F-16C Radar Mission Launch

[Old Viper Tester]

F-16Cs 83-1143 and 88-0445, 6516th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB. Ready to taxi out for a radar test mission. '445 is the test jet and carries a centerline pod containing high-speed radar data recording equipment - the orange stripe indicates the pod carried unique test equipment. While '143 was a test jet in its own right, on this mission it is being used as a radar target for '445.

 

General Dynamics crews and maintenance personnel were part of the F-16 Combined Test Force at Edwards (part of the "Combined" unit monicker) - and they still are today as Lockheed Martin Fort Worth. The F-16 test fleet was split between General Dynamics and USAF maintenance teams, '143 and'445 were GD maintained jets at this time. The pilots are USAF assigned to the 6516th Test Squadron.

 

The Israeli jet (301, USAF s/n 86-1598) in the background was testing the Peace Marble II (Block 30) configuration for that Foreign Military Sales program.

 

Cockpit checks.

 

GD crew chief on the intercom.

Engine start.

 

Chocks away. '445 crew chief signaling brakes/hold.

 

'143 crew chief signaling begin taxi.

 

Brakes checked and out of the parking spot.

 

The crew chief has done the check for leaks and gives the thumbs up.

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven