General Dynamics Fort Worth F-16 derived GAU-8 gunship concept (G.F.G) from 1976

Grey Havoc

Grey Havoc

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Thanks to Air21 over at What If Modelers:

Thought this design was already mentioned in an existing SPF thread, but I couldn't locate it. I'm wondering if this design originally grew out of one of the 'Model 402' studies. Also, I wonder if there was a late 1970s semi-official USAF requirement that both this and the Fairchild-Republic NGCAS were aimed at. Whatever the case, it's clearly a first step on the road that led to the A-16 program.
 

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It looks as if it was inspired by Lippisch and by the Colonial Viper (Battlestar Galactica). B)
 
fightingirish said:
It looks as if it was inspired by Lippisch and by the Colonial Viper (Battlestar Galactica). B)
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Heh. I'd always thought if I had billions I'd have somebody build me a Viper wrapped around 3 EJ230s.
 
I'm not buying it as a real project for a second.
 
Cleaned up

fightingirish said:
It looks as if it was inspired by Lippisch and by the Colonial Viper (Battlestar Galactica). B)
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It reminds me more of some of the late war rear cockpit messerschmitt jet designs.
 

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Totally unrealistic, check.
Totally impractical, check.
Unlikely to be flyable, check.
likely to cost the billions if you had them, check.
Probably as popular as the F-104G with the Luftwaffe, check.
On that basis, great project and likely to feature at an air show not too long into the future.
Very good images/drawings too.
 
If the vent on top of the nose is that of the canon... The pilot seated behind see nothing soon after pressing the trigger.... Not sure if that thing could be popular among the grunts...
 
Looks like something out of a Leiji Matsumoto anime/manga, preferably piloted by Captain Harlock/Albator or one of his ancestors.
 
You guys are great. Let me try my two cents: it has some Star Wars prequel vibe. A bit like the bastard child of Naboo queen ship and fighter

databank_naboon1starfighter_01_169_26691adf.jpeg


I second the opinion it might be a whatif / speculative project - I have been a memberof the Whatif modelers forum since 2006.
 
I'm not going to say this is entirely fake and dismiss it outright. It looks more genuine than any CAD drawing and I don't think this is a cut and paste job.
So I think its provenience is from Fort Worth, but that doesn't mean that it was a serious study. It could well have been an internal joke or April Fool's, or at best a very early speculative study.
 
I am going to call BS on this one, it looks to me like someone made a what if scale model from an F-16 kit and then created a drawing to go with the model.
 
FCOL guys, it comes from a post on "WHATIF" modelers.
 
Hood said:
I'm going to say this is entirely fake. It looks more genuine than any CAD drawing and I don't think this is a cut and paste job.
So I think its provenience is from Fort Worth, but that doesn't mean that it was a serious study. It could well have been an internal joke or April Fool's, or at best a very early speculative study.
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Very true.
Visibility would be 'perfect' too
 
Hood said:
So I think its provenience is from Fort Worth, but that doesn't mean that it was a serious study. It could well have been an internal joke or April Fool's, or at best a very early speculative study.
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Anther possibility: it's reverse-advertising. Someone - a military guy, a Senator, upper management - came along and said "say, how about we put one of them neato GAU-8A guns into an F-16?" And the engineers/designers who were tasked with pondering this decided that it was a dumb idea and cranked out this design to show just what a nightmare it would be. It might have been sold as "look what a nightmare this would be," or it might have been sold as "look how awesome this would be. Certainly the pilots would love to fly a plane likes this... hey! Where are you going? The presentation has only just begun!!!"
 
Foo Fighter said:
FCOL guys, it comes from a post on "WHATIF" modelers.
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Original post:

So I have a friend who works in the Lockheed Martin composite shop, formerly a production model builder. He found this picture of an imagined f-16 ground attack variant while cleaning out an actual display at the Fort Worth, Texas plant.
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It looks like it was a genuine drawing to me. My guess is its a joke drawing done at the time (1976) maybe after someone suggested sticking a GAU-8 in an F-16, rather than a serious project, but it's hard to say.
 
There is a old 1/48th scale model of this concept on temporary display in a small historical display area in a hallway in Fort Worth, so it is more than just a joke. I have a copy of that drawing as well. Certainly no crazier than many other concepts that got more than a casual look.

This, originally, did NOT come from the "What If" model discussion forum.

G.F.G is a pretty good hint......
 
tab28682 said:
There is a old 1/48th scale model of this concept on temporary display in a small historical display area in a hallway in Fort Worth, so it is more than just a joke. I have a copy of that drawing as well.
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I for one would be more than a little interested in anything you might have on this, including as many photos as possible of the model.
 
tab28682 said:
There is a old 1/48th scale model of this concept on temporary display in a small historical display area in a hallway in Fort Worth, so it is more than just a joke. I have a copy of that drawing as well. Certainly no crazier than many other concepts that got more than a casual look.

This, originally, did NOT come from the "What If" model discussion forum.

G.F.G is a pretty good hint......
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Thanks for the information!
 
f-16 to become the mainstay of USAF
lack of capability in attack (considering early "low powered" A-B types)
against A-7 which was kept in production through the US Senate and Congress to the end of the Cold War ?
A-10 hated by USAF , A-7 can't fit the entire gun , so as a promise that it would happen
and quietly forgotten as soon as contract secured

edit: Have checked the Whatif page . Modellers , you better imagine those early Spitfire exhaust stubs , right after the gun muzzle.

edit2: And , yes , forget the canards .
 
Seeing as how the date on the drawing is from January 1996, I bet this is a jokey answer to "the GPU-5 didn't work on the A-16...what do we do now?"
 
Jeb said:
Seeing as how the date on the drawing is from January 1996, I bet this is a jokey answer to "the GPU-5 didn't work on the A-16...what do we do now?"
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Zoom it all the way -- it's '76 not '96.
 
Is it really? I couldn't tell, but that seemed awfully early.
 
tab28682 said:
This, originally, did NOT come from the "What If" model discussion forum.

G.F.G is a pretty good hint......
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Care to spell it out for those of us who aren't recognizing the hint?
 
a jokey answer to "the GPU-5 didn't work on the A-16...what do we do now?"
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actually true in the sense the short Avenger would have been offered in the same timeframe and refused as radiation seeding required the cover of anti-tank work . As long as the penetration tables of the short and long prove there are no difference ...

and while no engineer , ı would assume a twin engine set up and finding something else for ranging would make a more palatable plane (far less of wetted area?) , with equally no chance of purchase with USAF set on the PW's F-100 .
 
Orionblamblam said:
Anther possibility: it's reverse-advertising. Someone - a military guy, a Senator, upper management - came along and said "say, how about we put one of them neato GAU-8A guns into an F-16?" And the engineers/designers who were tasked with pondering this decided that it was a dumb idea and cranked out this design to show just what a nightmare it would be. It might have been sold as "look what a nightmare this would be," or it might have been sold as "look how awesome this would be. Certainly the pilots would love to fly a plane likes this... hey! Where are you going? The presentation has only just begun!!!"
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I guarantee that this study was in the same vein as the Rockwell C-1057 'breadbox' shuttle orbiter.

Hand an engineer a stupid requirement and a job number, and you'll get an equally stupid design that's theoretically possible once the budget runs out. As a former manager of mine once said - if the customer wants the wheels on top of the bus, then you give them a bus with the wheels on top.
 
It was one of a number of illustrations of GFG's work presented on a banner at his retirement party.
 
Wonder if the Stargate Atlantis crew saw this. when designing the Wraith Dart?
 

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