Netz

Netz

Kfir C.7

F-16C Barak II

Netz

Kfir C.7

F-16C Barak II

Israel

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
12.7	12.7	13.0

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:400 000

Purchase:1 080 000

Show in game

Description

The F-16A Block 10 Netz is a supersonic, 4th generation fighter aircraft, produced by General Dynamics. The F-16 was produced for the USAF as a part of the Lightweight Fighter Program, and notably the early blocks such as the Block 10 did not carry the AIM-7 Sparrow; this is carried over to the Netz in Israeli service. Israel is notably the second largest user of the F-16 after the USAF, and also achieved the first air to air kills with it.

It was introduced in Update "Apex Predators". Compared to the Block 15 and Block 20, the Netz is lighter and is able to pull an extra 1-2 Gs, making it one of the best dogfighters in the game. Compared to the Block 10 in the US tree it has a massive advantage, as it possesses the extremely potent Python 3, one of if not the most potent heat-seeking missiles in-game. In exchange it loses the GBU-8 "Hobo" for ground support. This leaves it as one of the best dogfighters in high tier battles, with reasonable multirole capability for CAS as well.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier

Air brakes

Allows you to dramatically reduce the flight speed by releasing special flaps

Max speed

at 10 973 m2 156 km/h

Turn time19 s

Max altitude15 240 m

EnginePratt & Whitney F100-PW-220

Type

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight14 t

The F-16A Netz is very strong in a dogfight due to its excellent TWR and energy retention, its highly manoeuvrable and can easily reach its top speed even when climbing.

Characteristics	Max speed (km/h at 10,973 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,103	2,037	15240	20.0	20.2	262.9	250.8	850
Upgraded	___	2,156		__._	19.5	__._	305.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	✓	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1,555	482	N/A	470	463	~10	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< ___	< ___	< ___	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220		1	7,690 kg		___ kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with internal fuel (no weapons load)			Max Gross Weight
Weight (each)	Type		8m fuel	20m fuel	29m fuel
1,470 kg	Afterburning low-bypass turbofan		8,662 kg	9,913 kg	10,930 kg	16,849 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	8m fuel	20m fuel	29m fuel	MGW
Stationary	6,490 kgf	8,985 kgf	1.04	0.90	0.82	0.53
Optimal	7,434 kgf (1,555 km/h)	15,225 kgf (1,400 km/h)	1.76	1.53	1.39	0.90

Survivability and armour

Flares/Chaff

Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear482 km/h

The F-16A Netz is not very armoured, so enemy aircraft can easily tear into your jet with some good timed shots. Its advised that you try to avoid being shot in the first place. The F-16A Netz has access to flares however so in the event of an enemy missile coming your way you'll be able to defend yourself, if not you can be lucky and survive some hits if the missile doesn't damage any vital components that are critical for your flight.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 148 → 4 388

RB9 094 → 12 677

SB10 725 → 14 950

Total cost of modifications304 000

468 000

Talisman cost3 100

Crew training310 000

Experts1 080 000

Aces3 400

Research Aces1 280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

90 / 320 / 490 %

250 / 250 / 250 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 New boosters Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 440 Wings repair Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 480 Engine Research: 33 000 Cost: 51 000 1 000	Fuselage repair Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 Airframe Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 440 Cover Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 480	Flares/Chaff Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 M60_belt_pack Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 BLU-27/B Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 AIM-9P Research: 10 000 Cost: 15 000 320 G-suit Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 440 Mk82 Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 440 LAU-3/A Research: 14 000 Cost: 22 000 440 M60_new_gun Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 480 Mk84 Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 480 AIM-9L Research: 15 000 Cost: 23 000 480 40px AGM-65B Research: 33 000 Cost: 51 000 1 000 Python 3 Research: 33 000 Cost: 51 000 1 000

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)	CCRP (Bombs)	EEGS

Offensive armament

The Netz is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm M61A1 cannon, wing root-mounted (512 rpg)
• 60 x countermeasures

Suspended armament

The Netz can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs			3	3, 6	1	3, 6	3
500 lb Mk 82 Snakeye bombs			3	3, 6	1	3, 6	3
2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs			1	1		1	1
BLU-27/B incendiary bombs			1	1		1	1
FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets			57				57
AGM-65B missiles			1, 3				1, 3
AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles	1	1	1				1	1	1
AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles	1	1	1				1	1	1
Python 3 missiles	1	1	1				1	1	1
300 gal drop tanks					1
370 gal drop tanks				1		1
Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 2,000 kg

Default weapon presets
2 x 370 gal drop tanks + 1 x 300 gal drop tank 2 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles 6 x AIM-9P Sidewinder missiles 6 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles 6 x Python 3 missiles 19 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,500 lb total) 19 x 500 lb Mk 82 Snakeye bombs (9,500 lb total) 4 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (8,000 lb total) 4 x BLU-27/B incendiary bombs 114 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets 6 x AGM-65B missiles

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High power-to-weight ratio gives it an incredible acceleration
• Highly manoeuvrable at lower speeds
• 20 mm Vulcan cannon has high velocity and rate of fire
• Able to carry a drop tank to extend flight time
• Has access to a wide range to air-to-ground loadouts
• Access to 6 x AIM-9L Sidewinder or 6 x Python 3 missiles
• Python 3 missiles are very potent IR-guided missiles
• Bubble canopy with excellent unobstructed 360° visibility gives great situational awareness in simulator mode

