Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon News and Developments

Stranger things have happened, like for example F-5s doing bombing runs on US bases completely unbothered.

So yeah, and given that most of this thread is non-credible twitter posts, this one isn't a particular outlier.
 
"Fake news. Its an F-4 Phantom crash near Hamedan from a training accident on February 19, 2026. One pilot died and one survived. This happened before the war even started.
@grok
cook that fraud.
10:03 AM · May 8, 2026
·
https://x.com/mack_a_d00/status/2052766369494565017/analytics

https://x.com/grok


**You're right.** Those photos show the IRIAF F-4 Phantom II that crashed during a night training flight near Hamadan (Shahid Nojeh Air Base) on Feb 19, 2026. One pilot (Brig. Gen. Mehdi Firoozmand) was killed, the other survived. Per Iranian state media and aviation records."


(Copied from the X link. Per EmoBirb, any version of what happened could be true. But I recall that Iranian State media also posts AI images of supposedly downed American and Israeli aircraft that are as ridiculously fake as their claims of Iranian-developed SAM systems that can target and destroy advanced stealth fighters/bombers.
Also, I am as pro-American as a person can get but that was still a cool story about the F-5 that slipped into defended airspace during a drone swarm attack and bombed an sirbase. Little F-5 Tiger-2s are about my favorite combat jets and the Iranian pilots have guts.)
 
https://en.defence-ua.com/weapon_an...es_in_service_what_is_known_so_far-18752.html

https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id16659-ukraine-may-have-received-agm-188a-rusty-dagger-missiles


"Debris reportedly recovered by russian sources suggests Ukraine may have received and already employed the new AGM-188A Rusty Dagger cruise missile developed under the ERAM program, raising questions about the weapon's capabilities and operational impact"

"According to the Telegram channel Voennaya Khronika, a previously unknown CRPA antenna was found in the special military operation zone. Such antennas are used on drones and missiles to receive satellite signals despite interference. The device reportedly carried the CAGE code 7MJL2, which is linked to the American company Zone 5 Technologies."

"If confirmed, the missile would represent a significant addition to Ukraine's strike capabilities. Although the ERAM requirement called for a minimum range of 460 km, Zone 5 Technologies appears to have exceeded that threshold substantially. The AGM-188A Rusty Dagger is reported to have a range of more than 930 km, more than double the original requirement."
 
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New toys.

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br...-deal-against-russian-att-afch/#goog_rewarded

https://united24media.com/war-in-uk...16-fighters-with-german-iris-t-missiles-19857

"Diehl Defence Chief Programme Officer Harald Bushek said the company is working toward integrating the missile with Ukraine’s Western-supplied fighters.

“The [Ukrainian air force’s] F-16s will be equipped most likely – this is what we are currently preparing – with our IRIS-T,” Bushek said during the event, without providing additional details on the timeline or scope of the effort.

The development would expand the air-to-air capabilities of Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, which has primarily been observed carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Ukraine currently operates 21 active F-16s."


"Diehl Defence Chief Programme Officer Harald Bushek said the company is working toward integrating the missile with Ukraine’s Western-supplied fighters.

“The [Ukrainian air force’s] F-16s will be equipped most likely – this is what we are currently preparing – with our IRIS-T,” Bushek said during the event, without providing additional details on the timeline or scope of the effort.

The development would expand the air-to-air capabilities of Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, which has primarily been observed carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Ukraine currently operates 21 active F-16s.

Speaking at the same event, Diehl Defence Chief Executive Helmut Rausch highlighted the performance of the IRIS-T-based air defense systems currently operating in Ukraine.

“We have a hit rate of more than 95%. What is also very important for the customer is that we are delivering missiles every month, continuously.”

Rausch said the systems are regularly used against Russian cruise missiles and attack drones, while Bushek added that feedback from Ukraine has been positive. “The feedback we get from Ukraine is that they are very satisfied.”
 
Wotan said:
New toys.

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br...-deal-against-russian-att-afch/#goog_rewarded

https://united24media.com/war-in-uk...16-fighters-with-german-iris-t-missiles-19857

"Diehl Defence Chief Programme Officer Harald Bushek said the company is working toward integrating the missile with Ukraine’s Western-supplied fighters.

“The [Ukrainian air force’s] F-16s will be equipped most likely – this is what we are currently preparing – with our IRIS-T,” Bushek said during the event, without providing additional details on the timeline or scope of the effort.

The development would expand the air-to-air capabilities of Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, which has primarily been observed carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Ukraine currently operates 21 active F-16s."


"Diehl Defence Chief Programme Officer Harald Bushek said the company is working toward integrating the missile with Ukraine’s Western-supplied fighters.

“The [Ukrainian air force’s] F-16s will be equipped most likely – this is what we are currently preparing – with our IRIS-T,” Bushek said during the event, without providing additional details on the timeline or scope of the effort.

The development would expand the air-to-air capabilities of Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, which has primarily been observed carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. According to aviation analytics company Cirium, Ukraine currently operates 21 active F-16s.

Speaking at the same event, Diehl Defence Chief Executive Helmut Rausch highlighted the performance of the IRIS-T-based air defense systems currently operating in Ukraine.

