Simulating a Bombing Raid in an F-16

The historic 1981 Israeli operation took out Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor.

Patrick Chovanec

Friday, January 05, 2024 at 08:31 PM ET

Verified

The F-16 is known as a fighter pilot's fighter. [Courtesy: Patrick Chovanec]

Key Takeaways:

The F-16 Fighting Falcon was developed in the 1970s by the "Fighter Mafia" as an agile, lightweight, single-engine complement to the F-15, featuring pioneering technologies like fly-by-wire and an aerodynamically unstable design for enhanced maneuverability.
The F-16 made its combat debut in 1981 with the Israeli Air Force in a daring, long-range, low-altitude mission to successfully destroy Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor, demonstrating its operational effectiveness.
Since its inception, the F-16 has become a versatile and widely exported multirole fighter, serving extensively with the U.S. Air Force in various combat and training roles, and adopted by over two dozen nations, playing a significant role in numerous conflicts and international defense strategies.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’ll be checking out the F-16. And to get things rolling, I’ll be flying one of its most historic missions: the 1981 Israeli bombing raid to take out Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor.

Originally produced by General Dynamics, which has since sold its aircraft business to Lockheed Martin, the F-16 came about in the early 1970s in response to the shortcomings of the F-4 Phantom, which saw murderous attrition rates in the skies over Vietnam, and the introduction of new, more advanced Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25.