F-16 Fighting Falcon: Price, Specs, Performance, Cockpit, and Range. The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the most productive multi-role US Aircraft fighter worldwide with greater than 2,000 operating with the USAF and 2, 500 operating with 25 other countries.
F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle are the first aircraft worldwide to be able to withstand higher g power than pilots. Fighting Falcon began operations in 1979. The last of 2,231 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters for the US Air Force was sent in March 2005. The first two-seat F-16 Fighting FalconD version was received due to the US Government in January 2009.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Specs
This aircraft has nine hardpoints for weapon loads: one on each wing tip, three under each wing and one center line under the fuselage. The armament was released from Raytheon LAU-88 launchers, MAU-12 and Orgen bomb ejector racks. The port wing is furnished with a General Electric M61A1 20mm multi-barrel cannon and the gun is connected to the cockpit HUD.
Air-to-air missiles performed on the F-16 Fighting Falcon include Lockheed Martin/ Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder, Raytheon AMRAAM, Raytheon Sparrow, MBDA (formerly Matra BAe Dynamics) Skyflash and ASRAAM, and MBDA R550 Magic 2. On the month April 2004, the F-16 Fighting Falcon first fired a new generation AIM-9X Sidewinder, which was in full production for the USAF.
The air-to-surface missiles carried on the F-16 Fighting Falcon include Maverick, HARM and Shrike missiles, produced by Raytheon, and anti-ship missiles including Boeing Harpoon and Kongsberg Penguin. Test flight with air-to-surface missiles (JASSM) with Lockheed Martin has been executed from the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
The first guided release of the direct combination of direct attacks (JDAM) was successfully performed from the F-16 Fighting Falcon. F-16 Fighting Falcon was the first USAF aircraft to be geared up with a joint stand-off (JSOW) in April 2000.
F-16 Fighting Falcon could be geared up with a Lockheed Martin (WCMD) wind-corrected ammunition dispenser, which offers precision guidance for CBU-87, -89, and 97 cluster munitions. Correction system for temporary introduce, ballistic errors, and high winds.
F-16 Fighting Falcon was the first aircraft to use the new USAF weapons rack, Edo Corporation BRU-57. BRU-57 is a vertical ejection rack that doubles the aircraft’s capacity for precision guided weapons like JDAM and WCMD.
All-weather weatherproof weapons including the AGM-84E ground attack missile (SLAM) and Popeye II AGM-142 are planned to be included in future aircraft upgrades. Other advanced weapons include MICA, IRIS-T, Python IV, Active Skyflash air-to-air missiles, ALARM antiradiation missiles, Apache multimission antiradiation weapons, free-flight dispensing systems, and AS30L laser guided missiles.
F-16 Fighting Falcon carries a navigation system and targeting infrared Lockheed Martin LANTIRN. This is used in conjunction with the BAE System holographic display. The Block 50/52 aircraft is outfitted with the HARM, AN/ ASQ-213 targeting system from Raytheon.
The US Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft is outfitted with a Northrop Grumman Litening II/ Litening ER targeting pod.
In August 2001, Lockheed Martin was chosen to supply the Sniper XR as a new sophisticated targeting pod for the USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15E aircraft.
Sniper XR (extended range) combines high-resolution mid-wave FLIR, dual mode lasers, CCD TVs, laser point trackers, and laser markers combined with sophisticated image processing algorithms. Deliveries began in March 2003.
F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter for Oman is furnished with a BAE Systems advanced air reconnaissance system. The ones for Poland and Morocco are geared up with the Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pod.
The Block 50 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft for the US is furnished with the Lockheed Martin superheterodyne AN/ ALR-56M radar warning receiver. F-16 Fighting Falcon is also compatible with various jammers and electronic countermeasures, including Northrop Grumman AN/ ALQ-131, Raytheon AN/ ALQ-184, Elisra SPS 3000 and Elta EL/ L-8240, and Northrop Grumman ALQ- 165 protection suites self.
Lockheed Martin ALE-40 and ALE-47 chaff and infrared flare dispenser systems are installed in an internal mount flush. ALE-40 is controlled by a pilot but the ALE-47 installed in block 50 could be operated in a fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode.
F-16 Fighting Falcon for the Greek Air Force is being geared up with Raytheon II advanced self-protection (ASPIS) suites that include the Northrop Grumman ALR-93 (V) threat warning system, Raytheon ALQ-187 jammer and BAE Systems ALE-47 husk/ dispenser flare. F-16 Fighting Falcon for Chile and Pakistan is furnished with the ITT AN/ ALQ-211 (V) electronic war package.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Engine
This aircraft is powered by one engine: General Electric F110-GE-129 or Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229. The fuel supply is outfitted with an inert gas anti-fire system. The refueling probe in the aircraft is installed at the top of the fuselage.
