Conner Rousseau

Conner Rousseau (Sint-Niklaas, 13 november 1992) is een Belgisch politicus voor de sociaaldemocratische partij sp.a. In 2019 werd hij verkozen als Vlaams Parlementslid.

Biografie
Conner Rousseau is de zoon van Christel Geerts, sp.a-politica en voormalig burgemeester van Sint-Niklaas. Hij studeerde rechten aan de Universiteit Gent. Hij werkte als communicatie-adviseur voor achtereenvolgens Vlaams minister Freya Van den Bossche en sp.a-voorzitter John Crombez.[1]

Bij de Vlaamse verkiezingen van 2019 koos de partij Rousseau onverwacht als lijsttrekker in Oost-Vlaanderen. Rousseau raakte verkozen met 17.438 voorkeurstemmen.[2][3] Hij werd meteen na zijn eerste verkiezing aangeduid als fractieleider voor zijn partij

Kelvin Maynard

Kelvin Ruben Maynard (29 May 1987 – 18 September 2019) was a Dutch professional footballer who played as a right defender.
Career
Born in Paramaribo, Suriname, Maynard made his professional debuts with FC Volendam, playing in four second division games in the 2006–07 season. He contributed with 35 appearances in his second year as the club promoted to Eredivisie.

Maynard made his top flight debut on 31 August 2008, in a 2–3 home loss against SC Heerenveen. The Other Oranje were eventually relegated back, after finishing in 18th position. In the 2010 off-season, he signed with S.C. Olhanense in Portugal,[2] but his input with the Algarve outfit consisted of three League Cup games (three losses, including the 2–3 at S.L. Benfica).

On 5 July 2011, Maynard moved clubs and countries again, joining Kecskeméti TE in Hungary.[3] He was released in December.

Maynard signed for English club Burton Albion in November 2014 until the end of the 2014–15 season.[4] He extended his contract in July 2015.[5] He was injured in August 2015, and ruled out for the 2015–16 season.[6]

Honours
FC Volendam
Eerste Divisie
Winner: 2007–08
Burton Albion F.C.
Football League Two
Winner: 2014–15
Death
Maynard was shot and killed on 18 September 2019 in Amsterdam. He attempted to escape the gunmen by driving towards a fire station in the area, but his car hit the building, and he was unable to be resuscitated by medics

جنرال دايناميكس إف-16 فايتينغ فالكون

إف-16 الصقر المقاتل (بالإنجليزية: F-16 Fighting Falcon) طائرة مقاتلة خفيفة نفاثة، أحادية المحرك، متعددة المهام من مقاتلات الجيل الرابع من إنتاج شركة جنرال ديناميكس لصالح القوات الجوية الأمريكية، ثم تم تطويرها من قبل شركة لوكهيد مارتن. وقد صممت كطائرة قنص خفيفة للقيام بالعديد من عمليات القنص بنجاح كبير. وأثبتت الطائرة بجدارة قدرة خارقة على المناورة، وتم تصديرها للعديد من الدول. وهي واحدة من أهم الطائرات المقاتلة التي ظهرت في الجزء الأخير من القرن العشرين. تم تطويرها أساساً انطلاقاً من مفهوم تطوير طائرة مقاتلة تجريبية خفيفة الوزن وتطورت إلى أن أصبحت طائرة مقاتلة لجميع الظروف الجوية وطائرة هجومية دقيقة الإصابة للأهداف. تم تصنيع إف 16 في 5 خطوط إنتاج منفصلة، مما يجعلها أكبر برنامج لصناعة طائرة مقاتلة يشهده العالم الغربي، تم تصنيع حوالي 4540 طائرة اف 16 ، ولم تعد تشتريها القوات الأمريكية،  ومازال الإنتاج مستمراً لأغراض التصدير.

كانت المناقشة حامية داخل الولايات المتحدة للقوات الجوية على الحاجة إلى وجود مقاتلة "خفيفة". بقيادة ما يسمى ب "المافيا المقاتلة"، وضعت الأهدف ليكون برنامج أقل تكلفة، أو بالتساوي تقريبا. وتم التصديق على انتاج الصقر المقاتل إف 16 كنتيجة لمشروع القنص الغربي الكبير في عام 1976. وتحتل المرتبة الثانية في إنتاج الطائرات بعد ميج-21 بعد الحرب العالمية الثانية، فقد تم أنتاج ما يقرب من 4.550 طائرة إف 16 حتى الآن وفقاً اللمعلومات، أما ميج-21 فقد بلغ العدد الطائرات المنتجة منها ما يزيد على 10,000 طائرة.

قاوم سلاح الجو في البداية، ثم استسلم، واتفقا على إجراء مسابقة بين المقاتلة التي أسفرت عن الطيران والمواجهة بين يلافن نورثروب - 17)، وجنرال ديناميكس ف- 16 في عام 1974. وفازت ف - 16 في المسابقة، ولكن ف- 17 أصبح الأساس لسلاح البحرية لشركة ماكدونيل هورنت. أربع دول حلف شمال الأطلسي (بلجيكا والدنمرك وهولندا، والنرويج) : أعلنت اختيارها طراز اف 16 كمقاتلة، مما أدى إلى جهود إنتاج مشتركة وإنشاء سوق عالمية.

وجنرال ديناميكس إف 16 فالكون لديه الكثير من الميزات المتقدمة، بما في ذلك الجناح المخلوطة وتصميم جسم الطائرة ،وأمكنة التحكم بها (إلكترونيا)، رائعة لوضوح تماما، والقدرة على المناورة رائعة. أولا جوا يوم 20 يناير عام 1974، عن طريق فيلOestricher، أن طراز اف-16 سرعان ما أثبتت الأداء المذهل، وبدأت في تلقي طلبات إضافية من القوات الجوية الأمريكية سابقا.

