Watch From Inside the Cockpit as This F-16 Climbs 15,000 Feet in 45 Seconds
High performance fighter jets: not for the weak of stomach.
The F-16 fighter jet is far from the most advanced interceptor prowling the skies today, but it's still capable of some rather amazing feats of aerial performance. Via the Aviationist -- which if you're an airplane geek and you don't know about, shame on you -- comes this video of a Pakistani F-16 taking off and climbing 15,000 feet in just under 45 seconds.
The pilot, Turkish test pilot Murat Keles, spends a few seconds after going airborne gaining speed and then jacks his plane into a vertical climb. The video below, filmed with a GoPro camera mounted in the cockpit, captures the hair-raising maneuver:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai4ChkDu3hE
The F-16 fighter jet is far from the most advanced interceptor prowling the skies today, but it’s still capable of some rather amazing feats of aerial performance. Via the Aviationist — which if you’re an airplane geek and you don’t know about, shame on you — comes this video of a Pakistani F-16 taking off and climbing 15,000 feet in just under 45 seconds.
The pilot, Turkish test pilot Murat Keles, spends a few seconds after going airborne gaining speed and then jacks his plane into a vertical climb. The video below, filmed with a GoPro camera mounted in the cockpit, captures the hair-raising maneuver:
The F-16 in question belongs to the 11th Squadron, better known as the “Arrows,” of the Pakistani air force. Murat Özpala was the rear-seat pilot on the flight.
Photo credit: YouTube/Murat Özpala
More from Foreign Policy
The West vs. the Rest
Welcome to the 21st-century Cold War.
Why Washington Should Take Russian Nuclear Threats Seriously
Historically, states have escalated when facing the prospect of imminent defeat—and Putin has a track record of following through on his threats.
Fauci: China’s COVID-19 Situation a ‘Disaster’
The White House’s chief medical advisor assesses the world’s response to the pandemic.
Xi Jinping Is Fighting a War for China’s History
Fear of “historical nihilism” has haunted China’s leadership for years.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today from Foreign Policy’s newsletter writer Colm Quinn.
By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy.