Live Fast, Die Young: The Story of the U.S. Navy's Hot-Rod F-16N

When you think of the F-16, the U.S. Navy probably isn't what pops into your head, but the truth is that the Air Force's mainstay fighter has a very colorful past serving with the seagoing service in the hands of highly-trained Topgun instructors and fleet adversary pilots. It all started with a purpose-built, stripped-down, hotrod of a Fighting Falcon, the F-16N. This is its fascinating story.
Check out one Naval Aviator's experience flying the F-16N here: www.twz.com/3383/what-it-was-...
Digital Combat Simulator footage from HeatBlur. store.heatblur.com/
The War Zone - also known by the shorthand TWZ - has become an essential resource for the national security community, the defense industry, and the interested public at large since it was launched in 2016.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:05 The F-16N's Origins
3:16 The F-16N's Design Specs
6:56 F-16N Training Ops
12:12 The Navy Says Goodbye To F-16Ns
13:58 Navy Vipers Rise Again

Пікірлер: 385

  • @kayakutah
    @kayakutah17 күн бұрын

    I flew the N in VF-126. What a great airplane! We would fight as adversaries and then go 1v1 guns only "in house". I wonder how we managed to crack those wing spars? It was great having a radar. In the A-4, we'd tune in the fighter tactical frequency and switch to ADF and follow the #1 needle to the merge. Surprisingly effective! Everyone rightfully mentions the reclined seat for increased G tolerance, but that only reduced the height of the blood column by a few inches. To me, the design of having the feet almost at hip height was a bigger factor as it effectively reduced the column by a foot or two. With HOTAS, and the reclined seat and elevated feet, it had the perfect seating geometry. It was like sitting in a lawn chair with two cans of beer and a gatling gun (even though this model didn't have one) - stay off of my lawn!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Great color on the canvas here. Shoot me an email!!!

  • @elliotthorum3671

    @elliotthorum3671

    16 күн бұрын

    I totally envy you! I got the opportunity to sit in one in a hangar during a Civil Air Patrol tour in the 90's. I could not believe how GOOD that aircraft felt to sit in. The closest I've come to actually flying one is being boomed at low level by the Red Flag guys sneaking through the bottom of canyons here in Alaska. I'm out there doing mineral surveys along creeks with my head down and all of a su... ==BLAM!== and I'm feeling a whole body slap. ==BLAM!== Geez, there's two of.. =BLAM!== Whoa! =BLAM!= Okay, four, good lord I'm awake now, with the living sh&% slapped right out of me and the bears I was keeping an eye out for are for sure on their way out of the area. Stay off your lawn, indeed!

  • @keirfarnum6811

    @keirfarnum6811

    16 күн бұрын

    @@elliotthorum3671 Adee you gusuk man! Give the cheechakos he|| for me. 😁

  • @epremeaux

    @epremeaux

    14 күн бұрын

    "It was like sitting in a lawn chair with two cans of beer and a gatling gun (even though this model didn't have one) - stay off of my lawn!" What a description!

  • @DumbledoreMcCracken

    @DumbledoreMcCracken

    14 күн бұрын

    "... how we managed to crack those wing spars." By pulling high acceleration with full load (fuel).

  • @dksl9899
    @dksl989916 күн бұрын

    So if Top Gun had been filmed a little later... We could have gotten 'Viper' flying a Viper.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Yep!

  • @charlescarmichael1124

    @charlescarmichael1124

    6 күн бұрын

    Nice

  • @dksl9899

    @dksl9899

    6 күн бұрын

    If Viper could terrify hotshot F-14 jocks in a little Scooter, imagine what he would have done to their egos riding this tricked-out F-16N

  • @MooseGaming33

    @MooseGaming33

    6 күн бұрын

    @@dksl9899 Mav wouldve been dropped from the course in about 5 minutes

  • @Someguyiguess-iw9nl

    @Someguyiguess-iw9nl

    5 күн бұрын

    Oh hell yea

  • @tolson57
    @tolson5718 күн бұрын

    I was at Miramar when the N first came to TopGun. I had known that it had been retired but I was not aware it was because of the additional stress cause by the adversary role. I was also not aware that the Navy was again flying F-16s as adversaries. Thank you for teaching this old Chief new tricks.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Awesome. That place was incredible back in the day. I was lucky enough to spend some time there right before the transition. 101 was literally packing up when I was there. Very different place now. Glad we could fill you in on the N's backstory.

