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How an F-16 pilot used a sonic boom as a weapon to save ground troops

Posted by / October 8, 2016

Sonic booms are more than just cool physical phenomena resulting from breaking the sound barrier. They’re also weapons––for creative pilots, that is.

Full story at The Joint Forces Channel.

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Comments are off for this post.

  • Greg Miller

    Where did my comment go?


  • How an F-16 pilot used a sonic boom as a weapon to save ground troops”

    This is old news, such a case was mentioned on thr Internet for several years ago;
    is today a slw news day?

  • Edward Erskine

    Am interested in war stories like this.

  • wolfchief

    We did that in Viet Nam what else us new?

  • bubujin_2

    Why did the narrator keep referring to the F-16 as the “Viper” when they are nicknamed the Falcon?

  • osama

    They entered the country with a lie , lied to the whole world ,,
    in the end the confessed about it … but till now innocent people dying becuse of them

  • They entered the country with a lie ,lied to the whole world
    in the end the confessed about it … but till now just innocent people dying because of them

  • Brown

    Geez Charliek, I thought it was as interesting this AM as the first time I saw it.
    I am happy it’s a slow news day.

  • whats a sonic broom

  • Bob Obowey

    Great story. Now, if Donald Trump gets dumped from the presidential race, that´d be great.

  • History Buff62

    Interesting story. It’s not news! It’s history. If you’re not interested in history why would you be watching a video from the Smithsonian Channel?

  • tim

    kill the enemy

  • Rick

    Too bad Hillary didn’t deploy them at Benghazi.

  • Cheesehead

    SSo what, if it’s old news!! I didn’t know that much about Agent Orange either, until until I came down with prostate cancer 50 years later !! Bien Hoa RVN 65-66

  • NTS

    Highest salute to you, Col. Lynch ! You’ve saved over 50 troops.. God bless !

    With those secrets about the F16 revealed, the no tech chinese must be watching this video over and over again !

  • These poor heroes were lied to, cheated with lies to fight a unjustified war, kill over a million Iraqi.
    Bush and Cheney should have been in jail for life or face death penalty for endangering the life of hundreds of thousands of American for their own interest.

  • Mark W.

    Sure Bob, and if that happens, all of our bombers become a flower droppers and within a year we will be flooded with terrorist. It is time to take our country back and raise our economy. If Hillary Clinton could not keep her own husband at bay, What makes you think she can run a country??? Just saying…

  • top gunner 100

    Hillary Lied & Americans DIED !!! REMEMBER that when u VOTE. She OK’d Obamas deal, that gave Iran billions of $ to BOOST their NUKE research. She helpd ok millions of $, to be used to help free hostages. Then u have her use of the EMAIL SERVER, that she LIED about & is STILL LIEING ABOUT !!! DO U WANT HER AS UR PREZ, I DONT !!!!!

  • Rob

    @BUBUJIN_2 The F-16V configuration is an option for new production jets and elements of the upgrade are available to most earlier-model F-16s. The “V” designation is derived from Viper, the name fighter pilots have called the F-16 from its beginnings.

  • Merp

    Dat Orwellian operation name, tho.

  • Tom

    Thank you for comment Osama Bin Ladin. I guess you missed the small story on page 29 of the New York Times about the 400 tons of yellow cake uranium our military hauled out of Iraq and brought to Canada. Maybe they didn’t lie. Maybe you only see what you want to see. Enjoy that bubble you choose to live in.

  • dentss dunnigan

    The’ve been using this since the civil war…..

  • yea

    Would the sound have same effects on both sides?

    I don’t get it how it only worked for one side.

  • BamaLama

    BUBUJIN_2, all you had to do was look it up. “The F-16’s official name is “Fighting Falcon”, but “Viper” is commonly used by its pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake.”

  • noseitall

    A sonic broom is like a sonic toothbrush, only larger.

  • mo jo

    @S.OBEID Everything is Bush’s Fault!!!!!®

  • Red Mongolian

    History Buff62. Ask OSAMA he is under the impression that America started the war in the far Eastern
    Countries. Evidently he is not aware of the 911 attack on American soil. Just another negative Jihadist
    in my opinion.

  • Buck Rogers

    S.Obeid Agreed. But your buddy obama and Hillary need to be tried for treason as well.
    Don’t for get about Benghazi. Hillary the “Butcher Of Benghazi” four Americans died on
    her watch! After almost eight miserable years under obama I have had enough! I pray
    to God and hope Trump wins!

  • Pat

    What a stud that col. Is, I’m glad I got to wake up to that,those guys are truly studs.

