Subject:  C.9.  Whatever happened to the F/A-16?

At one time the USAF had a plan to replace its A-10s with F-16s fitted with a
version of the Avenger cannon.  This was tested during Desert Storm, when
F-16As of the 174th Tactical Fighter Wing were fitted with GPU-5 pods on their
centreline pylons, and given the new designation F/A-16A.  The GPU-5 contains
the GAU-13 cannon (a four-barrelled version of the seven-barrelled GAU-8
Avenger 30mm cannon fitted to the A-10) and 353 rounds of ammunition. If the
tests were successful, there were plans for a fleet of F/A-16Cs with the same
armament.

The tests were a disaster.  Precision aiming was impossible for several
reasons: the pylon mount isn't as steady as the A-10's rigid mounting; the
F-16 flies much faster than an A-10, giving the pilots too little time
approaching the target; the tremendous recoil from the gun shook the plane
around badly; and some essential CCIP (continuously computed impact point)
software was unavailable. They ended up using it as an area weapon, spraying
multiple targets with ammunition, producing an effect rather like a cluster
bomb.  It took only a couple of days of this before they gave up, unbolted the
gun pods, and went back to dropping real cluster bombs.

The F/A-16C plan was quietly forgotten.  The USAF still has plans to replace
the A-10 with F-16s, but they no longer involve 30mm gun pods (or, apparently,
a designation with an "A" in it).

[Thanks to Kevin Au for posting most of this information]

Please E-Mail me at johansson@ctrl-c.liu.se