ASIAN DEFENCE: F-16

Showing posts with label F-16. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

AESA radar sparks new life into F-16V Fighting Falcon

9:20 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Lockheed Martin yesterday unveiled a new version of the evergreen F-16 Fighting Falcon designated the F-16V. The new moniker is derived from the fighter’s long-standing unofficial nickname: Viper. It will apply to existing aircraft that are upgraded with AESA radars, and new builds. The F-16V will also include a new mission computer and cockpit display.Northrop Grumman and Raytheon are busy promoting their competing AESAs for the F-16V, in a scrap that increasingly looks like “winner takes all.

Pakistan Air Force Can Counter India’s Cold Start Doctrine

9:00 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman has said that the PAF has already updated its war fighting strategy to effectively counter Indian Cold War doctrine.

Pakistan Receives Three F-16 Fighter Jet From USA

8:35 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

United States has delivered the last of 18 F-16 C/D Block 52M fighter jet to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and it has landed at the Pakistan Air Force Base Shahbaz in Jacobabad.

PAF ORDERS AIDEWS ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURE SYSTEM FOR ITS F-16S

5:29 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Pakistan Air Force has ordered Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS) for the Pakistani Air Force F-16 C/D Block 52M and F-16 AM/BM.

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EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE ORDERS SNIPER ADVANCED TARGETING POD (ATP)

5:06 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Egyptian Air Force (EAF) has confirmed the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) to equip its F-16 aircraft purchased under the Peace Vector program.

Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) offers precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR) in a single lightweight system.

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Taiwan's F-16 Mid Life Update Package Includes AESA Radar

3:36 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the United States has notified the US Congress about the possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taiwan for upgradation of F-16A/B aircraft at an estimated cost of $5.3 billion. Taiwan has requested the US government to provide the following equipment for the Mid Life Update of 145 F-16A/B block 20 of the Republic of China Air Force. Mid Life Update Package will include following: 176 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)...

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Taiwan renews F-16 request as US defends upgrade

4:54 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

An upgrade of Taiwan's fleet of F-16s would provide essentially the same quality as new fighter jets, a U.S. government official said on Monday as Taiwan officials renewed a push for the latest model.

The Obama administration informally told U.S. lawmakers on Friday it would upgrade Taiwan's 140-plus existing F-16 A/B jets while deferring Taipei's request for the more advanced F-16 C/Ds.

United Arab Emirates May Buy More F-16s

1:38 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now talking with Lockheed Martin about buying more F-16 fighter aircraft because France's offer of an advanced version of the Rafale combat jet is seen as too expensive, said a source familiar with the negotiations in the gulf.

Cornyn, Clinton discuss F-16 for Taiwan

11:17 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Texas Senator John Cornyn has opened direct negotiations with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton over the release of a long-delayed report to the US Congress on the state of Taiwan’s air force.The report is now 16 months overdue and Cornyn believes it would provide powerful evidence to support Taipei’s request to buy 66 F-16C/D aircraft. While Clinton is not immediately involved with the Pentagon — where the report is being produced — she is one of the most influential figures within the administration of US President Barack Obama and wields enormous power.

F-16D Block 50+ For Turkish Air Force Unveiled

10:44 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI) has unveiled 1st F-16 D Block 50+ for the Turkish Air Force. Turkish Air Force has placed order for 30 F-16 Block 50+ which will be build in Turkey by the Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc at its facility near Ankara.

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F-16 Fighting Falcon Using Flares

10:27 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

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Solo Turk - F-16 Aerobatic Team of Turkish Air Force

10:25 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

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Indonesian Military Studying US Offer of 24 F-16 A/B Fighter Jets

1:34 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Indonesian Military chief Adm. Agus Suhartono said he has been studying an offer of two squadrons of F-16 A/B Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the US.He said although it was a grant, he had to calculate the cost of maintaining the 24 aircraft. Indonesia-US ties were also a consideration, he said as quoted by Antara news agency.Budget concerns forced Indonesia to refuse an earlier US government offer of a newer model of Fighting Falcon, the F-16 C/D.

The flight crew of F-16I was able and experienced: Israel IAF Chief of Staff

11:52 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

In an interview on radio service Kol Israel IAF Chief of Staff described the sequence of events of last night flights and talked about the jet’s experienced crew

“The crew flying the Soufa jet which crashed last night was a veteran crew, able and experienced and which we fully trust,” said Air Force Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Nimrod Shefer, in an interview he gave Thursday morning (Nov. 11) on radio service Kol Israel.

“Around eight p.m. the jet hit the ground, a bit south of Mitzpe Ramon,” said Brig. Gen. Shefer, describing the events of the crash. “The jet was the leader of four F-16 planes, it’s crew experienced, veteran pilot and navigator.”