  • @tolson57

    @tolson57

    17 күн бұрын

    I retired while stationed at Miramar AIMD in January 97. It was turning into a ghost town. Didn't have a retirement ceremony because all my friends were gone.

  • @Tigershark_3082

    @Tigershark_3082

    14 күн бұрын

    I remember seeing in a podcast episode where an adversary pilot from VF-43 was being interviewed (namely about his experiences with the Kfir up at Oceana), and it was stated at one point that these folks would be flying at least once per day, nearly year-round. The biggest reason being that these guys were dedicated full-time adversaries. Modern adversary squadrons (namely after budget cuts to the USN) ended up causing a majority to be sundowned, leaving only NSAWC/NAWDC and part-time Navy/Marine reserve adversary squadrons (they still do a fantastic job)

  • @AlexSkaltsis-km4vk

    @AlexSkaltsis-km4vk

    10 күн бұрын

    I was in Miramar in 1987 when the first f16Ns were delivered,beautiful aircraft!

  • @fastone942

    @fastone942

    6 күн бұрын

    Indirectly, they save the Air Force a lot of money and aircraft theAir Force study these aircraft what failed in the bulkheads and F-16s built after this, and a bunch of other stuff corrected to prevent it from happening and older jets had modifications done also, they tone down and put restrictions on certain maneuvers

  • @Turboy65
    @Turboy6515 күн бұрын

    This presentation gets it. The beauty of the N is not that it was simply the most agile and capable dogfighter in the sky, but that it had such a broad performance envelope, it could be flown in a manner that replicated the flight characteristics of any lesser fighter....which is all of them. Absolutely invaluable.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Glad we are on the same page! Thanks for taking the time to watch it.

  • @sikertsok225

    @sikertsok225

    15 күн бұрын

    The whole VIPER platform is an amazing jet. And with 50 years of upgrades, it is still a threat to ANY plane in the sky. Not the best for multi role, as it does have a limited capability to fly with bombs, but these is a reason Russia screamed like a baby for Ukraine getting them.

  • @emcon7000
    @emcon700015 күн бұрын

    Nice documentary on the F-16N. I learned about it during my aero engineering studies in college and have ended up flying if for about 17 years now (Block 25, 30, 32, 40, 42, and 50). The F-16N had such a short lifespan and developed longeron/wings spar cracks due to pilots either not knowing about or potentially disregarding technical order limitations on the air frame. The jet will go over 9 g’s during an AOA overshoot, but the real problem is what’s known as an asymmetric over-G. Simply put, you can’t pull 9 G and roll at the same time. This causes a massive amount of torque on the air frame and subjects the wing going upward relative to the air frame to much more than 9G’s. If that happens, maintenance has to pull the motor and inspect practically all the bulkheads for cracks (ask me how I know). Back then, both Air Force and Navy pilots were probably under the impression that the jet wouldn’t allow any sort of over-G, but the FLCS only tries to stop the jet from going over 9. Tech order guidance has a much lower limit for asymmetric G’s. The limits for asymmetric G's are easy to find in the tech order, but the exact amount of roll rate required to consider G as asymmetric is not so easily found and is actually very low. As you mentioned, the Air Force jets didn’t have cracks developed nearly as quickly, which can be attributed to doing more Air-Ground and less chances to violate those asymmetric limits. Also, weight underneath the wing helps relieve stress on the wing, so it’s harder to damage the air frame by accidental over-G. Air Force air-to-air missions are generally flown with more underwing stores and a center-line tank which, although not the intended effect, helps reduce stress on the air frame during maneuvering and more closely simulates combat conditions for dogfighting (i.e. you just jettisoned your bombs, but still retain things like missiles, pylons, jamming pods, etc.). You can see in a lot of F-16N videos (especially gun camera footage) that pilots are rolling and pulling at high G a lot of the time in a close in fight. This is not necessary to win a fight against a Tomcat or Hornet, but I’m guessing no one ever told them that doing such things was very bad for the air frame. Nice that you mentioned about the Block 25s at the end. The unit I fly for donated our oldest Block 25s a year or two ago. Kind of bittersweet, but we got big mouth Block 30s to replace them. This documentary was really well put together and I look forward to more. Easy subscribe.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Fantastic info here. Thank you! Yeah I was talking to someone involved with support for the N and they touched on the 'unique onset events' or something like that in terms of stress on the airframe. We briefly touched on a simplified version of the over stress that happened briefly at 9+. If you ever want to share some thoughts, hit us up, our little growing audience would love to here from you.