“We have a hit rate of more than 95%. What is also very important for the customer is that we are delivering missiles every month, continuously.”

Rausch said the systems are regularly used against Russian cruise missiles and attack drones, while Bushek added that feedback from Ukraine has been positive. “The feedback we get from Ukraine is that they are very satisfied.”
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From earlier this year:

https://www.zona-militar.com/en/202...forces-f-16-fighting-falcons/#google_vignette
 
Operation Midnight Hammer through the eyes of the F-16 Wild Weasel pilots who flew it. This is the firsthand account of the 55th Fighter Squadron and the 20th Fighter Wing. These are the pilots who fly Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, known as SEAD, the crews who went in first to suppress Iranian air defenses, and the ground support teams who made the mission possible. Part two covers the mission planning and the thoughts of the pilots and other squadron members when they thought of the upcoming mission to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. Recorded between December 2025 and January 2026, this series preserves the experiences of the people who were there, in their own words.
Click to expand...
https://twitter.com/x/status/2077072528355528819
View: https://x.com/AfterburnPod/status/2077072528355528819?s=20
 
Scorpion82 said:
No the AN/ASQ-213 HARM Targeting System is an emitter locator system, Angry Kitten is based on the AN/ALQ-167 ECM pod, also used by the F-14. It is an upgraded system compared to the original.
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Some sources just say the shell of the ALQ-167, but this General Atomics press release suggests it might have an ALQ-167 variant designation.

https://www.ga.com/usaf-flies-with-angry-kitten-jamming-pod

The U.S. Air Force flew a remotely piloted aircraft equipped with an Angry Kitten® ALQ-167 Electronic Warfare Countermeasure Pod for the first time on April 27, 2023. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. integrated the pod onto the aircraft.
Click to expand...
 
What to expect in the future for the still existing F-16 airframes.
https://www.darpa.mil/news/2026/darpa-us-air-force-fly-ai-controlled-f-16

"“These groundbreaking flight tests of VENOM-modified F-16s advance the infrastructure needed to develop trusted, autonomous air combat capabilities,” said Brig. Gen. James “Fangs” Valpiani, Ph.D., DARPA program manager. “The Air Force and DARPA team has automated flight controls and sensors on a standard F-16 without changing the jet’s core software. This enables an efficient pipeline for developing dominant AI for aerial combat, allowing us to rapidly innovate for the warfighter.”

The modification, known as the VENOM Autonomy Kit (VAK), was designed and integrated by multiple performers under the DARPA ACE program. The kit utilizes a novel interface with the aircraft’s flight controls and mission systems, allowing a pilot to toggle between traditional human control and AI control with the flip of a switch. This ensures a safe, reliable environment for human-on-the-loop experimentation."
 
Wotan said:
From what I see the Legion Pod can also be mounted on one inlet pylon, so that the center pylon remains available for fuel or armament.
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Can be mounted there is good, but you have to make a choice between Air to Air or Air to Ground fitting if you do.

I'm mostly whining about the loss of fuel from the belly tank.
 
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Waterballoon said:
That ain't no FCS failure

It was a perfect display of Turkish 'bravado' which was literally one second away from their own Sknyliv disaster. No wonder they lost 1 out of every 9 Falcon they got
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I Initially thought the F-16 crashed after the pilot ejected but somehow he managed to bail out before the ultimate crash.

Another case of their 'bravado'. The airforce needs to instill some flying discipline in their fighter pilot force.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2087991906785530004
View: https://x.com/askeristihbarat/status/2087991906785530004
 
It's even worse. He tried to salute his colleagues at Yalova airbase but effed it up big time and put all their lives in danger.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2088192682849968346
View: https://x.com/echrognosia/status/2088192682849968346/video/1

It was probably an airman who took his kids to work that day. If they walked in the treeline they'd be turned into crisps.
https://www.gzt.com/gundem/yalovada...kamerada-yeni-goruntuler-ortaya-cikti-4251053
They got really lucky that day...

Such an airforce does not yet deserve something advanced as the Kaan/Kizilelma/Anka-3...
 

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The first squadron of F-16 aircraft purchased by Romania from Portugal will be modernized by the company Aerostar Bacău. The fighter aircraft will receive more advanced software, and some of their systems will be replaced. The Romanian company is already responsible for maintaining the F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, as well as the Black Hawk helicopters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The company is the one who performed in the past the Mig-21 Lancer upgrade program.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2088208534785675631
View: https://x.com/Ade_linPetrisor/status/2088208534785675631?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2088208534785675631%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=
 
One has to hope they end up better trained/less accident and/or death prone than their Ukrainian classmates.
 
EmoBirb said:
One has to hope they end up better trained/less accident and/or death prone than their Ukrainian classmates.
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Given that Ukraine is in an active conflict and Peru is currently, mostly peaceful, the former is likely going to have higher casualties/attrition rates and shorter training times.
 
EmoBirb said:
One has to hope they end up better trained/less accident and/or death prone than their Ukrainian classmates.
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There were up to the moment no accidents, deadly or not, at the European F-16 Training Center. And the training is at NATO standards. Beside romanian trainers, also contractors from Draken International and Airbus are teaching there.
borcea-6.jpg


https://www.draken.aero/how-we-operate/in-the-air/
 

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