According to the IAF Chief of Staff, the training exercise, which took place on Wednesday, was “not too difficult” and was “a night exercise wherein the pilots were to attack planes acting as enemy planes.” Brig. Gen. Shefer explained that “during the flight it looked as though the plane hit the ground and from that moment we’ve been conducting searches.”

“The plane’s crew was made up of Maj. Amihai Itkis, a 28-year-old pilot from Sde Warburg. He was an experienced pilot very familiar with the Soufa jet. The navigator was Maj. Emanuel Levy, one of the first navigators to fly in the Soufa,” said IAF Chief of Staff who stressed that experience teaches, as in past crashes during exercises, “even experienced crews aren’t immune to accidents in the air.”

Indonesia Nears Decision on Lockheed F-16A/Bs, C-130B/H Upgrades

11:40 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

By Greg Waldron

Indonesia should make a decision on a mid-life upgrade for its Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs in 2011 or 2012, but could also buy an additional batch of six Block 50/52 fighters.If the upgrade takes place it will extend the service life of the Indonesian air force's current F-16s from 4,000 to 8,000 flight hours, and make them as capable as new-build models, says an industry source. An upgrade to all 10 aircraft is likely to cost around $150 million.In addition, Lockheed is pushing for Indonesia to purchase six more F-16s in the Block 50/52 configuration to give it a full squadron of 16 operational aircraft.Another option, albeit less likely, would be for the nation to replace its current F-16s with ex-US Air National Guard Block 50/52 airframes. However, these would have a remaining service life of only 1,500h each and be less compatible with the US Air Force's support system for the type.

Israel Air Force Two-Seater F-16I Crashes

11:36 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Pilot, navigator missing after Air Force's most advanced plane crashes during routine training flight. No problems were reported before tragedy occurred. IDF, police rescue units search area An Israel Air Force two-seater F-16I airplane crashed late Wednesday evening during training in the south of Israel, near Mitzpe Ramon. The pilot and navigator have been described as missing, and many Israel Defense Forces troops were involved in searching for them. Pieces of the aircraft have been located.The two missing men were identified as Major Amichay Itkis, 28, of Sde Warburg, and Major Emanuel Levy, 30, of Maale Adumim. Their families have been notified.

Body of pilot in RTAF F-16 fighter jet crash recovered

5:18 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The body of an RTAF F-16 jet fighter pilot was found in wreckage Monday after a Royal Thai Air Force jet crashed in Ban Tak district of Tak province earlier in the day.The body of Flight Lieutenant Thanikorn Luangrungwaree, 31, was found in the wreckage of the fallen jet after the RTAF F16 fighter disappeared from the radar and crashed into a mountain and then exploded in Den Mai Sung village of Ban Tak district.According to the report, Flt Lt Thanikorn died instantly in the crash amid bad weather.

F-16s were not involved in the exercise with PLAAF

9:52 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The air forces of China and Turkey have carried out a joint exercise, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday, in what appeared to be the first such drill involving Beijing and a NATO member country.Turkey assured the United States it would take the "utmost care" to protect sensitive U.S. and NATO technologies, said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Tamara Parker, a department spokeswoman.She described Turkey's government as committed to the NATO alliance and the continuation of strong ties to the United States."To the best of our knowledge, U.S.-made F-16s were not involved in the exercise," Parker said. She referred a caller to the Turkish government for details of the maneuvers.The office of the Turkish defense attache in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

US agrees to Upgrade the Taiwan's 146 F-16A/Bs

1:28 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Taiwan is allocating money for possible U.S. help to ugrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, a military spokesman said Wednesday, two days after a senior Taiwanese official warned that China's threat against the island is growing.The comments from air force spokesman Pan Kung-hsiao came amid Taiwanese media reports that the Obama administration has agreed to upgrade the island's fleet of American-made 146 F-16A/Bs, which it received more than a decade ago.Pan said that acquisition of an entirely new version of the F-16, the more advanced C/Ds, remains the military's top priority because that aircraft suits Taiwan's defense needs better than the A/Bs."Our primary interest remains the procurement of F-16 C/Ds rather than the upgrade of F-16 A/Bs," Pan said.

Thailand to Upgrade 18 F-16A/B Block 15 Aircraft with Mid-Life Upgrade

2:07 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Sept. 29 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Thailand of a three-phased program to upgrade 18 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft with the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) and associated parts, equipment, and logistical support for a complete package worth approximately $700 million.The Government of Thailand has requested a possible sale of a three-phased program to upgrade 18 F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft with the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU).

Each phase will upgrade six aircraft over a three-year period, with each phase overlapping by one year. The MLU with Modular Mission Computer includes APG-68(V)9 Radar, APX-113 Combined Interrogator and Transponder, ALQ-213 Electronic Warfare Management System, ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispenser System, spare and repair parts, tools and support equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $700 million.