  • @rmp5s

    @rmp5s

    14 күн бұрын

    Very interesting. Never really thought about it but that makes a ton of sense. It's like trying to corner under hard braking. You can do it, but it's not ideal...something's got to give.

  • @johng1015
    @johng101511 күн бұрын

    As a General Dynamics structural flight test engineer on F-16 from Day 1, I was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the F-16N structural problems description. I would like to add a little more to the story. As mentioned, F-16 structure was designed for about 50/50 air to ground and air to ait missions. When GD structural engineers looked at adapting to Navy air combat training, it was clear some mods would be required. Because budget and schedule were limiting factors, the only improvement made was to use titanium instead of aluminum for the wing to fuselage lower attach brackets. As expected, that's where the cracks first began to appear. USAF and Navy use different approaches to handling cracked structure. AF uses Fracture Mechanics to track crack growth and then repairs or replaces parts when the crack grows to a conservative specified length. Navy uses Fatigue technology that says if a crack appears, the structure has failed and may not fly again. Fracture Mechanics, although costly, allows years of safe flying to follow crack appearance. If the F-16Ns had been AF airplanes, they likely could have stayed in service for years.

  • @billpandos7962

    @billpandos7962

    9 күн бұрын

    Actually, there is an example of what you're describing; the Hellenic Air Force Block 32 F-16Cs, which are from the same production line the F-16Ns were. They have "survived" and are still in flyable condition today, because they had a 50/50 ACM - A/G role.

  • @kaneo1
    @kaneo1Күн бұрын

    'Stealth is king.' "Yes, but I see you and can outmanuver you." I've always loved this 'little' jet.

  • @clifbradley
    @clifbradley15 күн бұрын

    Just found your channel. This is like a Dark Skies video, except better edited, researched, has pictures and film actually relevant to the plane being talked about, isn't shown a clickbait thumbnail, has smoother voice overs and better music. So yeah...I mean besides being 500% better, just like a Dark Skies video. Lol. Subscribed

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Welcome! I am so glad you liked it. We put a ton into it. Some will be shorter, some will be about this long.

  • @MrTaojonz

    @MrTaojonz

    9 күн бұрын

    That's how i felt with Dark Skies and clipbait formula. Its titles sound like information is an updated but it seems it read off from a Wiki article. Most Aviation fans would already know these info. example - "A10 Warthog is receiving new upgrades" in the title and instead ths clip talked about the fighter has a gatling gun

  • @tommytwotacos8106
    @tommytwotacos81067 күн бұрын

    I grew up during the 80s in Rancho Penasquitos and Poway, which next to Mira Mesa or Carroll Canyon are the closest areas of San Diego to Miramar and its legendary airfield. We used to be able to drive down the 15 and watch these guys take off towards the east where they'd do most of their dogfighting (nearer to Julian, Ramona, and part of the Cleveland National Forrest. The yearly Airshow each September was quite the treat, as it was one of the few times that the pilots behind the controls would be allowed to "indulge themselves", when they were given free reign to fly whatever sort of maneuvers and patterns they wanted for the time they were demonstrating. It's sad that they're all at Edward's now (and much, MUCH quieter), and it's only when we get to see the occasional FA-18s, Seastallions or Ospreys (especially in conjunction with the training up at Pendleton), KC-130s, and the ubiquitous F-35s taking off or landing on the east side of the base where the I-15 passes by, that we're reminded of the neat and exciting piece of American military history that once used to take place here. As a sad little epilogue, they even closed down and dismantled the Marine's "Flying Leatherneck Museum" that used to be on base there at Miramar. It happened during the pandemic, and it was so sad watching them take apart those planes and crate them up that it made my stepdad weep openly for the first that I've ever seen, and we're talking about a tough as nails Vietnam vet who was the heavy gunner in his squad. Hell of thing to see this base wither away into a husk of its former self, especially when one realizes that it was only 30 years ago that it was the crown jewel in a city whose population growth and infrastructure sprawl was directly tied to the gargantuan Naval presence here.

  • @damianhadala5996
    @damianhadala599618 күн бұрын

    Very stoked for this channel!

