F-16 Takeoff: When Thrust Beats Weight The F-16 Fighting Falcon was one of the first production fighters designed so that, in a light air-to-air configuration, its engine can produce more thrust than the jet weighs. That single fact changes how a takeoff works. The numbers behind the roll: - Engine: one F100-PW-229 or F110-GE-129 turbofan, roughly 29,000 lbf of thrust in full afterburner - Dry (non-afterburning) thrust is closer to 17,000 to 18,000 lbf - Empty weight is around 19,000 to 20,000 lb, with combat takeoff weights often in the mid-20,000s - Result: a thrust-to-weight ratio above 1.0 in clean configurations What happens on the runway: - Afterburner sprays extra fuel directly into the exhaust stream behind the turbine, using oxygen the core combustion left unburned - Fuel flow can jump several times higher than in dry power, trading efficiency for raw acceleration - Net force on the aircraft is thrust minus aerodynamic drag minus rolling friction, so acceleration stays high...