By closing the gap between the front end of this casing and the rear of the fan to just under half an inch, the designers reduced the size of the path by which high-pressure pulses from the burner had been reaching the core. These engine fixes produced a dramatic improvement in reliability. In recent years, the USAF became interested in acquiring an alternative engine for the F-16, partly in a desire to set up a competitive process between rival manufacturers in an attempt to keep costs down, as well as to develop a second source of engines in case one of the suppliers ran into problems. GE was given a contract for full-scale development of its new engine, which was to be designated F110. The bypass ratio is 0.87 to 1.
Blades are individually replaceable without rotor disassembly.
When afterburning is demanded, fuel is injected into both the fan and core flows, which mix prior to combustion. However, it is not intended that individual units operate with F-16s powered by two different engine types, since that would create a spare parts and logistics nightmare. The choice of engines for the F-16 is made at the Wing level. It has the same thrust as the -200, but is much more reliable, having improvements which radically lowered the number of. This engine is rated at 29,100 pounds of thrust with full afterburner.