  • @MichiganGreatOutdoors

    @MichiganGreatOutdoors

    18 күн бұрын

    for real!!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much, we are stoked too!

  • @donovannotmyname7306
    @donovannotmyname730616 күн бұрын

    Hell of a debut video

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much, a lot went into this one.

  • @SpookieP
    @SpookieP18 күн бұрын

    Longtime fan - from the early Foxtrot Alpha days, v excited for this next step. Hyped for everything you're building Tyler & Crew. 🙌

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much for sticking with me for so long! We are super stoked about this.

  • @K1ddkanuck

    @K1ddkanuck

    14 күн бұрын

    Same! FA was a Kinja gem. Thanks to TWZ, it's one of the Kinja remnants I didn't need to long for. I became a member of the TWZ community from its inception. It's a shame how we lost Gawker and the rest of Kinja. Jalopnik remains one of the last sites on that blog I still check in with occasionally. The success of TWZ makes up for all of that more than a bit.

  • @murphyseanm
    @murphyseanm18 күн бұрын

    The Navy making the best and most diverse air force in the world. Good to see this content come from TWZ and can't wait for the next one.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Some real gems in NAVAIR history book! We are stoked, more coming every Tuesday.

  • @dksl9899
    @dksl989917 күн бұрын

    Now I want to know what Ward Carroll has to say about this!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Ward is a friend of the site, he does great work

  • @williammorris3334
    @williammorris333413 күн бұрын

    To my eyes, the most beautiful jet fighter ever! US Navy aviators , the best in the world.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    13 күн бұрын

    F-16 is definitely a looker

  • @TheKlausOne
    @TheKlausOne17 күн бұрын

    This takes me back to watching WINGS back in the day. Super pumped for more videos!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Huge praise!

  • @edburns00

    @edburns00

    14 күн бұрын

    I loved Wings.

  • @lifes2good2
    @lifes2good218 күн бұрын

    Strong content right out the gate! Look forward to the next video.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thank you! We have a bunch of different stuff in the works, some history, some new, some shorter, some longer.

  • @dksl9899
    @dksl989917 күн бұрын

    I had the Hasegawa 1/72 boxing of this model as a kid!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Those were the days!

  • @Rdenham1976
    @Rdenham197615 күн бұрын

    I have to compliment Tyler & the TWZ staff on everything about this from the script, technical data, voice over & integration of flight sim vs real world footage; wonderful job. There are a few channels who needlessly show the wrong plane or have a VO artist who is hard to listen to thankfully that is not the case here keep up the great work.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Thank you so much! I can assure you that will never happen, at least systemically (haha), with us. We are very particular about B-roll and Josh, our production lead, is ex-USAF.

  • @aulink6015
    @aulink601518 күн бұрын

    I lived near Fallon Naval Air Station in the early 2000s, where they had a part of the Top Gun, we would see the camo painted F-16 flying over all the time. At first i thought they were Air Force jets, but they were Navy F-16s

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Yeah the reintroduction of the embargoed Pakistani Vipers was sort of low key.

  • @INTERSTATE-35-WARRIOR
    @INTERSTATE-35-WARRIOR17 күн бұрын

    SO SO SO HYPED FOR THIS CHANNEL!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    US TOO!

  • @mso82
    @mso8215 күн бұрын

    Great video! I just want to point out, the guy doing the voice over at 7:00 sounds like the same guy who did "The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't, by subtracting where it is, from where it isn't, or where it isn't, from where it is, whichever is greater, it obtains a difference, or deviation."

  • @rufusmcclintock1197
    @rufusmcclintock119718 күн бұрын

    Quality content. Keep it up Joshua. Come along way from aviationintel Tyler.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thanks man, it really has been quite the journey. Thank you so much for sticking with me!

  • @Tigershark_3082
    @Tigershark_308214 күн бұрын

    I cannot begin to tell you how glad I am to finally see a dedicated video that covers the F-16N in great detail! Aside from sone of the testbed and Block 10 Falcons, the F-16N is easily my favorite model!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    14 күн бұрын

    We really pride ourselves on the deep-dive things you’re not going to find anywhere else. Stay tuned!

  • @Mr_Anderson_II
    @Mr_Anderson_II17 күн бұрын

    Welcome to the party pal! This is my offering to the KZread algorithm gods. Excellent quality content. I've been reading Tyler's work since the Aviation Intel days. Great to see this next step with an ever growing team. Excited to see what's to come!

