F-16 FIGHTING FALCON MULTI-ROLE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, USA

The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, the first of the US Air Force multi-role fighter aircraft, is the world's most prolific fighter with more than 2000 in service with the USAF and 2000 operational with 23 other countries. The F-16 and the F-15 Eagle were the world's first aircraft able to withstand higher G forces than the pilots. The Fighting Falcon entered service in 1979. The last of 2,231 F-16 fighters for the US Air Force was delivered in March 2005.

Recent orders include Bahrain (10 delivered), Greece (60 Block 52 all delivered), Israel (50), Egypt (24 Block 40), New Zealand (28), United Arab Emirates (80 Block 60, first delivered 2005), Singapore (20), South Korea (20 Block 52 all delivered), Oman (12, first delivered August 2005), Chile (10 Block 50, first delivery 2006) and Poland (48 Block 52, first delivery 2006). Israel, with the world's largest F-16 fleet outside the USAF, has ordered 110 F-16I aircraft, of which the first was delivered in December 2003. These aircraft have Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, Elbit avionics, Elisra electronic warfare systems and Rafael weapons and sensors, including Litening II laser target designator pods. Italy has leased 34 aircraft until the first tranche of Eurofighter deliveries are completed. Hungary will acquire 24 ex-USAF fighters.

In July 2005, Greece announced a further order for 30 Block 52+ fighters.

F-16 COMMON CONFIGURATION IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM (CCIP)

650 USAF Block 40/50 F-16s are being upgraded under the Common Configuration Implementation Program (CCIP). The first phase of the program (first aircraft completed in January 2002) provides core computer and colour cockpit modifications. The second, which began in September 2002, involves fitting the advanced AN/APX-113 interrogator/transponder and Lockheed Martin Sniper XR advanced FLIR targeting pod. The third, which started in July 2003, adds Link 16 datalink, the Boeing Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System and an electronic horizontal situation indicator. Operational testing of the M3 upgraded fighters was completed in September 2004. Deliveries are planned to complete in 2010.

A number of Block 40/50 F-16 aircraft of the Turkish Air Force are to be upgraded with elements of the CCIP under an agreement reached in April 2005.

The export version of the Sniper XR pod, the PANTERA, has been ordered by the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The first was delivered in November 2003.

BLOCK 60 UPGRADE

The Block 60 F-16E/F, which is being developed for the United Arab Emirates, features extra payload and range, in part due to the new F110-132 engine being developed by General Electric, which produces 145kN of thrust. New avionics for the Block 60 includes a higher-speed mission computer, a new display processor, 3 large colour LCD displays, advanced data transfer unit with a fibre-optic data transfer network Precision targeting is achieved by the Northrop Grumman integrated navigation FLIR and targeting FLIR system using mid-wave infrared arrays and Northrop Grumman's APG-80 agile beam active electronically scanned (AESA) radar. Northrop Grumman is providing the Integrated Electronic Warfare Suite. First flight of the Block 60 aircraft took place in December 2003. Deliveries of 80 Block 60 aircraft to the UAE began in May 2005 and are scheduled to conclude by 2007.

COCKPIT

Advanced equipment being fitted on the current build of the F-16 includes Honeywell color flat-panel liquid crystal multifunction displays, digital terrain system, modular mission computer, color video camera to record the pilot's view of the head-up display (HUD), a color triple-deck video recorder and an enhanced programmable display generator.

Under the USAF Project Sure Strike, the F-16 is being equipped with an improved data modem (IDM), which automatically provides target data to the HUD using data transmitted by a ground observer. A follow-on program, Project Gold Strike, integrates an upgraded IDM for the transmission of images to and from a range of sources, including ground units and unmanned aircraft. The system can transmit images from the LANTIRN targeting pod and display video imagery to the cockpit.

USAF F-16 aircraft are scheduled to receive the Boeing Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), currently in full-rate production. Deliveries of production systems begin in 2004, although the system has been deployed operationally during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WEAPONS

The aircraft has nine hardpoints for weapons payloads: one at each wing tip, three under each wing and one centreline under the fuselage. The ordnance is launched from Raytheon LAU-88 launchers, MAU-12 and Orgen bomb ejector racks. The port wing is fitted with a 20mm General Electric M61A1 multi-barrel cannon and the gunsight is interfaced to the cockpit HUD.

