Test Viper: F-16C 88-0445

[Old Viper Tester]

F-16C 88-0445, 6516th Test Squadron, F-16 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB.  '445 was a dedicated test aircraft, used mostly for evaluation of software and radar upgrades.

 

June 1990. The store on the centerline is a high-speed radar data recorder pod. These pods sere conversions of the original centerline fuel tanks used during Full-Scale Development testing. The orange stripe running longitudinally along the tank indicates flight test peculiar modifications or equipment.

 

Radar test mission, January 1991. High-speed radar data recorder pod on the centerline - here, the orange stripe runs the circumference of the pod. Before engine start checks...

 

Engine running and instrumentation pod checks...

 

Chocks pulled and General Dynamics ground crew signaling hold before taxi. 83-1143 is waiting to taxi and served as the test mission safety chase and radar target...

 

Taxiing out...

 

Making a low pass during a sensor test in October 1990 carrying an ALQ-131 ECM pod on the centerlne. We had a missile sensor on top of a truck on Rodgers dry lake and various aircraft would make passes at various heights to see. how the sensor reacted.

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

Edited April 7, 2023 by Old Viper Tester
correct typos

[Boman]

Nice! Interesting that 88-0445 doesn't carry the WAR HUD? 

[Britman]

Thanks for posting.

 

Keith 

[iainpeden]

Fascinating as ever; is that an Israeli F-16 in picture 3?

[Old Viper Tester]

23 hours ago, iainpeden said:

is that an Israeli F-16 in picture 3?

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.

[Ralph]

Brilliant pictures ax ever. I've finally twigged what  these photo installments remind me if...they're like a continuation of the Osprey Superbase series from the very late 80s! Thanks for posting and would love to see more!

[Slater]

From US DoD contract announcements for 6 April 23. It's a bit unusual to announce a contract award for a single aircraft:

 

"Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $36,934,885 modification (P00087) to previously awarded contract FA8615-12-C-6016 for miscellaneous over and above support for an F-16, Aircraft 91-139. This contract modification provides for modifications rework, safety of flight, and pre-existing conditions for Aircraft 91-139. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas; and Taiwan, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2023. This modification involves 100 percent Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and is the result of a sole source acquisition. FMS funds in the amount of $36,934,885 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 5, 2023)"

[Latinbear]

Always great photos and information too. Thank you for sharing these.

[Old Viper Tester]

16 hours ago, Slater said:

It's a bit unusual to announce a contract award for a single aircraft:

Usually, a single aircraft contract is either for a flight test jet with special instrumentation installed during the build/re-build, or for an attrition replacement airframe. Once, forty years ago, I've seen a Fort Worth contract for a similar amount used to rebuild an F-111 after a flight mishap, but normally an aircraft with such extensive damage is written off unless it was a high-value asset for some reason.

[Richard E]

53 minutes ago, Old Viper Tester said:

Once, forty years ago, I've seen a Fort Worth contract for a similar amount used to rebuild an F-111 after a flight mishap, but normally an aircraft with such extensive damage is written off unless it was a high-value asset for some reason.

 

A total of thirteen F-111s were rebuilt following major mishaps:

 

FB-111A 67-7194 - Damaged in a hard landing in February 1976.  Rebuild commenced 1 September 1978 and returned to service in September 1980

 

F-111A 67-079 - Damaged following an in-flight fire 21 January 1981.  Rebuild commenced 4 June 1981 and returned to service in May 1982

 

F-111E 68-082 - Seriously damaged following an aborted take-off 25 March 1981.  Rebuild commenced 12 June 1981 and returned to service in September 1982 - appropriately named "The Phoenix"

 

F-111D 68-136 - Damaged following an in-flight engine fire 9 September 1979.  Rebuild commenced 21 June 1981 after the airframe was removed from storage at Davis Monthan and returned to service in May 1982

 

F-111E 67-118 - Damaged in June 1981 after part of the aircraft's escape capsule exploded.  Rebuild commenced August 1981 and returned to service in August 1982

 

FB-111A 68-259 - Damaged when a dummy weapon was inadvertently activated whilst it was inside the aircraft's weapons bay.  Rebuild commenced 30 September 1981 and returned to service on 4 February 1983

 

F-111D 68-148 - Damaged following an in-flight engine fire 17 January 1979.  After being cannibalised for spare parts, rebuild commenced 5 May 1982 and returned to service in December 1983

 

F-111D 68-127 - Also damaged following an in-flight fire 7 July 1981.  Rebuild commenced 31 March 1982 (?) and returned to service in July 1985 (?)

 

F-111A 67-101 - Damaged following an bird strike 2 August 1982, returned to service in August 1985 following  twelve month rebuild

 

F-111D 68-101 - Another aircraft damaged following an in-flight fire.  Rebuild commenced January 1984 and returned to service in December 1986

 

F-111D 68-174 - Retrieved from storage at Davis Monthan after being cannibalised for spares following an in-flight fire in May 1976.  Rebuild commenced July 1984 and returned to service in November 1987.

 

F-111D 68-095 - Also retrieved from storage at Davis Monthan following a wheels up landing in April 1976.  Rebuild commenced June 1984 and returned to service in September 1988.

 

F-111E 68-050 - Damaged following a Liquid Oxygen Bottle explosion in 1986.  Rebuild commenced October 1986 and returned to service in November 1988

 

[Troffa]

Dear Viper tester- I Absolutely love your lifetime contribution to Aviation and your exquisite recording of the same- as an old piece of "Pan-Trash" or "Line-Swine" who has  been on the periphery of this kind of stuff for a few decades, I admire and appreciate your posts- they help make Britmodeller one of the most significant modelling sites on the web.

Thank you very much. 

 

Ad Inexplorata!

[Old Viper Tester]

On 4/8/2023 at 12:47 PM, Richard E said:

 

A total of thirteen F-111s were rebuilt following major mishaps:

Doesn't surprise me. When my test pilot school visited GD in 1981, we were shown a collection of F-111 parts recovered from all over and it was explained that since F-111s were no longer in production, the demand for their capability was high enough that whenever an airframe was recovered after a mishap, that it was shipped to either GD or the Sacramento Air Logistics center at McClellan AFB for rebuild evaluation. The F-111 was definitely considered "high value".

 

Were these all re-built at GDFW or were some done at the ALC at McClellan? From your description, I think the one I saw the contract for was F-111D 68-0148.

 

Thanks for the list,

Sven

[Slater]

After the Cold War ended, the USAF dumped the F-111 fleet fairly quickly. Too expensive, or possibly seen as relics? 

[Richard E]

1 hour ago, Old Viper Tester said:

Were these all re-built at GDFW or were some done at the ALC at McClellan?

 

Details taken from Anthony Thornborough's and Peter Davies' book "F-111 - Success in Action"

 

Due to the level of specialist knowledge required, all of the rebuilds were completed at the General Dynamics Fort Worth Restoration Office (also referred to as the Aardvark Hospital").

 

Co-incidentally there is a picture of the post re-build 68-0148 in Sven's post from October 2020 when the aircraft was deployed to Nellis for Red Flag 90-5.

 

1 hour ago, Old Viper Tester said:

The F-111 was definitely considered "high value".

 

It's notable that almost half of the rebuilds were from the 96 strong F-111D fleet