Since its introduction in 1978, over 4,450 F-16 Fighting Falcon's have been built, making it one of the most successful military aircraft of all time. Although it is no longer purchased by the U.S. Air Force (where it is scheduled to remain in service until 2025), improved versions are still being built by Lockheed Martin for 26 nations around the world. The latest version, unveiled this week at the Singapore Airshow, is the F-16V, which features a number of enhancements designed to enable the 4th generation fighter to better interoperate with the 5th generation F-35 and F-22 fighters.
The "V" designation of the F-16V refers to "Viper," which is nickname given to the F-16 by U.S. Air Force pilots due to its similarity to Battlestar Galactica's Colonial Viper starfighter. Amongst the enhancements included in the new F-16V are an upgraded mission computer and architecture, improvements to the cockpit, and an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
AESA radar allows the aircraft to broadcast powerful radar signals that are spread out across a band of frequencies that makes it hard to detect over background noise. Lockheed Martin says it has also developed a way to "affordably" retrofit AESA radar to existing F-16s.
The F-16V is just the latest in the continuing evolution of the aircraft, which began with the initial production F-16A (single seat) and F-16B (two seat) variants. Other variants include the F-16C/D which entered production in 1984, and Block 60 F-16E/F/IN/IQ variants.
Source: Lockheed Martin
When a masked man sticks a weapon in your face and demands your valuables it is called armed robbery. If you defend yourself it is called a fight and if you subdue the criminal and put him in jail it is called justice. If a nation shelters, trains, arms, and launches armed people at another nation to take its valuables and the second nation resists it is called War, with the hope that the aggressor government will be removed from power. It helps all the people who\'s valuables are not stolen.
As for the F-16...the improvements you mention would price it out of reach for many of the nations buying them. This isn\'t for huge countries. This is for small nations to buy. Good for Lockheed Martin. Now if we can only get them to do the same for the A-10.
Next neither Iraq or Afghanistan attacked the US. It was some thugs hiding in ungovernable mountains. What needed to be done was Special Ops to take the thugs out.
What we need is a far smaller military of just the armed forces, no more army/navy/marines waste. We really don't have a choice, either we cut the military or go broke Planes like a simplified composite F16/F35 XL internals could cut costs 50% if done right.
What LockMart should have been developing and have as an operational option today, would be a truly game-changing F-16XL type variant, but regardless of that mistake in company judgement, this so-called F-16V will still have legs.
Unfortunately however, with better strategic company thinking, what should have been offered by around 2014-2015 should have been a completely radicalized F-16 derivative with new inlet, new avionics back bone for single seat, flight control lift enhancements, possibly lower drag and reduced RCS vertical stab and an even newer generation engine such as the F110 advanced-augmented + fluidic thrust vectoring.
More lessons learned.