The F-16V Viper is now available for Flight Simulator (not anymore)

Editor’s note: This F-16 is no longer available, but surely someone will create one soon! Continue to follow our news and be the first to know once the Fighting Falcon flies again in MSFS.

Fighter jet fans, rejoice! Even though you can’t fire any weapons in MSFS, the range of military jets available for this new platform continues to expand. After airplanes such as the F-15, the T-45C or the Aermacchi MB-339, among others, there is now a new choice for a fast moving, legendary fighter: the F-16 Fighting Falcon, possibly the most iconic of them all, is now available for MSFS!

What you are getting is definitely a decently looking F-16, at least externally, where the model looks quite good, with nice textures and a series of animations that include the landing gear, control surfaces, flaps and speed brakes. Weapons are also modeled, although obviously non-functional.

On the inside you will find an also decent cockpit, with some good textures throughout. There’s also a HUD with basic functionality. Prepare to be disappointed with the avionics though, as they come straight from the default MSFS Garmin suite. While the Viper variant of the F-16 incorporates a glass cockpit that aims to give it better interoperability with fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 and F-22, it’s not anywhere close to the Garmin systems that you will see here. So, not quite as realistic as you would want, but this F-16 isn’t trying to match the likes that you can find on DCS.

This F-16 comes with just one livery at this point, but the developer seems to be very active providing updates and improvements to the aircraft. Things such as the afterburner are in the works for a future release, as well as a net set of sounds that should be more realistic.

A cool thing about this F-16 is that it’s fully compatible with VR, which should make for a fun ride. The F-16 is known for its extreme maneuverability, and if the flight model can get at least close to the reactivity of the real aircraft, you are in for a dizzying experience in VR.

Overall, this looks like a good choice for those of you who would love to have the F-16 in MSFS. It really is an absurdly good-looking machine, both menacing and elegant and perfectly proportioned, and seeing it flying between the gorgeous clouds in MSFS should be a sight to behold!