Lockheed Martin completed development flight testing on a new conformal fuel tank (CFT) for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which will significantly increase the radius of the aircraft’s mission. The first flight of the F-16 Fighting Falcon geared up with new tanks was in March 2003. Greece is a CFT release customer.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Radar
The Northrop Grumman AN/ APG-68 radar gives 25 separate air-to-air and air-to-ground modes, including remote, all-aspect detection and tracking, simultaneous multi-target tracking, and high-resolution land mapping. Planar antenna arrays are installed on the nose of the aircraft.
Enhanced radar version, AN/ APG-68 (V) 9, has begun flight testing. This update has an increase of 30% detection range, an increase in processing speed of five times, a tenfold increase in memory, and a significant increase in all modes, jam resistance and false alarm levels.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Cockpit
The advanced tools installed at the current F-16 Fighting Falcon includes Honeywell’s flat color multi-function liquid crystal display, digital terrain system, modular mission computer, color video camera to record pilot views from the head-up display (HUD), three video recorders color layer and programmable display generator.
Under the USAF project, Sure Strike, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is outfitted with an upgraded data modem (IDM), which automatically supplies target data to the HUD using data sent by land observers. The plane’s rear seat angle has been increased from 13 ° to 30 ° to give an increase in comfort for the pilot.
The advanced program, the Gold Strike project, integrates enhanced IDM for the transmission of images to and from various sources, including land and unmanned aircraft units. This system can send images from the LANTIRN targeting pod and display the video image to the cockpit.
The USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft received a cueing system installed with a Boeing helmet (JHMCS), which is currently completely production. Delivery of the production system began in 2004, and the system was first deployed operationally during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
F-16 Fighting Falcon is the first operational US aircraft to receive a global positioning system (GPS). The aircraft has an inertial navigation system and is good at Northrop Grumman (Litton) LN-39, LN-93 gyroscope laser ring or Honeywell H-423.
Other navigation tools includes the BAE Systems Terprom digital terrain navigation system, Gould AN/ APN-232 radar altimeter, Rockwell Collins AN/ ARN-118 (TACAN) tactical air navigation system and Rockwell Collins AN/ ARN-108 instrument landing system.
Communication systems include Raytheon UHF AN/ ARC-164 receivers/ transmitters/ transmitters and Rockwell Collins VHF AM/ FM AN/ ARC-186 together with friend/ enemy identification/ enemy AP/ APX101 and encryption/ secure communication systems. AN/ APX-101 is being upgraded with BAE Systems AN/ APX-113.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Upgrade
F-16 Fighting Falcon program for general configuration implementation (CCIP).
A total of 650 USAF Blocks 40/50 F-16 Fighting Falcon are being upgraded under the general configuration implementation program (CCIP). The first phase of this program (the first aircraft completed in January 2002) supplied a core computer and modified color cockpit.
The second phase, which began in September 2002, involved the installation of sophisticated AN/ APX-113 interrogators/ transponders and the Lockheed Martin Sniper XR advancing the FLIR targeting pod.
The third, which began in July 2003, added a 16 datalink link, a cueing system installed with a Boeing helmet and an electronic horizontal situation indicator. Operational testing of fighters upgraded by M3 was completed in September 2004. Deliveries were completed in 2010.
A216 Block 40/50 F-16 Fighting Falcon The Turkish Air Force aircraft will be upgraded with CCIP elements, based on the agreement reached in April 2005. Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to supply modernization kits in December 2006. The increase is scheduled for completion in 2016. The export version of the Sniper XR pod, PANTERA, was ordered due to the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The first was delivered in November 2003.
Blok 50/52 is the eighth major modification block of the F-16 Fighting Falcon that combines the appearance of a color cockpit, a new set of electronic warfare, sophisticated weapons and sensors, and a more powerful engine.
\ Block 60 F-16 E/ F, which is being developed for the United Arab Emirates, features additional payload and range, partly due to the new F110-132 engine developed by General Electric, which resulted in 145kN thrust.
The new avionics for block 60 include high-speed mission computers, new display processors, three large color LCD screens, and advanced data transfer units with fiber-optic data transfer networks. Precision targeting is achieved by Northrop Grumman’s integrated FLIR navigation and FLIR system targeting using Northrop Grumman’s APG-80 middle wave and agile waveforms that actively scan electronically scanned radars (AESA).
Northrop Grumman offers a range of integrated electronic warfare. The first flight of block 60 aircraft occurred in December 2003. Shipments of 80 blocks 60 to UAE began in May 2005 and ended in 2009.
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Price and Orders
Overseas orders including Bahrain (ten sent), Greece (60 blocks 52 all sent), Iraq (36 ), Israel (50 ), Egypt (24 blocks 40), Morocco (24 ), New Zealand (28 ), United Arab Emirates (80 blocks 60, first sent 2005), Singapore (20 ), South Korea (20 blocks 52 all sent), Oman (12 ), Chile (ten blocks 50) and Poland (48 blocks 52).
In December 2015, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics was awarded a fixed price of $ 914 million and a cost-plus contract to increase the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). Work is scheduled for completion in June 2023.
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