وجنرال ديناميكس إف 16 فالكون واجهت بعض المشاكل مع محركها، لم تحل تماما، وكان هناك عدد من الخسائر من الصقور على مدى السنوات. على الرغم من هذا، فإن الأداء من طراز اف- 16 قد اكتسبت سمعة باعتبارها من أهم المقاتلات الحالية في الغرب. وجنرال ديناميكس إف 16 فالكون - تسمى غالبا ما "الكتريك جيت" من "فالكون"—وقد صممت للاستفادة من التحسينات في خدمة المعدات والنتيجة كانت العديد من ف - 16 والقذائف الصاروخية وتم تحديثها بشكل كامل مع أجهزة الرادار وبأحدث معدات الرؤية الليلية،
تقوم القوات الجوية ل26 دولة حول العالم باستخدام إف 16 بأنواعها المختلفة. ويستمر إنتاج إصدارات من الطائرة لا ليتم استخدامها من قبل القوات الجوية الأمريكية، بل لأغراض التصدير. وفي عام 1993 باعت شركة جنرال ديناميكس حقوق إنتاج الطائرة لشركة لوكهيد مارتن. وقد تحول اسم الشركةإلى لوكهيد مارتن عقب اتحاد شركة لوكهيد مع شركة مارتن ماريتا في عام 1995. وقد دخلت إف 16 للتجديد عدد غير محدود من المرات بسبب المناورات (المعارك) الجوية، ولرؤية أفضل صممت المظلة (القبة) على شكل قطرة ماء، وأُخذ ذراع التحكم إلى اليمين لتوفير السهولة للطيار عند الانعطافات التي يتم تنفيذها بقوة تسارع (جي فورس) عالية، ولتخفيف (تقليل) قوة التسارع التي تؤثر على الطيار، وقد صُنع مقعد الطيار مائلا نحو الخلف، وتتكون أسلحتها من مدفع إم-61 فولكان الموجود داخل الهيكل، وصواريخ (قذائف) متنوعة يمكن تركيبها على إحدى عشر نقطة تحميل. بإضافة إلى أنها أول طائرة مقاتلة يمكنها الصمود حتى قوة تسارع 9، ويمكنها الصعود بقوة بشرط ألا تكون نسبة الدفع- الوزن أعلى من 1، وتستطيع أيضاً أن تسرع بشكل عمودي عند اللزوم. وعلى الرغم من أن التسمية الرسمية للطائرة الإف 16 في الصقر المقاتل إلا أن الطيارين اعتادوا على تسميتها "Viper" الأفعى السامة.

وتفكر القوات الجوية الأمريكية بأن تستمر طائرة إف 16 في الخدمة حتى عام 2025، على أن يتم تبديل الإف 16 بالتدريج بطائرة إف-35 لايتنيغ الثانية التى بدأت الدخول في الخدمة منذ عام 2011.

طائرة الإف 16 هي طائرة قنص وقصف بالقنابل، يمكنها أن توجه أسلحتها على أهداف جوية وبرية (بحساسية) بدقة عالية جداً. وقد أثبتت الإف 16 كفائتها مستفيدة من الإنظمة التكنولوجية لطائرات مثل إف-15 إيغل وإف-111 آردفارك. ويمكن للطائرة الكشف عن الطائرات التى تحلق على مستوى منخفض بفضل ردارها القوى. وطائرة الإف 16 أول طائرة في العالم يُتحكم بها إلكترونياً، فهي أول طائرة حربية توجه أقسامها الميكانيكية بنظام إلكتروني، وتتمتع الطائرة بقدرة عالية على المناورة والسرعة. وتُضم طائرة الإف 16 إلى قائمة الطائرات صعبة الاستخدام. وهي طائرة تمتلك العديد من المهارات التكتيكية والقدرة العالية على القنص في معارك الجو الجو أو الجو أرض. ويوجد مقعد واحد للقيادة في مجموعة طائرات الإف 16 سي، بخلاف سلسلة طائرات الإف 16 دي التي تحتوي على مقعدين. ويوجد في طائرة الإف 16 محرك توربيني واحد، ولقرب مدخل الهوء الشديد من الأرض كان دخول المواد الدخيلة إلى المحرك وإحداث الأضرار فيه سهلاً جداً. ولهذا السبب يجب تنقية المكان الذي توجد فيه الطائرة من أي مواد دخيلة. بالإضافة إلى أن مدخل الهواء الذي في الطائرة خطير للغاية على الأشخاص العاملين عليها، حتى أن محركها يخلق قوة شفط من الممكن أن تسحب إنسان أثناء عملها في مستوى منخفض.

التوصيف الفني
أحادية المحرك، فوق صوتية، محرك توربيني مروحي، مقاتلة متعددة المهام، لديها القدرة على الطيران في جميع الظروف الجوية، قادرة على حمل الأسلحة النووية والتقليدية ،كما أن قدرتها على تعبئة الوقود أثناء الطيران تزيد من مرونتها أثناء المعارك.

الأهداف التكتيكية والاستراتيجية
التفوق البحري والسيطرة على المجال الجوي هو مهمتها الأساسية
التدمير بالقصف الجوي ووقف الدعم الجوي هدف ثانوي
التكلفة
إف-I16 تكلف 70 مليون دولار (2006)
إف-F/E16 تكلف 26.9 مليون دولار (2005)
إف-D/C16 تكلف 18.8 مليون دولار (1998)
إف-B/A16 تكلف 14.4 مليون دولار (1998)
الخصائص (إف-16)
الطاقم: على حسب النوع (F-16A+F-16C 1 طيار)/(F-16B+F-16D 2 طيار)
الطول: 14.8 م
المسافة بين الجناحين: 9.8 متر
الارتفاع: 4.8 متر
مساحة الجناح: 27.87 م²
أقصى إرتفاع: 15.2 كم
معدل الصعود: 254 م/ث (الوصول لأقصى ارتفاع دقيقة واحدة)
الوزن الخالي: 8670 كجم
الوزن الإجمالي: 12000 كجم
الوزن عند الإقلاع: 19200 كجم
السرعة عند مستوى سطح البحر: 1.2 ماخ (1470 كم/س)
السرعة عند أقصى إرتفاع: 2 ماخ (2420 كم/س)

F-16

The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics (its aviation unit now part of Lockheed Martin) for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,600 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976.[5] Although no longer being purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export customers.[6] In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation,[7] which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta.[8]

The Fighting Falcon's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system which helps to make it an agile aircraft. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons and other mission equipment. The F-16's official name is "Fighting Falcon", but "Viper" is commonly used by its pilots and crews, due to a perceived resemblance to a viper snake as well as the Colonial Viper starfighter on Battlestar Galactica which aired at the time the F-16 entered service.[9][10]

In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the USAF aerial demonstration team, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy. The F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations.[11] As of 2015, it is the world's most numerous fixed-wing aircraft in military service
Experiences in the Vietnam War revealed the need for air superiority fighters and better air-to-air training for fighter pilots.[13] Based on his experiences in the Korean War and as a fighter tactics instructor in the early 1960s, Colonel John Boyd with mathematician Thomas Christie developed the energy–maneuverability theory to model a fighter aircraft's performance in combat. Boyd's work called for a small, lightweight aircraft that could maneuver with the minimum possible energy loss and which also incorporated an increased thrust-to-weight ratio.[14][15] In the late 1960s, Boyd gathered a group of like-minded innovators who became known as the Fighter Mafia, and in 1969, they secured Department of Defense funding for General Dynamics and Northrop to study design concepts based on the theory.[16][17]