  • @coltwright6252
    @coltwright625213 күн бұрын

    Congrats on making of the KZread channel. FTA alum here

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    13 күн бұрын

    Makes me so happy to see that. Thanks so much for sticking with me for so long.

  • @TacticalHonk
    @TacticalHonk18 күн бұрын

    Well done Josh! I’ve been around since FA, and it’s amazing to watch TWZ empire grow!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    We are super lucky to have him and thank you for sticking with us!

  • @lantinian
    @lantinian18 күн бұрын

    Awesome 1st Video. Learned a ton.... like how there was a version of F-16 I didn't know about beyond the Wikipedia entry

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    SO much to mine in the F-16's history! Thanks so much for watching and commenting

  • @12345fowler
    @12345fowler14 күн бұрын

    Solid presentation

  • @tyriounet
    @tyriounet18 күн бұрын

    Excellent video. Thank you.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thanks for checking it out!

  • @castacus
    @castacus18 күн бұрын

    I really hope you guys make more videos like this. This is fantastic and i love over looked stories like this Ive never heard of.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Oh we have a ton of stuff lined up, every week on Tuesday! Some shorter, some longer like this, all in-depth

  • @BullyHayes1977
    @BullyHayes197716 күн бұрын

    The batch of Vipers sold/not sold to Pakistan were then offered to New Zealand, who had aging A-4s at the time - who declined them despite the very favourable pricing.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Yes great element of the story. I want to do a big thing on the Kiwi fighter saga.

  • @zyoungson215

    @zyoungson215

    Күн бұрын

    @@thewarzone Please do. The newly elected government at the time cancelled the deal last minute despite them being almost completely paid for in the early 2000s. I would have loved to have seen F-16s in RNZAF colours, it's a real shame.

  • @damonstewart70
    @damonstewart703 күн бұрын

    Wow man....phenomenal phenomenal video. I felt like I was in the cockpit twisting and turning. To watch my 6,I just subscribed

  • @francisngugi1923
    @francisngugi192318 күн бұрын

    Been waiting years for this channel, brilliant progress

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Me too! And THANK YOU!

  • @canadadelendaest8687
    @canadadelendaest868714 күн бұрын

    Much more of this please. This was an awesome video. Your longform is fantastic!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    14 күн бұрын

    There is certainly much more to come and we hope you enjoy our future videos as much as you did this one!

  • @Sdpartscenter
    @Sdpartscenter18 күн бұрын

    That was awesome and informative! Learned a few things along the way.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    That's the goal for us too!

  • @fahadkelantan
    @fahadkelantan15 күн бұрын

    Thanks for making this. Good luck with your new channel. I look forward to your next videos.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Thank you! We are aiming for a release every Tuesday

  • @malendras
    @malendras15 күн бұрын

    I've been reading your work for nearly a decade now, and you have excelled in your video debut! Love the production quality and incredible story!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    That means the world to me... That people have stuck with me so long. It makes this all worth it. Thank you so much!

  • @Spike_au
    @Spike_au17 күн бұрын

    Glad I came across this channel. Great video

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    We're glad you came across the channel too! Thanks for the feedback and hope you enjoy next week's offering, and every one past that, just as much.

  • @856Dropout
    @856Dropout15 күн бұрын

    Excellent video. I’m looking forward to more long form from you

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Some will be a little shorter some will be about this long yeah. Whatever the topic requires is my motto, we don't stick to length limits.

  • @HRClinton
    @HRClinton18 күн бұрын

    Super informative and entertaining. Well Done!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thank you glad you dug it!

  • @ALEX5207919
    @ALEX520791918 күн бұрын

    謝謝你的介紹

  • @andyberry-zx2lt
    @andyberry-zx2lt17 күн бұрын

    fantastic production value! i enjoyed seeing the old 'speedvision' clips you were able to source, and the CGI sim from Heatblur is amazing. this is possibly the best series since Wings on Discovery.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    We're all big Discovery Wings enjoyers here at TWZ! Glad we were able to hit that tone for you, because it was part of the plan.

  • @Nishi-wx2fm
    @Nishi-wx2fm17 күн бұрын

    This video is so well made, subbed!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Thanks for the sub!

