Portal:Technology

Selected article

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. The Falcon's versatility is a paramount reason it has proven a success on the export market, having been selected to serve in the air forces of 25 nations. The F-16 is the largest Western jet fighter program with over 4,400 aircraft built since production was approved in 1976. Though no longer being bought by the U.S. Air Force, advanced versions are still being built for export customers. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.

The Fighting Falcon is a dogfighter with numerous innovations including a frameless, bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while under high g-forces, and reclined seat to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot. Weapons include a M61 Vulcan cannon and various missiles mounted on up to 11 hardpoints. It was also the first fighter aircraft deliberately built to sustain 9-g turns. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing enough power to climb and accelerate vertically – if necessary. Although the F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", it is known to its pilots as the "Viper", due it resembling a cobra snake and after the Battlestar Galactica starfighter. It is used by the Thunderbirds air demonstration team.

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Selected picture

Credit: Richard Greenhill, Hugo Elias, Shadow Robot Company

Robotics is the science and technology of robots, their design, manufacture, and application.^[1] Robotics requires a working knowledge of electronics, mechanics, and software, and is usually accompanied by a large working knowledge of many subjects.^[2] A person working in the field is a roboticist.

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News

Wikinews Science and technology portal

• November 30: LHC sets new particle energy acceleration record
• November 25: Sakurai Prize awarded for Higgs boson theories
• November 25: British Climatic Research Unit's emails hacked
• November 22: Astronaut's baby born 200 miles below him
• November 22: 2010 Sakurai Prize awarded for 1964 Higgs Boson theory work
• November 21: Large Hadron Collider restarted
• November 19: Mobile operator Orange bills French doctor €160,000 for one month of Internet use
• November 18: Russia may delay launch of "Angara" rocket due to funding cuts
• November 17: Egypt registers first domain name in Arabic
• November 14: NASA mission finds water on the Moon

Did you know...

• ... that both the Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser design ideas descended from the Mosaic web browser?

• ... that a coherer, hot wire barretter, electrolytic detector, cat's whisker and vacuum tube were all types of radio detectors?

• ... that in 2008 Hewlett-Packard created a prototype of the theoretical fourth and last passive circuit element, the memristor, that may one day revolutionize electronics, although the theory was devised in 1971?

• ... that a mercury arc rectifier converts alternating current to direct current by means of an electric arc through mercury vapor?

• ... that only one of the 266 1076 Class steam locomotives built for the Great Western Railway was named, and the rest had only numbers?

• ... that the six Charles Tayleur locomotives ordered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway were unsuccessful?

• ... that the intensity of a tropical cyclone (pictured) is usually determined by the Dvorak technique using only visible and infrared satellite images?

• ... that the technique of double-balloon enteroscopy allows any position along the gastrointestinal tract to be visualized in real-time?

Lists of basic topics   (all)

Main outlines: Outline of science and Outline of technology

Applied science

Forensics • Forestry • Nanotechology

Business management

Actuarial science • Marketing • Manufacturing

Domestic

Education • Family and consumer science

Energy

Energy development • Energy storage • Nuclear technology

Engineering

Agriculture • Automation • Chemical engineering

Health and safety

Biotechnology • Ergonomics • Firefighting

Industry

Architecture

Construction

Machines

Industrial machinery • Robotics

Mining

Information and communication

Cartography

Computer science

Artificial intelligence • Free software • Information technology • Internet • Programming • Software engineering

Design

Library science

Telecommunication

Radio

Military science

Martial arts

Transport

Aerospace • Space exploration •

Vehicles

Automobiles

Notes

Categories   (all)

Main categories: Technology and Applied sciences

Agriculture & Agronomy • Architecture • Automation • Biotechnology • Blu-ray • Cartography • Chemical engineering • Communication (Media studies • Telecommunications) • Construction • Design • Digital divide • Earthquake engineering • Electronics • Energy • Ergonomics • Firefighting • Fire prevention • Forensics • Forestry • Industry • Information science • Information technology • Internet • Management • Manufacturing • Marketing • Medicine (Unsolved problems in neuroscience) • Metalworking • Microtechnology • Military science • Mining • Nanotechnology • Nuclear technology • Nutrition • Optics • Plumbing • Robotics • Sound technology • Space exploration • Technology forecasting • Tools

Computing:  Artificial intelligence • Classes of computers • Companies • Computer architecture • Computer model • Computer science • Computer security • Computing and society • Data • Embedded systems • Free software • Human-computer interaction • Information systems • Internet • Mobile Internet • Languages • Multimedia • Networks • Industrial Networks • Operating systems • Platforms • Product lifecycle management • Programming • Real-time computing • Software • Software engineering • Unsolved problems in computer science • More...

Electronics:   Avionics • RF & MMIC Design • Circuits • Companies • Connectors • Consumer electronics • Digital electronics • Digital media • Electrical components • Electronic design • Electronics manufacturing • Embedded systems • Integrated circuits • Microwave technology • Molecular electronics • Water technology • Optoelectronics • Quantum electronics • RFID • Radio electronics • Semiconductors • Signal cables • Surveillance • Telecommunications • Terminology • More...

Engineering:  Aerospace engineering • Bioengineering • Chemical engineering • Civil engineering • Electrical engineering • Environmental engineering • Materials science • Mechanical engineering • Nuclear technology • Software engineering • Structural engineering • Systems engineering

Transportation:   By country • Automobiles • Aviation • Cycling • Public transport • Rail transport • Road transport • Shipping • Spaceflight • Vehicles • Water transport

Technology timelines

Topics   (all)

Glossaries   (all)

Air pollution dispersion terminology • Blogging • Broadcasting • Computing and IT

(Alternative terms for free software • Computer • Fisheries • Fuel cell terms • Internet • Legal terms • Object-oriented programming • Unified Modeling Language) • Firefighting (Equipment • Wildland fires) • Library and information science • Machine vision • Metalworking terminology • Mill machinery • Nautical • Telephony • Textile manufacturing • Transport (Aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics • Automotive design • Rail (Passenger rail (NZ railfan • UK railfan • U.S. railfan) • Woodworking (Joinery) • Winemaking

Related portals   (all)

Technology and applied sciences

Agriculture • Agronomy • Architecture (Bridges, Portal) • Biotechnology • Electronics • Energy (Renewable energy) • Engineering • Hazardous Materials • Home improvement • Nanotechnology • Nuclear technology • Robotics

Information technology

Typography • Apple Inc. • Blu-ray • Computer networking (Internet (Forums)) • Computer science (Artificial intelligence) • Computer security • Google • Microsoft • Java • Python programming • Software (Free software (Linux))

Transport

Aviation • Cars (Australian, Japanese) • Bicycles/Cycling • London transport • Nautical • Roads (U.S. Roads) • Spaceflight (Human spaceflight) • Trains (Rapid transit, UK Railways, UK Trams) • UK Waterways

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