Air Force F-X proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program. However, the Air Force's leadership understood that its budget would not allow it to purchase enough F-15 aircraft to satisfy all of its missions.[18] The Advanced Day Fighter concept, renamed F-XX, gained civilian political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard, who favored the idea of competitive prototyping. As a result, in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member, and two of its six proposals would be funded, one being the Lightweight Fighter (LWF). The Request for Proposals issued on 6 January 1972 called for a 20,000-pound (9,100 kg) class air-to-air day fighter with a good turn rate, acceleration, and range, and optimized for combat at speeds of Mach 0.6–1.6 and altitudes of 30,000–40,000 feet (9,100–12,000 m). This was the region where USAF studies predicted most future air combat would occur. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a production version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional, as the USAF had no firm plans to procure the winner.[19][20]

Selection of finalists and flyoff
Five companies responded, and in 1972, the Air Staff selected General Dynamics' Model 401 and Northrop's P-600 for the follow-on prototype development and testing phase. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the Fighter Mafia and other LWF proponents successfully advocated the idea of complementary fighters in a high-cost/low-cost force mix. The "high/low mix" would allow the USAF to be able to afford sufficient fighters for its overall fighter force structure requirements. The mix gained broad acceptance by the time of the prototypes' flyoff, defining the relationship of the LWF and the F-15.[21][22]

The YF-16 was developed by a team of General Dynamics engineers led by Robert H. Widmer.[23] The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973. Its 90-minute maiden flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards AFB, California, on 2 February 1974. Its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January 1974. While gathering speed, a roll-control oscillation caused a fin of the port-side wingtip-mounted missile and then the starboard stabilator to scrape the ground, and the aircraft then began to veer off the runway. The test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid a potential crash, safely landing six minutes later. The slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time. The YF-16's first supersonic flight was accomplished on 5 February 1974, and the second YF-16 prototype first flew on 9 May 1974. This was followed by the first flights of Northrop's YF-17 prototypes on 9 June and 21 August 1974, respectively. During the flyoff, the YF-16s completed 330 sorties for a total of 417 flight hours;[24] the YF-17s flew 288 sorties, covering 345 hours.[25]

Air Combat Fighter competition
Increased interest turned the LWF into a serious acquisition program. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway were seeking to replace their F-104G Starfighter fighter-bombers.[26] In early 1974, they reached an agreement with the U.S. that if the USAF ordered the LWF winner, they would consider ordering it as well. The USAF also needed to replace its F-105 Thunderchief and F-4 Phantom II fighter-bombers. The U.S. Congress sought greater commonality in fighter procurements by the Air Force and Navy, and in August 1974 redirected Navy funds to a new Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) program that would be a navalized fighter-bomber variant of the LWF. The four NATO allies had formed the "Multinational Fighter Program Group" (MFPG) and pressed for a U.S. decision by December 1974; thus, the USAF accelerated testing.
To reflect this serious intent to procure a new fighter-bomber, the LWF program was rolled into a new Air Combat Fighter (ACF) competition in an announcement by U.S. Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger in April 1974. The ACF would not be a pure fighter, but multi-role, and Schlesinger made it clear that any ACF order would be in addition to the F-15, which extinguished opposition to the LWF.[28][29][30] ACF also raised the stakes for GD and Northrop because it brought in competitors intent on securing what was touted at the time as "the arms deal of the century".[31] These were Dassault-Breguet's proposed Mirage F1M-53, the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar, and the proposed Saab 37E "Eurofighter". Northrop offered the P-530 Cobra, which was similar to the YF-17. The Jaguar and Cobra were dropped by the MFPG early on, leaving two European and the two U.S. candidates. On 11 September 1974, the U.S. Air Force confirmed plans to order the winning ACF design to equip five tactical fighter wings. Though computer modeling predicted a close contest, the YF-16 proved significantly quicker going from one maneuver to the next, and was the unanimous choice of those pilots that flew both aircraft.[32]

On 13 January 1975, Secretary of the Air Force John L. McLucas announced the YF-16 as the winner of the ACF competition.[33] The chief reasons given by the Secretary were the YF-16's lower operating costs, greater range, and maneuver performance that was "significantly better" than that of the YF-17, especially at supersonic speeds. Another advantage of the YF-16 – unlike the YF-17 – was its use of the Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engine, the same powerplant used by the F-15; such commonality would lower the cost of engines for both programs.[34] Secretary McLucas announced that the USAF planned to order at least 650, possibly up to 1,400 production F-16s. In the Navy Air Combat Fighter (NACF) competition, on 2 May 1975 the Navy selected the YF-17 as the basis for what would become the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.[35][36]

Commencement of production
The U.S. Air Force initially ordered 15 "Full-Scale Development" (FSD) aircraft (11 single-seat and four two-seat models) for its flight test program, but was reduced to eight (six F-16A single-seaters and two F-16B two-seaters).[37] The YF-16 design was altered for the production F-16. The fuselage was lengthened by 10.6 in (0.269 m), a larger nose radome was fitted for the AN/APG-66 radar, wing area was increased from 280 sq ft (26 m2) to 300 sq ft (28 m2), the tailfin height was decreased, the ventral fins were enlarged, two more stores stations were added, and a single door replaced the original nosewheel double doors. The F-16's weight was increased by 25% over the YF-16 by these modifications.[38][39]

The FSD F-16s were manufactured by General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas at United States Air Force Plant 4 in late 1975; the first F-16A rolled out on 20 October 1976 and first flew on 8 December. The initial two-seat model achieved its first flight on 8 August 1977. The initial production-standard F-16A flew for the first time on 7 August 1978 and its delivery was accepted by the USAF on 6 January 1979. The F-16 was given its formal nickname of "Fighting Falcon" on 21 July 1980, entering USAF operational service with the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB in Utah on 1 October 1980.[40]

On 7 June 1975, the four European partners, now known as the European Participation Group, signed up for 348 aircraft at the Paris Air Show. This was split among the European Participation Air Forces (EPAF) as 116 for Belgium, 58 for Denmark, 102 for the Netherlands, and 72 for Norway. Two European production lines, one in the Netherlands at Fokker's Schiphol-Oost facility and the other at SABCA's Gosselies plant in Belgium, would produce 184 and 164 units respectively. Norway's Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk and Denmark's Terma A/S also manufactured parts and subassemblies for EPAF aircraft. European co-production was officially launched on 1 July 1977 at the Fokker factory. Beginning in November 1977, Fokker-produced components were sent to Fort Worth for fuselage assembly, then shipped back to Europe for final assembly of EPAF aircraft at the Belgian plant on 15 February 1978; deliveries to the Belgian Air Force began in January 1979. The first Royal Netherlands Air Force aircraft was delivered in June 1979. In 1980, the first aircraft were delivered to the Royal Norwegian Air Force by SABCA and to the Royal Danish Air Force by Fokker.[41][42]