  • @jessewatkins1338
    @jessewatkins133816 күн бұрын

    Awesome video!!! I love seeing the Vipers fly around Fallon!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    There's a special place in all of our hearts for Vipers...at least there should be!

  • @markhowells13
    @markhowells1317 күн бұрын

    Love that TWZ has jumped into video ! :)

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    It was a long time coming, that's for sure. But like we said in the article we posted yesterday, doing it right was more important than just doing it.

  • @Cactus7810
    @Cactus781015 күн бұрын

    What an awesome video! The presentation, information and delivery was very impressive. I’m a big fan of your work! Also the hot rod is undoubtably the coolest of the viper family!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    I am so glad you liked it, we put a LOT of time into this one.

  • @rpmoran
    @rpmoran18 күн бұрын

    Great first video - so excited for you all bringing your content to KZread!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    We are so stoked!

  • @hyd119
    @hyd11918 күн бұрын

    Looking forward to more!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    No, thank you!

  • @robineggels1563
    @robineggels156315 күн бұрын

    Awesome channel. Looking forward to more!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Good thing you're looking forward to more, because there is more coming next Tuesday!

  • @Bravo2Zulu
    @Bravo2Zulu17 күн бұрын

    Awesome!!! Looking forward to seeing more videos.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    And we look forward to bringing you more videos!

  • @lt.petemaverickmitchell7113
    @lt.petemaverickmitchell711314 күн бұрын

    What about the 28? Nobody’s ever been that close to a MiG 28 😂

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    13 күн бұрын

    You have to be inverted to get that close to a -28....

  • @greganderson5981
    @greganderson598117 күн бұрын

    Top shelf. Well done.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @alfredolanda80
    @alfredolanda8018 күн бұрын

    Absolutly awesome Video. More pleaseee

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    More is coming, every Tuesday a new show will be posted!

  • @DanielCrowder
    @DanielCrowder17 күн бұрын

    Great start to the channel! I had no idea that Top Gun had a new version of the F-16, and like everyone else here, I'm a huge aviation buff! Looking forward to seeing more!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    That's high praise and the goal of our little channel here.

  • @cliffdavis3247
    @cliffdavis324717 күн бұрын

    Fantastic video guys!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @suffer_slowly9159
    @suffer_slowly915916 күн бұрын

    i live in Fallon and know several people that work on the f-16s, it a love hate relationship with maintainers but damn is it cool to see them fly with navy written on them

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    And Marines!

  • @mattmilsop4003
    @mattmilsop400317 күн бұрын

    I'm so glad to see my favorite military news site has a KZread Channel! Keep it coming!!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Glad your here!

  • @Trojan0304
    @Trojan030418 күн бұрын

    Great premier with history & present information. Very good video & graphics, a home run start🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thanks it was a labor of love!

  • @JRedcorn
    @JRedcorn15 күн бұрын

    Amazing production for a youtube vid, liked, subscribed.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed the video! We're always looking to the most high-quality content we can, whether it would air on KZread or anywhere else!

  • @AaaBbb-ff1pn
    @AaaBbb-ff1pn5 күн бұрын

    i love reading your articles and now you even have a channel! subscribed without need to check it! never knew that navy have more f16 after the f16n decade

  • @mies-bvd
    @mies-bvd13 күн бұрын

    Awesome fresh content! Love it TWZ 🎉

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    12 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much for the kind feedback! look forward to seeing how you like the next one, and all the ones to come!

  • @taproom113
    @taproom1137 күн бұрын

    Outstanding presentation! Well done. Carry on ... ^v^

  • @gusm2752
    @gusm275215 күн бұрын

    Excellent video thanks. Love TWZ ! 👍🇺🇸

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    14 күн бұрын

    And we love our followers...if it wasn't for you all, we'd just be sitting around talking to ourselves!

  • @gusm2752

    @gusm2752

    14 күн бұрын

    @@thewarzone 😂👍🇺🇸

  • @jakenovey1890
    @jakenovey189016 күн бұрын

    Awesome video very informative

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thanks! We wanted people to feel exactly that.

  • @sprue_goose
    @sprue_goose17 күн бұрын

    This was excellent!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thank you glad you liked it!

  • @user-rp2nq1ev6x
    @user-rp2nq1ev6x6 күн бұрын

    Awesome!

