for its aging adversary fleet, particularly the A-4 Skyhawk and F-5 Tiger.
Chuck Lloyd and Rick Llinares, in their book Adversary: America’s Aggressor Fighter Squadrons, explain that after reviewing the available options, the Navy ultimately chose the F-16N. This aircraft was essentially a standard F-16C Block 30 powered by the General Electric F110-GE-100 engine, but it kept the APG-66 radar used in the earlier F-16A/B models. To more accurately replicate enemy aircraft, the F-16N was further equipped with an ALR-69 radar warning receiver, an ALE-40 chaff and flare dispenser, and an ACMI pod.
The Navy purchased twenty-two single-seat F-16Ns and four two-seat TF-16Ns, which began entering service in the late 1980s. The first squadron to operate them was VF-126, the “Bandits,” based at NAS Miramar, also called “Fightertown USA.” VF-45, the “Blackbirds,” at NAS Key West received the next batch of F-16 adversary fighters. The final Navy aggressor units to be equipped with the jet were VF-43, the “Challengers,” and the Navy Fighter Weapons School.
From the Navy’s viewpoint, unless they could acquire actual Fulcrums or Flankers, the F-16N was the closest thing to a genuinely different opposing fighter they could field—and that was its greatest strength. Tomcat and Hornet crews now had to contend with a truly dissimilar aircraft, flown by highly skilled tacticians. When pitted against the F-14, the smaller and more agile F-16N proved to be a very demanding adversary, as demonstrated in the video.
Over time, the F-16Ns began to suffer structural fatigue from the high g-forces encountered during frequent training missions. The Navy faced the prospect of an expensive overhaul program to keep the Falcons airworthy and ultimately chose to retire them. Ironically, the very F-5Es the F-16N was meant to replace ended up serving longer than their intended successor. Even so, the F-16N is widely regarded as the best adversary tactics aircraft the U.S. Navy has ever flown.
In 2002, the Navy started taking delivery of 14 F-16A and F-16B aircraft from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), airframes that had originally been built for Pakistan but were never delivered due to an embargo.
In addition, the Navy has begun receiving F-16 Vipers that the U.S. Air Force (USAF) retired, as part of an effort to bolster its adversary air fleet. In total, the Navy is slated to get 20 single-seat Block 32 F-16Cs and six two-seat Block 25 F-16Ds. As reported by The EurAsian Times, these F-16C/Ds are taking over the role of the F-5N Tiger IIs operated by Fleet Composite Squadron (VFC) 13 “Fighting Saints” at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, the Navy Reserve squadron dedicated to simulating enemy aircraft—or “red air”—in support of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC).
These jets are flown by the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) / TOPGUN for adversary training and, like the earlier F-16N fleet, they sport distinctive, exotic paint schemes.
Adversary: America’s Aggressor Fighter Squadrons is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by PH2 Bruce R. Trombecky and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joseph R. Vincent / U.S. Navy
