Why the U.S. F-16 so heavily armed to fly the South China Sea Loma finally gave the official answer

AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)

The U.S. Air Force F-16Cs recently flew a long-range cruise into the South China Sea in full armor. In addition to the five heavier AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) mounted on the wingtips, there is also a lighter AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile mounted under the wings.

According to “The War Zone” (The War Zone) reported on the 6th, this has caused many military fans to ask why the F-16 always has the AIM-120 instead of the AIM-9 mounted on the wingtip. Seeking a definitive official answer, War Zone reporter Tyler Rogoway simply asked Lockheed Martin directly about this.

Loma explained that the F-16 can mount different missiles at the same time, such as the AIM-120 and AIM-9, and that the AIM-120 is mounted on the wingtip because it is designed to reduce wing flutter and still ensure mission performance. This explains why most F-16s carry 335 pounds (nearly 152 kilograms) of AIM-120s on their wingtips regardless of training conditions.

However, some air services flying F-16s, such as Iraq and Egypt, are not yet authorized to procure active radar homing AIM-120s, and the semi-active radar homing AIM-7 Sparrow missiles that are available are not available anywhere, so the wingtips tend to fly with about half the weight of the The AIM-9 flies.

There are more than 4,600 F-16s in air forces around the world, about half of which are still in service. The fighter has been closely studied for decades and is constantly evolving and upgrading.

The advanced medium-range air-to-air missile is an out-of-range weapon that is most likely to be fired before it enters a fight with an opponent at visual range, said Thomas ‘t-b0ne’ Richter, who originally flew F/A-18s in the Marine Corps and later transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard to fly F-16s. And if the heavier AIM-120 remains on the wingtip during a fight, it will affect performance.

However, Lister also stressed that the F-16 Viper is a beast, and once the fight begins, it will not matter whether the AIM-120 or the AIM-9 is mounted on the wingtip.