During the late 1980s and 1990s, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) produced 232 Block 30/40/50 F-16s on a production line in Ankara under license for the Turkish Air Force. TAI also produced 46 Block 40s for Egypt in the mid-1990s and 30 Block 50 from 2010. Korean Aerospace Industries opened a production line for the KF-16 program, producing 140 Block 52s from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s (decade). If India had selected the F-16IN for its Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft procurement, a sixth F-16 production line would have been built in India.[43] In May 2013, Lockheed Martin stated there were currently enough orders to keep producing the F-16 until 2017.[44]

Improvements and upgrades
One change made during production was augmented pitch control to avoid deep stall conditions at high angles of attack. The stall issue had been raised during development, but had originally been discounted. Model tests of the YF-16 conducted by the Langley Research Center revealed a potential problem, but no other laboratory was able to duplicate it. YF-16 flight tests were not sufficient to expose the issue; later flight testing on the FSD aircraft demonstrated there was a real concern. In response, the area of the horizontal stabilizer were increased by 25% on the Block 15 aircraft in 1981 and later retrofitted to earlier aircraft. In addition, a manual override switch to disable the horizontal stabilizer flight limiter was prominently placed on the control console, allowing the pilot to regain control of the horizontal stabilizers (which the flight limiters otherwise lock in place) and recover. Besides reducing the risk of deep stalls, the larger horizontal tail also improved stability and permitted faster takeoff rotation.[45][46]

In the 1980s, the Multinational Staged Improvement Program (MSIP) was conducted to evolve the F-16's capabilities, mitigate risks during technology development, and ensure the aircraft's worth. The program upgraded the F-16 in three stages. The MSIP process permitted the quick introduction of new capabilities, at lower costs and with reduced risks compared to traditional independent upgrade programs.[47] In 2012, the USAF had allocated $2.8 billion to upgrade 350 F-16s while waiting for the F-35 to enter service.[48] One key upgrade has been an auto-GCAS (Ground collision avoidance system) to reduce instances of controlled flight into terrain.[49] Onboard power and cooling capacities limit the scope of upgrades, which often involve the addition of more power-hungry avionics.[50]

Lockheed won many contracts to upgrade foreign operators' F-16s. BAE Systems also offers various F-16 upgrades, receiving orders from South Korea, Oman, Turkey, and the US Air National Guard;[51][52][53] BAE lost the South Korean contract due to a price breach in November 2014.[54] In 2012, the USAF assigned the total upgrade contract to Lockheed Martin.[55] Upgrades include Raytheon's Center Display Unit, which replaces several analog flight instruments with a single digital display.[56]

In 2013, sequestration budget cuts cast doubt on the USAF's ability to complete the Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (CAPES), a part of secondary programs such as Taiwan's F-16 upgrade.[57] ACC's General Mike Hostage stated that if he only had money for SLEP (service life extension program) or CAPES, he would fund SLEP to keep the aircraft flying.[58] Lockheed Martin responded to talk of CAPES cancellation with a fixed-price upgrade package for foreign users.[59] CAPES was not included in the Pentagon's 2015 budget request.[60] The USAF said that the upgrade package will still be offered to the Republic of China Air Force, and Lockheed said that some common elements with the F-35 will keep the radar's unit costs down.[61] In 2014, the USAF issued a RFI to SLEP 300 F-16 C/Ds.[62]

Production relocation
To make more room for assembly of its newer F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft, Lockheed Martin moved the F-16 production from Fort Worth, Texas to its plant in Greenville, South Carolina.[1] Lockheed delivered the last F-16 from Fort Worth to the Iraqi Air Force on 14 November 2017, ending forty years of F-16 production there. The company is hoping to finish the Greenville move and restart production in 2019, though engineering and modernization work will remain in Fort Worth.[63] A gap in orders made it possible to stop production during the move; after completing orders for the last Iraqi purchase,[64] the company was negotiating an F-16 sale to Bahrain that would be produced in Greenville. This contract was signed in June 2018.[3]

Design
Overview

The F-16 is a single-engine, highly maneuverable, supersonic, multi-role tactical fighter aircraft. It is much smaller and lighter than its predecessors, but uses advanced aerodynamics and avionics, including the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire (RSS/FBW) flight control system, to achieve enhanced maneuver performance. Highly agile, the F-16 was the first fighter aircraft purpose-built to pull 9-g maneuvers and can reach a maximum speed of over Mach 2. Innovations include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, a side-mounted control stick, and a reclined seat to reduce g-force effects on the pilot. It is armed with an internal M61 Vulcan cannon in the left wing root and has multiple locations for mounting various missiles, bombs and pods. It has a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than one, providing power to climb and vertical acceleration.[4]

The F-16 was designed to be relatively inexpensive to build and simpler to maintain than earlier-generation fighters. The airframe is built with about 80% aviation-grade aluminum alloys, 8% steel, 3% composites, and 1.5% titanium. The leading-edge flaps, stabilators, and ventral fins make use of bonded aluminum honeycomb structures and graphite epoxy lamination coatings. The number of lubrication points, fuel line connections, and replaceable modules is significantly lower than preceding fighters; 80% of the access panels can be accessed without stands.[43] The air intake was placed so it was rearward of the nose but forward enough to minimize air flow losses and reduce aerodynamic drag.[65]

Although the LWF program called for a structural life of 4,000 flight hours, capable of achieving 7.33 g with 80% internal fuel; GD's engineers decided to design the F-16's airframe life for 8,000 hours and for 9-g maneuvers on full internal fuel. This proved advantageous when the aircraft's mission changed from solely air-to-air combat to multi-role operations. Changes in operational use and additional systems have increased weight, necessitating multiple structural strengthening programs.[66]

General configuration

The F-16 has a cropped-delta wing incorporating wing-fuselage blending and forebody vortex-control strakes; a fixed-geometry, underslung air intake (with splitter plate[67]) to the single turbofan jet engine; a conventional tri-plane empennage arrangement with all-moving horizontal "stabilator" tailplanes; a pair of ventral fins beneath the fuselage aft of the wing's trailing edge; and a tricycle landing gear configuration with the aft-retracting, steerable nose gear deploying a short distance behind the inlet lip. There is a boom-style aerial refueling receptacle located behind the single-piece "bubble" canopy of the cockpit. Split-flap speedbrakes are located at the aft end of the wing-body fairing, and a tailhook is mounted underneath the fuselage. A fairing beneath the rudder often houses ECM equipment or a drag chute. Later F-16 models feature a long dorsal fairing along the fuselage's "spine", housing additional equipment or fuel.[43][68]

