What if one design breakthrough were to double the range and payload of a fighter, and make it more maneuverable than its ...

The F-16XL was a radical, experimental variant of the iconic F-16, featuring a massive “cranked-arrow” delta wing. -This innovative design gave it double the wing area, allowing it to carry twice the ...

The F-16XL, on the other hand, required a significant departure from base-variant F-16s. Further, the F-15E had two engines, whereas the F-16XL had just one.

According to many pilots familiar with both the F-16XL and the F-15E, the F-16XL had significant advantages. It was lighter, more maneuverable, and could carry a larger payload.

But unlike a simple extended wheelbase option, the F-16XL was an altogether different kind of jet than the basis of its construction. The project has its origins dating back to the mid-1970s.

The F-16XL ship #2 was a research aircraft that demonstrated how pilot controls can overcome the difference in the left and right wing design.

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Centre is examining the feasibility of returning to flight one of two unique cranked-arrow wing F-16XLs kept in "flyable" storage for a decade. The agency hopes to ...

This F-16XL Scamp aircraft is undergoing a test in a wind tunnel at Langley. ... In this historical photo from the U.S. space agency, an F-16 Scamp model being tested in the BART on Oct. 6, 1992.

Boeing is looking at modifying one of NASA’s cranked-arrow-wing F-16XLs into a low-sonic-boom research aircraft. The proposal has emerged as a relatively low-cost way to test public acceptance ...