United States Air Force Thunderbirds Upgrade To The Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D
July 28, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
The U.S. Air Force flight demonstration squadron, otherwise known as the Thunderbirds, recently upgraded their aircraft to the latest Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D (Block 52) Fighting Falcons for their 2009 season of mind-bending flight demos. Besides the enhanced avionics on board, inside each fighter jet lurks the awesome power of the latest Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine, spinning up 29,160 lb of thrust, giving each of the six aircraft an extra 3,600 pounds’ worth of oomph to knock our socks off.
We saw these crazy flyboys slam-dunking their harrowing routine yesterday in Milwaukee, and we’re here to tell you, those new engines kick serious ass. Now the F-16 C/Ds can take off and immediately rocket straight up, forming their signature diamond formation as they execute the Diamond Loop. In the most startling part of the demonstration, one of the jets flew close to us (it felt like a few feet overhead) with the afterburner cranked up to the maximum. It was the loudest roar we’ve ever heard from an aircraft.