Aerodynamic studies in the 1960s demonstrated that the "vortex lift" phenomenon could be harnessed by highly swept wing configurations to reach higher angles of attack, using leading edge vortex flow off a slender lifting surface. As the F-16 was being optimized for high combat agility, GD's designers chose a slender cropped-delta wing with a leading edge sweep of 40° and a straight trailing edge. To improve maneuverability, a variable-camber wing with a NACA 64A-204 airfoil was selected; the camber is adjusted by leading-edge and trailing edge flaperons linked to a digital flight control system (FCS) regulating the flight envelope.[43][66] The F-16 has a moderate wing loading, reduced by fuselage lift.[69] The vortex lift effect is increased by leading edge extensions, known as strakes. Strakes act as additional short-span, triangular wings running from the wing root (the juncture with the fuselage) to a point further forward on the fuselage. Blended into the fuselage and along the wing root, the strake generates a high-speed vortex that remains attached to the top of the wing as the angle of attack increases, generating additional lift and allowing greater angles of attack without stalling. Strakes allow a smaller, lower-aspect-ratio wing, which increases roll rates and directional stability while decreasing weight. Deeper wingroots also increase structural strength and internal fuel volume.[66]

Armament

Early F-16s could be armed with up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missiles (AAM) by employing rail launchers on each wingtip, as well as radar guided AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range AAMs in a weapons mix. More recent versions support the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The aircraft can carry various other AAMs, a wide variety of air-to-ground missiles, rockets or bombs; electronic countermeasures (ECM), navigation, targeting or weapons pods; and fuel tanks on 9 hardpoints – six under the wings, two on wingtips, and one under the fuselage. Two other locations under the fuselage are available for sensor or radar pods.[70] The F-16 carries a 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan cannon for close range aerial combat and strafing. The 20mm cannon is mounted inside the fuselage to the left of the cockpit.

Negative stability and fly-by-wire

The F-16 is the first production fighter aircraft intentionally designed to be slightly aerodynamically unstable, also known as "relaxed static stability" (RSS), to improve maneuverability.[71] Most aircraft are designed with positive static stability, which induces aircraft to return to straight and level flight attitude if the pilot releases the controls; this reduces maneuverability as the inherent stability has to be overcome. Aircraft with negative stability are designed to deviate from controlled flight and thus be more maneuverable. At supersonic speeds the F-16 gains stability (eventually positive) due to aerodynamic changes.[72][73]

To counter the tendency to depart from controlled flight—and avoid the need for constant trim inputs by the pilot, the F-16 has a quadruplex (four-channel) fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system (FLCS). The flight control computer (FLCC) accepts pilot input from the stick and rudder controls, and manipulates the control surfaces in such a way as to produce the desired result without inducing control loss. The FLCC conducts thousands of measurements per second on the aircraft's flight attitude to automatically counter deviations from the pilot-set flight path; leading to a common aphorism among pilots: "You don't fly an F-16; it flies you."[74]

The FLCC further incorporates limiters governing movement in the three main axes based on attitude, airspeed and angle of attack (AOA); these prevent control surfaces from inducing instability such as slips or skids, or a high AOA inducing a stall. The limiters also prevent maneuvers that would exert more than a 9 g load.[75] Flight testing has revealed that "assaulting" multiple limiters at high AOA and low speed can result in an AOA far exceeding the 25° limit, colloquially referred to as "departing"; this causes a deep stall; a near-freefall at 50° to 60° AOA, either upright or inverted. While at a very high AOA, the aircraft's attitude is stable but control surfaces are ineffective; the pitch limiter locks the stabilators at an extreme pitch-up or pitch-down attempting to recover, this can be overridden so the pilot can "rock" the nose via pitch control to recover.[76]

Unlike the YF-17, which had hydromechanical controls serving as a backup to the FBW, General Dynamics took the innovative step of eliminating mechanical linkages between the control stick and rudder pedals, and the flight control surfaces. The F-16 is entirely reliant on its electrical systems to relay flight commands, instead of traditional mechanically-linked controls, leading to the early moniker of "the electric jet". The quadruplex design permits "graceful degradation" in flight control response in that the loss of one channel renders the FLCS a "triplex" system.[77] The FLCC began as an analog system on the A/B variants, but has been supplanted by a digital computer system beginning with the F-16C/D Block 40.[78][79] The F-16's controls suffered from a sensitivity to static electricity or electrostatic discharge (ESD). Up to 70–80% of the C/D models' electronics were vulnerable to ESD

سانت إتيان

مدينة سانت إتيان (بالفرنسية: Saint-Étienne)، تقع شرقي وسط فرنسا، تبعد حوالي 60 كلم جنوب غرب مدينة ليون، وهي عاصمة إقليم لوار، تقع في منطقة الهضبة الوسطى (بالفرنسية: Massif Central) تحديدًا بمنطقة رون ألب.

بلغ عدد سكانها حسب تقديرات عام 2007م 178,530 نسمة، كما وتبلغ مساحتها 79.97 كم²

Saint-Etienne

Saint-Étienne (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃t‿etjɛn]; Arpitan: Sant-Etiève; Saint Stephen) is a city in eastern central France, in the Massif Central, 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, on the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon. Saint-Étienne is the capital of the Loire department and has a population of approximately 172,023 (2013) in the city itself and over 508,000 in the metropolitan area (2011).

In the last years Saint-Étienne made important transformations for transitioning from a 19th century industrial city to the 21st century "European capital of design". This approach led to important urban renovations of the main districts of the city
History

Named after Saint Stephen, the city first appears in the historical record in the Middle Ages as Saint-Étienne de Furan (after the River Furan, a tributary of the Loire). In the 13th century, it was a small borough around the church dedicated to Saint Etienne. On the upper reaches of the Furan, near the Way of St. James, the Abbey of Valbenoîte had been founded by the Cistercians in 1222. In the late 15th century, it was a fortified village defended by walls built around the original nucleus.

From the 16th century, Saint-Étienne developed an arms manufacturing industry and became a market town. It was this which accounted for the town's importance, although it also became a centre for the manufacture of ribbons and passementerie starting in the 17th century.

Later, it became a mining centre of the Loire coal mining basin, and more recently, has become known for its bicycle industry.

In the first half of the 19th century, it was only a chief town of an arrondissement in the département of the Loire, with a population of 33,064 in 1832. The concentration of industry prompted these numbers to rise rapidly to 110,000 by about 1880. It was this growing importance of Saint-Étienne that led to its being made seat of the prefecture and the departmental administration on 25 July 1855, when it became the chief town in the département and seat of the prefect, replacing Montbrison, which was reduced to the status of chief town of an arrondissement. Saint-Étienne absorbed the commune of Valbenoîte and several other neighbouring localities on 31 March 1855.

Demographics

Population of the city at the 1999 census was 180,210 (177,300 as of February 2004 estimates). Population of the whole metropolitan area at the 1999 census was 321,703.