Cons:

• Consumes fuel quickly
• No radar-guided AAMs
• The AGM 65 B does not have access to a thermal camera, which limits its use due to weather conditions

History

By the end of the 1970s, Israel had established itself as the dominant air force in the Levant, having achieved technological superiority over the Soviet-equipped Syrian army - the only adjacent threat remaining after the signing of the peace deal with Egypt. This was mainly thanks to the purchase of F-15s into the Israeli Air Force (IAF) in 1976, which provided both a defensive and offensive umbrella that could not be challenged effectively by the Syrians. Nevertheless, the IAF still had two critical issues with the F-15: its prohibitive cost, and its relative unsuitability for low-altitude bombing, interdiction, and dogfighting. As the pressure mounted to replace the ageing F-4E Phantom II, Nesher and Kfir C.7, the IAF finally decided to purchase General Dynamics's new F-16 multi-role jet.

Israel received its first four F-16s on July 2nd, 1980 - a mix of F-16A and F-16B fighters (single-seat and two-seat, respectively) - with a total of 75 arriving by the end of 1981. These planes, mostly F-16As from production Block 10, were originally sold to Iran's Shah regime, a US ally since the 1950s; however in 1979 the Islamic Revolution deposed the Shah, marking a significant change in the balance of power in the region and solidifying Israel's status as one of the only remaining trustworthy US allies in the Middle East. Since the planes could no longer be delivered to Iran, they were instead sold to Israel.

The IAF named the model "Netz" (Hawk), making no distinction between the F-16A and B. Due to its amazing capabilities as a low-altitude fighter-bomber, the Netz effectively replaced all other IAF combat jets except for the F-15. By the late 1980s, the F-15 and F-16 together comprised nearly the entirety of the IAF's active combat jet force.

On April 28th, 1981, less than a year after its introduction into the IAF, Netz #126 codenamed "Magen" (Shield) made the world's first aerial kill by an F-16 when it shot down a Syrian Mi-8 over the Bekaa Valley in Syria. Only a few months after that, on June 7th, 1981, eight Netz F-16A/Bs comprised the attacking element in Operation Opera - the Israeli surprise attack on the Osirak nuclear facility near Baghdad, Iraq - in which the reactor was completely destroyed. All attacking fighters returned to base unharmed. The fact that Israel had concealed its preparations from the United States caused President Reagan to withhold the transfer of the final two dozen F-16s to Israel, but this decision was rescinded after only a short while.

One year later, on June 6th, 1982, Israel began "Operation Peace for the Galilee", later known as the First Lebanon War. A few days into the war, on June 9th through June 11th, Israel conducted "Operation Mole Cricket 19", a massive SEAD campaign that obliterated the entire Syrian air defense network along the Syrian border with Lebanon. Dozens of Netz F-16s participated in this attack as interceptors, fighting alongside F-15s to shoot down any Syrian jets scrambled against the wild weasels. By the end of the second day of this operation, Israel's Netz F-16s alone had shot down a total of 44 Syrian MiG-21s, MiG-23s and Su-22s - more than half the total number of enemy jets shot down during the battle - while suffering no losses in the process. This massive, one-sided air battle has become known as the "Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot".

One Netz in particular - Netz #107 codenamed "Sufa" (Storm) - distinguished itself in world history by becoming the jet with the highest number of aerial kills to this day. This F-16A was the second to bomb the Osirak reactor in 1981, and later shot down a total of 6 enemy aircraft (plus one "kill assist"), most of them during the Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot. Four of these kills were scored by Col. Eytan Stibbe during a single sortie on June 11th - the only F-16 pilot in the world to ever achieve this feat. Stibbe later became Israel's second-ever astronaut - the first Israeli to visit the International Space Station. Today, Netz #107 is on display at the Israeli Air Force Museum. Israel's advanced F-16I model line is named Sufa in honour of this plane.

Israel did at one point attempt to produce its own 4th-generation multi-role fighter to replace the F-16: the IAI Lavi. However pressure from the United States forced the project to be scuttled before production could begin. In compensation for torpedoing the project, the US agreed to provide Israel with 75 F-16C/Ds (codenamed "Barak" in Israel), which were delivered in 1987. Nevertheless, F-16A/Bs remained in IAF service for many years afterwards. In 1994, the United States compensated Israel for staying out of the First Iraq War by supplying it with another 50 surplus F-16A/Bs, most of them from the US National Guard and Air Force Reserves. Most F-16A/Bs in the IAF were eventually upgraded to F-16C/D standards. All Netz F-16A/Bs were retired from IAF service by around 2015.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Netz from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• F-16 (Family)

External links

• https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/558198-general-dynamics-f-16a-netz/
• https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104505/f-16-fighting-falcon/

Israel jet aircraft
	Kfir Canard · Kfir C.2 · Kfir C.7 · Nesher
Britain
Meteor	Meteor NF.13 · Meteor F.8
France
Vautour	Vautour IIA · Vautour IIN
Super Mystere	Sambad · Sa'ar
Mirage III	Shahak
Other	M.D.450B Ouragan · Mystere IVA
USA
F-84	F-84F
A-4	A-4H · A-4E Early (M) · A-4E · Ayit
F-4	Kurnass · Kurnass 2000
F-15	Baz · Baz Meshupar · F-15I Ra’am
F-16	Netz · F-16C Barak II · F-16D Barak II