  • @FuzedBox
    @FuzedBox15 күн бұрын

    This is your first full length video? Woah. What an incredible dive coupled with some fantastic footage! This earns a sub, for sure. Also, man... They played with some beautiful liveries; that white and green Marine two-tone, wow!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much for the kind comments and the sub, which is everything for a absolutely tiny channel like ours to get going. Staring up a huge mountain here.

  • @FuzedBox

    @FuzedBox

    15 күн бұрын

    @@thewarzone Hope so! You're off to a strong start, and judging from your reply to another comment: You've got access to good footage. You're off to a STRONG start.

  • @DistantThunder89
    @DistantThunder8917 күн бұрын

    Solid information. If you keep offering up videos like this, dense with info..you're gonna get big. Good job bro. Subbed

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Well, that is the aim, isn't it? You guys keep watching them and we'll keep making them, and we'll see where this all goes. But, we have big dreams here for the channel!

  • @wabbit2281
    @wabbit22813 күн бұрын

    Ive been to Fallon for TOPGUN (unfortunately as the people behind the scenes, a maintainer) and seeing the 16s rip over is kinda insane. Couple times they would get probably no more than 250ft above the runway, if not lower, easily going 300-400 and then pull as staright a vertical climb as possible. Kinda like watching a motorcycle just fly past on thw highway.

  • @sander...444
    @sander...44417 күн бұрын

    TWZ goes KZread! Looking forward to your content here ❤

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    14 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much for the comment! We really hope to bring a lot of great content to everyone. We think you'll like what we have in store!

  • @captainamerica3531
    @captainamerica35317 күн бұрын

    Just liked saved and subscribed. Most bad ass aviation video I’ve seen in awhile!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    5 күн бұрын

    Hope you think the same about the next video, and the next, and the next... :)

  • @bradyj2852
    @bradyj285218 күн бұрын

    Nice Job!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @Apollyon-er4ut
    @Apollyon-er4ut5 күн бұрын

    Well done. I remember well the F5s flying out of Fallon, and often flying in to the Reno Air Races. While the races are sadly no more, I hope that future airshows might also have visitors form Fallon Aggressor squadrons.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    5 күн бұрын

    It's a real shame the Air Races are gone. They were always a fun time and great to see all the Unlimited warbirds really spread their wings.

  • @memonk11
    @memonk1117 күн бұрын

    One video, and already an outstanding channel.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Thanks! We've got some Shorts content up too for more breaking and quick-hitter type things, so be sure to check those out as well!

  • @keithck3720
    @keithck372018 күн бұрын

    Woohoo! 1st video is live! Can't wait to see what else they have for us!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Lots of stuff in store. More about the channel here: www.twz.com/air/live-fast-die-young-the-story-of-the-navys-f-16n

  • @m.d.bishop4435
    @m.d.bishop443515 күн бұрын

    Dude! Awesome to see the TWZ breaking onto youtube!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    A long time coming!

  • @m.d.bishop4435

    @m.d.bishop4435

    14 күн бұрын

    @@thewarzone Isn't it amazing we have DCS to illustrate actual realistic aerial combat?

  • @cvillalobos27
    @cvillalobos2718 күн бұрын

    Good to have this channel. God speed

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @JCMills55
    @JCMills5516 күн бұрын

    I was a crew chief on the predecessor to F-16 in USAF adversarial training. I was a crew chief on F-5E's and they kicked Eagle and Phantom ass every day of the week.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    In the right hands, the F-5 is still a nasty little adversary/aggressor especially with the new F-5AT upgrades

  • @garyspencersalt9449
    @garyspencersalt94499 күн бұрын

    Thanks

  • @josephcardona8046
    @josephcardona804616 күн бұрын

    Just outstanding!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @SaraphDarklaw
    @SaraphDarklaw17 күн бұрын

    Getting my place as your 8700ish subscriber. Very interesting video. I can’t wait for more!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    NICE!

  • @callenclarke371
    @callenclarke3716 күн бұрын

    Goodness. You guys hit the sweet spot. From where I sit, there are two kinds of aviation mini-docs available on KZread. 1. High visual and audio production values, editing, music, graphics, pacing all good, but with basement-level bread-and-butter commentary, or, still worse, stupid zippedy-doo-dah errors, Or... 2. Excellent (but sometimes too long-winded) commentary with terrible production values. 3. AI-generated gobbledygook. All things considered, I generally prefer option 2. I clicked on this video, saw the graphics and heard the music and prepared to click away, thinking: yeah, this is going to be garbage. It isn't. Really great content. I'll be checking out more of your videos.