Inhabitants of Saint-Étienne are called Stéphanois in French. They are named so because "Étienne" derives from the Greek Stephanos.

Culture

Saint-Étienne became a popular stop for automobile travelers in the early 20th century (sometimes referred to as The Golden Age of Travel[3]).

In 1998, Saint-Étienne set up a design biennale – the largest of its kind in France.[4] It lasts around two weeks. A landmark in the history of the importance ascribed to design in Saint-Étienne was the inauguration of La Cité du design on the site of the former arms factory in 2009.

The city also launched the Massenet Festivals, (the composer Jules Massenet hailed from the area) devoted mainly to perform Massenet's operas. In 2000, the city was named one of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History. On 22 November 2010, it was nominated as "City of Design" as part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.[5]

Saint-Étienne has four museums:

the Musée d'Art Moderne has one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in France

Musée de la Mine

Musée de l'Art et de l'Industrie

Musée du vieux Saint-Etienne

Sport

The city's football club AS Saint-Étienne has won the Ligue 1 title a record ten times, achieving most of their success in the 1970s. British indie-dance band Saint Etienne named themselves after the club.

St. Étienne has many sports stadiums, the largest being Stade Geoffroy-Guichard used for football and Stade Henri-Lux for athletics. St. Étienne was the capital of the French bicycle industry. The bicycle wheel manufacturer Mavic is based in the city and frame manufacturers Motobécane and Vitus are also based here. The city often hosts a stage of the Tour de France.

St. Étienne resident Thierry Gueorgiou is a world champion in orienteering. The local rugby union team is CA Saint-Étienne Loire Sud Rugby.

Transport

The nearest airport is Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon Airport which is located in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, 12 km (7.46 mi) north-northwest of Saint-Étienne. The main railway station is Gare de Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux, which offers high speed services to Paris, Lyon (Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway), and several regional lines.

Saint-Étienne is also notable for its tramway (Saint-Étienne tramway) – which uniquely with Lille, it kept throughout the 20th century – and its trolleybus system (Saint-Étienne trolleybus system) – which is one of only three such systems currently operating in France.

Bus and tram transport is regulated and provided by the Société de Transports de l'Agglomération Stéphanoise (STAS), a public transport executive organisation.

The bicycle sharing system Vélivert with 280 short term renting bicycles has been available since June 2010.

Colleges and universities

Jean Monnet University

École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne (EMSE or ENSMSE)

École nationale d'ingénieurs de Saint-Étienne (ENISE)

Telecom Saint Etienne (TSE)

EMLYON Business School

ENSASE (Ecole National Supérieure d'Architecture de Saint-Étienne)

Notable people

Saint-Étienne was the birthplace of

René Diaz, French journalist and illustrator

Augustin Dupré (1748–1833), engraver of French coins and medals, France's 14th Graveur général des monnaies

Claude Fauriel (1772–1844), historian, philologist and critic

Saint Marcellin Champagnat (1789–1840), Catholic priest and founding members of the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) who founded the Marist Brothers and was canonised in 1999

Antonin Moine (1796–1849), sculptor

Jules Janin (1804–1874), writer and critic

Francis Garnier (1839–1873), officer and explorer who explored the Mekong River, much to the surprise of the inhabitants

Jules Massenet (1842–1912), composer best known for his operas

Paul de Vivie, aka Velocio (1853–1930), publisher of Le Cycliste, early champion of the dérailleur and father of French cycle touring

Claudine Chomat (1915–1995), member of the French Resistance during World War II, feminist, communist activist

Jean Bonfils (1921–2007), classical organist and composer

André Bourgey (1936), geographer

Jean-Michel Othoniel (1963), contemporary artist

Bernard Lavilliers (b. 1946), (Bernard Ouillon), singer

Orlan (1947–), contemporary artist

Willy Sagnol (b. 1977), French International football player

Jean Guitton (1901–1999), Catholic philosopher and theologian

Thierry Gueorgiou (b. 1979), Orienteering world champion

Norma Ray, singer

Alexis Ajinca, basketball player

Sylvain Armand, footballer

Sliimy, singer

Aravane Rezai, tennis player

Loïc Perrin, footballer

It was also the place where Andrei Kivilev died.

AA Gent

Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkoːnɪŋkləkə ˌʔɑtləˈtik ˌɑsoːˈʃaː(t)si ˈɣɛnt], English: Royal Athletic Association Ghent), often simply known as Ghent or by their nickname De Buffalo's (English: The Buffalos), is a Belgian football, track and field and field hockey club, based in the city of Ghent, East Flanders. Their football team have been playing in the Belgian Pro League since the 1989–90 season. They won the national league once, in 2014–15, in addition to three Belgian Cup victories. Ghent played their home matches in the Jules Ottenstadion in Gentbrugge from 1920 until 2013, when they moved to the Ghelamco Arena. Their team colours are blue and white. The principal sponsor is the financial institution VDK NV.

The field hockey and track and field divisions were founded in 1864, making it one of the oldest sports clubs in Belgium. The club was then known under its French name La Gantoise (and it is still referred to as such in the French-speaking part of Belgium). They changed their name to the current Dutch version in 1971. The football division opened in 1900. The nickname of the club is De Buffalo's, a term coined after a visit of the original Buffalo Bill and his Wild West circus to the city in the early 20th century.[2] Ghent enjoyed its first spell at the highest level in Belgian football between 1913–14 and 1928–29, and a second one from 1936–37 to 1966–67. In the 1970s and 1980s, the club had several promotions and relegations between the first and second divisions, before returning to the highest level in 1989. The club reached the quarter-finals of the 1991–92 UEFA Cup, which is their best achievement ever in European competitions.
History
In 1864, an association called the 'Société Gymnastique la Gantoise', which was tasked with promoting gymnastics, was founded. Some branches quickly became independent and in 1891 the team merged with the Association Athlétique, which was in itself a merger of younger teams, such as Racing Club, Running Club and Red Star. The new merger team was called Association Athlétique La Gantoise, and aside from gymnastics, the activities were broadened to athletics, boxing, cricket, cycling, fencing, hockey, swimming and tennis. In this context, the athletics team KAA Gent was founded.
In the last decade of the 19th century, organized football was introduced in Ghent. Different small teams were founded and some merged into Racing Club Gantois on 1 April 1899, which would later become the biggest challenger of KAA Gent. Only in 1900, a football section was founded by the students of the College of Melle, which is a place close to Ghent. The first president of the team was doctor Hector Priem. The games were played on the Carpentierplein, which was situated at the crossroads of the Kortrijksesteenweg, the Clementinalaan, the Oostendestraat and the Astridlaan. Initially, the colours black and white were chosen, but by 31 October 1900, when the team became an official member, the colours were changed to blue and white. On 15 November 1900, the first regular game was played, against Omnium Sporting Club. In January 1901, the team played against Racing Club Gantois, which was, at that time, the larger of the two. KAA Gent lost the game with 10–0. Nevertheless, at the end of the 19th century the team already became a member of the UBSSA (Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports Athlétiques or the Belgian Union of the Athletic Sports Society, and although Racing Club Gantois was the elder team in the city, KAA Gent would receive a lower matricule number than Racing Club, which would receive 11. In 1901 AA La Gantoise played its first games in the lower divisions.[4]