  • I remember them well 173rd airborne 1970/71 vietnam

  • kewl1

    This is a great story but I saw it on YouTube a long time ago. Is this what happens when they can’t find any news?

  • udorn 68-69

    cheesehead, welcome home brother. i did not either. hope you got compensation brother. they still denying vets from Thailand.

  • Art Carney

    if you remember they asked for a F-16 to fly over and a few bloom to help them defend the base. But Clinton and her ppeople said no.

  • mike.t

    All of you with the negative talk please move to the country of your choosing.(however not this one)

  • Night

    TThe name Viper is referring to an up graded version of the Falcon. Its based on the same chasis but is different enough to eearn its own designation.

  • Charlie Siegel

    BAMALAMA; You are partially right about the pilots reference to the “Viper” name based upon it’s similarity to a striking snake. The Prime Contractor, General Dynamics (GD), named the F-16 as the Viper in much of their marketing material. However, the USAF had already officially named it the Fighting Falcon; which is the reason for the two names. As much as we appreciate this beautiful bird, the pilots of twin-engine fighter aircraft teasingly refer to it as a “Lawn Dart” because of the glide path when the single engine is lost. GD once made a marketing pitch that “the best combat effective use of twin-engines was two F-16s”. Regards,801Charlie/crew-chief

  • Bob Brown

    I remember reading about the use of sonic shock waves back in the 1960s. As the previous comment, used in Nam.

  • God and Country

    While we critizie everyone and everything we bring shame to those who have paid the ultimate price. Agree with Ike.T and add if you can’t be part of the solution go to another country where even criticing it’s leader can land you in prison or easily have you shot with aircraft weapons.

  • John M. Franco

    Hey Kids! For some of you this may be old news; and, it may have come out on the internet several years ago but, I was an Air Force dependent for 18 years base to base to base who had friends that were all into fighter jets and I had never heard of this before; but, being relatively intelligent and with an affinity for the space program all my life, and as one who fixes his friends computers and guitars and cars who also has a penchant for physics, as soon as I read this it made sense to me. So learned something today and therefore it was not wasted. Now it’s time for most of you to learn something. What is a Hemisemidemiquaver? In music, a hemisemidemiquaver is a sixty-fourth note. Here is the breakdown: A quaver is an eigth note. Hemi, semi, and demi all mean half. Therefore, it’s half of a half of a half of an eigth note. Now you know!!!

  • jim

    What is this neg. remarks about this being old news?? This is not a new story it is Smithsonian History

  • Jon

    Boneheads, what’s your military backgrounds, yeah you, you know who I’m talking to here.

  • WHATEVER GETS DR DONE!!!

  • david

    Nope this must not have happened , it wouldn’t do any good it what hitlary said. This is just more proof of her legacy of lies and corruption.

  • Robert Valadez

    Mr. Bubujin_2…the OFFICIAL name of the F-16 IS the Fighting Falcon…but…the special nick-name of the jet is from the pilots themselves…they say it looks like the viper from its snake looks…and that the jet has some similarities to the Show–Battlestar Galatica’s Viper ship used in the “fighter” to “fighter” scenes.

  • Dean McKimm

    Thank God you people who persist with the ignorant and false mantra of “lies” in entering the Iraq war are not in a position of power. Bush and the others didn’t lie, they took the best information available and acted correctly based on it. Please grow up, act like adults and realize there are times when evil needs to be dealt with and in all things, mistakes can and will happen. More important to fight the good fight.

  • Lord Of The Clit Ring

    Cool way to help murder 500 people to save 50
    Build the wall

  • Most of you who put a comment in are really stupid, Are not Knowledgeable of the subject, You are just Plumb Stupid..

  • @Bubijin_2:

    Did a little research and what I found is that while “Fighting Falcon” may be the *official* name…”Viper” is used by its pilots and crews…apparently due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake..

    Hope that helps?

  • Oh yeah, watch this

    Hold back for 2 seconds, then press forwards + punch. Works every time.

  • Gary

    Great use of available tactics, but not new or unique to this aircraft.

    Sonic Boom attack was often used in Vietnam close air support by F-4 Phantoms, especially when support calls came after all other ordinance had been expended. US Air Force, Navy, and Marine F-4’s used that technique often.

    Another, not widely know technique, was to drop empty or partially full external fuel tanks as bombs. Many folk do not know that during war the tanks have an explosive in them that can be armed to use the tanks as a bomb – a fuel/air bomb.

  • Gary

    BiQuit Eater. you need to chill man and grow up! This forum is not for experts only, it is for public opinion – TROU = The Rest Of Us!