 The air intake was placed so it was rearward of the nose but forward enough to minimize air flow losses and reduce aerodynamic drag.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.