For the first few years, the team mostly played in the Belgian Second Division, and later on in the First Division. In 1904 the team moved to the Mussenstraat. In 1913, the World Exposition was held at that place, and the team moved once more, this time to the Albertlaan. Over there, a football pitch, training fields, tennis courts, an athletics court, galleries and other accommodations were being built. At 9 December 1915, during the First World War, the stadium completely burned down. In 1912–13, AA La Gantoise became champion in the Second Division. In 1914, the team received the royal title and was called Association Royale Athlétique La Gantoise, which was abbreviated to ARA La Gantoise. During the world exposition, the team organized several sporting events. The first season in the First League, 1913–14, was nevertheless very difficult for the team and only by means of a test match against Standard Club Liégois, relegation was avoided.[5]

In 1920, the team moved again, this time to Gentbrugge, where the Jules Ottenstadion was built. La Gantoise fell back to the Second Division and it was not until 1936 it managed to win the promotion play-offs and return to the First Division.[6] In the mid-fifties, the team played their strongest football yet. In 1953–54 it ended third with an equal total of points as KFC Malinois and only one point behind the champions Anderlecht. The next season, La Gantoise was alone on the second spot, this time with three points less than the champions.[7] In 1964 it won the Belgian Cup (Beker van België), which was the first major tournament victory for the team. Because of their cup win, it became the first Belgian team to participate in the newly founded UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. La Gantoise was defeated in the first round by West Ham United.[8] In 1967, the club relegated once more, after three decades of playing in the First Division. It did, however, only take them one year to clinch promotion again.[9]

In 1971, the name of the team was translated into Flemish, as it became "Koninklijke Atletiek Associatie Gent" (commonly known as KAA Gent or AA Gent). The 1970–71 season was the start of a bad decade for Ghent. They were relegated to the Second Division six games before the season's ending, after the defeat to Club Brugge. In 1974, they even relegated to the Third Division. Ghent had ended last and couldn't assure its promotion to the Second Division in the final round.[10] After one season, they would return to the Second Division and remained there until 1980, when the team returned to the First Division.[11] The 1980s would become a much better period for the team. In 1984 they won the Belgian Cup again, and during that period the team played in European competitions four times.[12] In 1986–87, Ghent reached the Third round in the UEFA Cup. In 1988 the team fell back to the Second Division for a short while, but thanks to the promotion play-offs, they were able to return to First Division after one season.[13] A crucial role was played by a member of the Board of Directors, Marc Mortier, who consulted the Prime Minister of Belgium, Wilfried Martens, in order to establish an organisation named Foot Invest, to get the team financially back on track. Marc Mortier gathered more than 50 million Belgian francs (1.25 million euros) in sponsoring in a couple of months and introduced VDK Spaarbank as the main sponsor of the team.
In 1990–91, the team played at the top of the standings for a long time, under the guidance of René Vandereycken and players such as Frank Dauwen, Eric Viscaal and Erwin Vandenbergh, but finally it ended on the third spot. So instead of competing in the UEFA Champions League, the team played in the UEFA Cup in 1991. After defeating Lausanne-Sport, Eintracht Frankfurt and Dynamo Moscow, Ghent played the quarter finals against Ajax.[14] The following years, Ghent fell back to the lower places in the standings. From 1994 until 1997, they finished just above the relegation places in the league.[15] By the end of the 1990s the results improved again, and with coach Trond Sollied, KAA Gent qualified for European football once more in 1999–00.[16] In these series, Ghent lost heavily against Ajax, under new coach Henk Houwaart. The next season, Ghent reached the UEFA Intertoto Cup, where it would reach the semi-finals against PSG. The following seasons, league results varied between lower sub-top places and top four finishes.[17]

In 2004, Ghent signed coach Georges Leekens. In his first season, the team ended at the sixth spot in competition. With Leekens as a coach, KAA Gent made some impressive performances, such as the 4–1 victory over rival Club Brugge on 1 April 2006. In 2006–07, despite a weak start of the competition, the team managed to reach the fourth place in the Belgian Pro League. It repeated that achievement the following year.[18]

The next season, coach Georges Leekens left the club and joined Lokeren. Trond Sollied, the Norwegian trainer who had been very successful seven years before, succeeded him. Under his guidance, KAA Gent played its third Cup Final, in which it only lost at the end from Anderlecht. Sollied left Ghent again after one season, this time for Heerenveen.[19] Michel Preud'homme, who had just become champion of the Jupiler Pro League with Standard Liège, signed a contract for three seasons, together with his colleagues Manu Ferrera and Stan van den Buys. In 2008–09, the team ended at the fourth spot, after a strong comeback in the second part of the competition, with an equal number of points as Club Brugge, who had won one more game and ended third.[20]

In 2009–10, there was a heavy battle for the second place in the Belgian Pro League between AA Gent and Club Brugge and the Champions League ticket that came with it. They played each other on 8 May 2010. Ghent won with a convincing 6–2 score and won second place because of that victory.[21] One week later, Ghent also won the Belgian Cup for the first time in 26 years, defeating the other Bruges Pro League team, Cercle Brugge.[22]

On 17 July 2013, the club officially inaugurated their new stadium, the Ghelamco Arena, with a 2–0 win over VfB Stuttgart in a gala match.[23]