Air-to-air missiles which have been carried on the F-16 include the Lockheed Martin/Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder, Raytheon AMRAAM, Raytheon Sparrow, MBDA (formerly Matra BAe Dynamics) Skyflash and ASRAAM, and the MBDA R550 Magic 2. In April 2004, the F-16 first fired the new-generation AIM-9X Sidewinder, which is in full-rate production for the USAF.

Air-to-surface missiles carried on the F-16 include Maverick, HARM and Shrike missiles, manufactured by Raytheon, and anti-ship missiles include Boeing Harpoon and Kongsberg Penguin. Flight tests with the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) are being conducted from the F-16.

The first guided launch of the new Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) was successfully carried out from an F-16 and the F-16 was the first USAF aircraft to be fitted with the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) in April 2000.

The F-16 can be fitted with Lockheed Martin Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), which provides precision guidance for CBU-87, -89, and 97 cluster munitions. The system corrects for launch transients, ballistic errors, and winds aloft.

The F-16 will be the first aircraft to use the USAF's new weapon rack, the Edo Corporation BRU-57. The BRU-57 is a vertical ejection rack which doubles the aircraft's capacity for precision-guided weapons like JDAM and WCMD.

TARGETING

The F-16 carries the Lockheed Martin LANTIRN infrared navigation and targeting system. This is used in conjunction with a BAE Systems holographic display. Block 50/52 aircraft are equipped with the HARM Targeting System, AN/ASQ-213 from Raytheon.

US Air National Guard F-16 aircraft are fitted with Northrop Grumman Litening II/Litening ER targeting pods.

In August 2001, Lockheed Martin was selected to provide the Sniper XR as the new Advanced Targeting Pod for USAF F-16 and F-15E aircraft. Sniper XR (Extended Range) incorporates a high-resolution mid-wave FLIR, dual-mode laser, CCD TV, laser spot tracker and laser marker combined with advanced image processing algorithms. Deliveries began in March 2003.

F-16 fighters for Oman will be equipped with BAE Systems Advanced Airborne Reconnaissance System. Those for Poland will be equipped with the Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pod.

COUNTERMEASURES

Current Block 50 F-16 aircraft for the USA are equipped with the Lockheed Martin superheterodyne AN/ALR-56M Radar Warning Receiver. The F-16 is also compatible with a range of jammers and electronic countermeasures equipment, including Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-131, Raytheon AN/ALQ-184, Elisra SPS 3000 and Elta EL/L-8240, and the Northrop Grumman ALQ-165 self-protection suite.

Lockheed Martin ALE-40 and ALE-47 chaff and infrared flare dispenser systems are installed in an internal flush mount. ALE-40 is pilot-controlled but the ALE-47 installed in Block 50 can be operated in fully-, semi-automatic or manual mode.

RADAR

The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68 radar provides 25 separate air-to-air and air-to-ground modes, including long-range, all-aspect detection and tracking, simultaneous multiple-target tracking, and high-resolution ground mapping. The planar antenna array is installed in the nose of the aircraft. An upgraded version of the radar, AN/APG-68(V)9, has begun flight testing. The upgrade features: 30% increase in detection range, 5X increase in processing speed, 10X increase in memory, as well as significant improvements in all modes, jam resistance and false alarm rate.

NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

The F-16 was the first operational US aircraft to receive global positioning system (GPS). The aircraft has an inertial navigation system, either a Northrop Grumman (Litton) LN-39, LN-93 ring laser gyroscope or Honeywell H-423. Other navigation equipment includes a BAE SYSTEMS Terprom digital terrain navigation system, Gould AN/APN-232 radar altimeter, Rockwell Collins AN/ARN-118 tactical air navigation system (Tacan) and Rockwell Collins AN/ARN-108 instrument landing system.

The communications systems include the Raytheon UHF AN/ARC-164 receiver/transmitter and Rockwell Collins VHF AM/FM AN/ARC-186 together with AN/APX101 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) and encryption/secure communications systems. The AN/APX-101 is being upgraded with BAE Systems AN/APX-113.

ENGINE

The aircraft is powered by a single engine: the General Electric F110-GE-129 or Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229. The fuel supply is equipped with an inert gas anti-fire system. An inflight refuelling probe is installed in the top of the fuselage.

Lockheed Martin has completed developmental flight testing on new conformal fuel tanks (CFT) for the F-16, which will significantly add to the aircraft's mission radius. First flight of the F-16 equipped with the new tanks was in March 2003. Greece is the launch customer for the CFT.