  • @ScoutSniper3124
    @ScoutSniper312415 сағат бұрын

    Pakistan: "I want my F-16's back!" Top Gun: "Yeah, I think we 'Lost' them... have you put a Lost Fighter Jets ad in Craigslist yet?"

  • @petterlauritz
    @petterlauritz6 сағат бұрын

    Cool plane and cool music ❤

  • @LenTexDIY
    @LenTexDIY16 күн бұрын

    Great video. Love the 80s soundtrack.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thanks so much, 100% the vibe we were going for.

  • @entropicalbreeze7171
    @entropicalbreeze717117 күн бұрын

    Congrats on growing the brand. YT is a natural extension, as many of your readers probably consume media on here. Maybe do some collabs with SubBrief and CarrolWard… I’m curious to see what the algorithm starts suggesting based on other TWZ YT viewers.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Thank you! Yeah that would be cool. Love both of them.

  • @ceasaraepoling5910
    @ceasaraepoling591017 күн бұрын

    For your first video, you did a great job 👍

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    17 күн бұрын

    Thanks for the feedback. This is just the first step of the journey, but we think it's a great first step!

  • @Limeysack
    @Limeysack16 күн бұрын

    That was really cool! Never heard of the F-16N at Top Gun before...thought they always just used the Skyhawks & Tigers.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    14 күн бұрын

    It's a pretty obscure thing, but we want to make sure everyone walks away from our articles and videos feeling like they learned something!

  • @Limeysack

    @Limeysack

    10 күн бұрын

    @@thewarzone Yep, I click on pretty much any airplane or WWII related video that pops up on my feed. Doesn't matter if it is just rehashing videos and stories I've heard multiple times already, but it is truly a special treat to learn something new:) I had to wonder why weren't the F16Ns featured on the original 1980's TOP GUN? Maybe the time frame was off, I can't remember the dates now. Anyways, happy new subscriber and look forward to more videos:)

  • @tl5606
    @tl560618 күн бұрын

    Love to see that USMC liveried Viper live on at least in videos.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    It was the best looking N by far.

  • @rmp5s
    @rmp5s14 күн бұрын

    We need this in DCS!!!

  • @MichiganGreatOutdoors
    @MichiganGreatOutdoors18 күн бұрын

    I soooo pumped you guys are gonna do KZread!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    US TOO!

  • @XxBloggs
    @XxBloggs17 күн бұрын

    Good first video.

  • @Shadowboost
    @Shadowboost15 күн бұрын

    One of the hottest fighters ever made. With the weight stripped out, this might be the greatest two circle fighter ever made

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    haha that is exactly what a Hornet guy said.

  • @TheCrjflyr
    @TheCrjflyr15 күн бұрын

    The Airwolf-ish music is awesome! I'll bet Tyler had something to do with that ;)

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    I demanded that haha. Powerglove is amazing.

  • @ironroad18
    @ironroad1816 күн бұрын

    Great video, with awesome sourcing. I will note that DCS World is owned by Eagle Dynamics. Eagle Dynamics made the F-16 module. Heatblur is seperate from Eagle Dynamics as an independent aircraft module maker, they produced the F-14, F-4, and Viggen for DCS World.

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    Glad you liked the video! Heatblur provided us with the footage and flew the airplanes in the video we ran in the story. That's why we credited them, because the "footage" came from them.

  • @blackberrymw
    @blackberrymw16 күн бұрын

    Awesome content! MoAR!!!!

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    16 күн бұрын

    Every Tuesday!

  • @behindthespotlight7983
    @behindthespotlight798310 күн бұрын

    I’m curious. You guys fly with pilot survival kits in the adversarial role out over the desert? Seems like there could be a potential dehydration event if you had to bail several hours from EMS help

  • @cleo1488
    @cleo148818 күн бұрын

    I ❤TWZ

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    18 күн бұрын

    We love that you love TWZ!

  • @KinoTechUSA69
    @KinoTechUSA6915 күн бұрын

    Awesome vid, this channel is going to.. take off

  • @thewarzone

    @thewarzone

    15 күн бұрын

    We're hoping the channel doesn't take after the first plane we did a video on and become a Lawn Dart.