The F-16XL is the F-16 variant the Air Force tested, wanted, and then rejected. Here's is part of the story behind the cranked-arrow Viper. The F-16XL isn't a render and it isn't a mod. In the 1980s General Dynamics built two flying prototypes with a cranked-arrow delta wing, no horizontal tail, and far more wing area than a standard F-16 Fighting Falcon — then entered it in the Enhanced Tactical Fighter competition against the F-15E. It lost to the Eagle. The Air Force picked the Strike Eagle, the two F-16XL airframes were shelved, and NASA eventually took them for high-speed flight research. Both of them is still sitting on static display at Edwards Air Force Base — which is where this footage was shot.
Source: The F – 16 XL: The Ultimate Fighter That Never Made It
