The aircraft last flew in 1996 and is reportedly ... by aviation buffs and industry experts alike. The resulting F-16XL design was conceptualized to potentially replace the F-111 Aardvark.

But there was one F-16 variant, a little-known experiment, that few would recognize: the F-16XL. Only two F-16XLs were ever made. In 1981, the fighter entered the Air Force’s Enhanced Tactical ...

The F-16XL was designed with a cranked arrow shape ... The American-made supersonic multirole fighter aircraft was initially designed for the U.S. Air Force more than five decades ago.