The F-16XL Had 27 Hardpoints and Could Carry Twice the Payload of a Standard F-16 But Lost the Competition to the F-15E

The F-16XL Had 27 Hardpoints and Could Carry Twice the Payload of a Standard F-16 But Lost the Competition to the F-15E

General Dynamics built the F-16XL fighter prototype with 27 hardpoints. The standard F-16 has 9 hardpoints. The F-16XL had 120% more wing area than the standard F-16. The F-16XL could carry twice the payload of a standard F-16. The F-16XL had a delta wing in a “cranked arrow” configuration. The F-16XL was built for the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (ETF) program. The F-16XL lost the ETF competition to the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. The U.…