On 21 May 2015, Ghent clinched their first ever Belgium League title by defeating Standard Liège 2–0 at home, automatically qualifying for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[24] Gent were drawn in Group H, against Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg, Spanish giants Valencia and French giants Lyon. The Belgian champions were able to perform better than expected against three of the best teams in the European football. On matchday 1, Ghent draw 1–1 with Olympique Lyon at Ghelamco Arena, securing their first ever point in Champions League group stages, after Milićević scored to bring the score to a tie, conceding Jallet's goal. In matchday 2, they were beaten by Zenit 1–2 at Petrovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia; they were led 0–1 with a goal by Dzyuba and managed to bring the score to a 1–1 tie with a goal by Matton, but Russian international Shatov scored for Ghent's first Champions League group stage defeat. On matchday 3, they lost again 1–2 against Valencia on Mestalla, Valencia, Spain; they hold Valencia in a 1–1 tie before the half break, but Mitrović's own goal in the 71st minute put an end to their hopes for a draw. On matchday 4, at Ghelamco Arena, Gent beat Valencia 1–0, after Kums successfully converted a penalty kick in the 49th minute to obtain their historical first ever Champions League victory. On matchday 5, at Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France, Ghent beat Lyon 2–1; Ferri's 0–1 goal was conceded when Milićević brought the score to a tie, only for substitute Coulibaly to score the most dramatic goal of winners with the very last touch of the match, in the 95th minute as Gent earned qualification in either Champions League or Europa League knockout phases. In order to qualify for the Champions League knock-out phases, Gent needed a victory against group leaders Zenit, as it could qualify even if Valencia would win at Lyon thanks to their away goal. On marchday 6, Gent won 2–1 against Zenit, finishing the group on second place and becoming only the second Belgian team to advance to the Champions League knockout phase, as Lyon beat Valencia, after Anderlecht in 2000–01. In the round of 16, they were drawn against Wolfsburg. In the first leg at Ghelamco Stadium, Ghent, Belgium, Gent were defeated 2–3 by Wolfsburg, after being led with 0–3 and managing to score two goals in the last ten minutes. The second game, this time in Wolfsburg, ended 1–0, setting an end to Ghent's European tournament.

Honours
Belgian First Division:
Winners (1): 2014–15
Runners-up (2): 1954–55, 2009–10
Belgian Cup:
Winners (3): 1963–64, 1983–84, 2009–10
Runners-up (2): 2007–08, 2018–19
Belgian Supercup:
Winners (1): 2015
Runners-up (2): 1983–84, 2010
UEFA Intertoto Cup:
Runners-up (2): 2006, 2007
Well known former players of the team

Four players of AA Gent held top scorer positions in the UEFA: Maurice Willems (1956–57, 28 games, 35 goals), Ronny Martens (1984–85, 34 games, 23 goals), Erwin Vandenbergh (1990–91, 34 games, 23 goals) and Ole Martin Arst (1999–00, 33 games, 30 goals).

The Belgian player Roland Storme, central defender of KAA Gent in 1958–59, received the Golden Shoe award. Three other AA Gent players were presented with awards and honors: René Vandereycken got the award for trainer of the year 1991. Frédéric Herpoel was chosen as the best goalkeeper in 2004.

Mbark Boussoufa received multiple awards and honors including: pro-player of the year, best young player and the award of the 12th man, as well as the Ebony Shoe. Another AA Gent player, the Egyptian Ahmed "Mido" Hossam was also presented with the Ebony Shoe 8 years earlier in 2001.

Maurice Willems has scored more goals than any other KAA Gent player, with 185 goals between 1952 and 1962.

Armand Seghers holds the record of the most games played in the first team of KAA Gent: 507 between 1949 and 1960.

Marc Van Der Linden was in the national selection of Belgium for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

Richard Orlans holds the most selections for the Belgian National Team, more than any other KAA Gent player. He was selected 21 times from 1955 - 1958.

Frédéric Herpoel was four times honoured with the Jean-Claude Bouvy Trophy for "most valuable player of the season" between 2002 - 2005.

Tore André Dahlum was a Norwegian international who played one year in Ghent.

Kevin De Bruyne is a Belgium international and Manchester City player who spent six years at Gent during his youth career.

Congolese player Leon Mokuna was the first African player in Belgian competition, in 1957. Compatriot Pierre Mwana Kasongo would join the club in 1965 and Kiyika Tokodi would do so in 1980.

Coaching history

Belgium Hector Priem (1901–09)

Belgium Van Steenkiste (1909–10)

Belgium Horta (1910–12)

Belgium Bunyan (1912–22)

Belgium De Rijke (1922–31)

Belgium Staff Pelsmaecker (1931–41)

Belgium Hugi Fenichel (1941–42)

Austria Willibald Stejskal (1942–43)

Belgium Fons Ferchyér (1943–45)

France Edmond Delfour (1945–51)

Austria Karl Mütsch (1951–52)

France Jules Vandooren (1952–56)

France Edmond Delfour (1956–59)

France Jacques Favre (1959–60)

Belgium Louis Verstraeten (1960–64)

Germany Max Schirschin (1964–65)

Belgium Julien Labeau (1965–66)

France Jules Bigot (1966–67)

France Jules Vandooren (1967–71)

Hungary István Sztani (1971–73)

Belgium Omer Van Boxelaer (1973–74)

Belgium Richard Orlans (1974–76)

Belgium Freddy Qvick (1976)

Belgium Roland Storme (1976 –77)

Romania Norberto Höfling (1977–78)

Belgium Léon Nollet (1978 – September 80)

Netherlands Han Grijzenhout (1980 – 81)

Belgium Robert Goethals (1981 – January 83)

Belgium Erwin Vanden Daele (1983 – November 83)

Netherlands Han Grijzenhout (1984 – December 86)

Netherlands Gérard Bergholtz (1987)

Netherlands Ab Fafié (1987 – April 88)

Belgium Erwin Vandendaele (1988–89)

Belgium René Vandereycken (31 March 1989 – 28 February 1993)

Netherlands Hans Dorjee (1993)

Belgium Walter Meeuws (1 July 1993 – 30 June 1994)

Belgium Lei Clijsters (1994–96)

Netherlands Johan Boskamp (30 November 1996 – 30 September 1998)

Belgium Herman Vermeulen (interim) (1998 – December 98)

Norway Trond Sollied (1 January 1999 – 30 June 2000)

Netherlands Henk Houwaart (1 July 2000 – 30 September 2000)

France Patrick Rémy (1 July 2000 – 30 June 2002)

Belgium Herman Vermeulen (interim) (2001–02)

Netherlands Jan Olde Riekerink (1 July 2002 – 3 November 2003)

Belgium H. Vermeulen (interim) (5 November 2003 – 17 May 2004)

Belgium Georges Leekens (18 May 2004 – 30 June 2007)

Norway Trond Sollied (1 July 2007 – 30 June 2008)

Belgium Michel Preud'homme (1 July 2008 – 30 June 2010)

Belgium Francky Dury (1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011)

Norway Trond Sollied (1 July 2011 – 23 October 2012)

Belgium Manu Ferrera (interim) (23 October 2012 – 1 November 2012)

Belgium Bob Peeters (1 November 2012 – 3 January 2013)

Belgium Manu Ferrera (interim) (January 2013)

Spain Víctor Fernández (9 January 2013 – 30 September 2013)

Romania Mircea Rednic (1 October 2013 – 9 April 2014)

Belgium Peter Balette (interim) (9 April 2014 – 1 July 2014)

Belgium Hein Vanhaezebrouck (2014 – 27 September 2017)

Belgium Yves Vanderhaeghe (October 2017 – 9 October 2018)

Denmark Jess Thorup (10 October 2018 – Present)

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