Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Developments

EmoBirb said:
Who would be the potential users of AShMs carried by F-16s?

I suppose Korea and countries in SEA?
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My first thought was actually PACAF, as the only other user of LRASM is Australia. With three wings of F-16s, PACAF can take advantage of existing warstock rather than having to wait for B-1s.
 
When reading this "Feel Good" story on Stripes, I noticed these F-16's were lacking their "Bird Slicer" IFF antennas on the nose - has APG-83 removed their need?

www.stripes.com

Islanders greet F-16 pilots with crab, kindness after emergency landing

Two U.S. Air Force pilots stationed in South Korea received a warm welcome after their F-16 fighter jets made an emergency landing on a remote island off the coast of Alaska.
www.stripes.com www.stripes.com

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isayyo2 said:
When reading this "Feel Good" story on Stripes, I noticed these F-16's were lacking their "Bird Slicer" IFF antennas on the nose - has APG-83 removed their need?
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I don't think so. New Blk 70 aircraft have APG-83 and also still have the bird slicers unless that is a USAF only mod.

First-Bulgarian-F-16-Block-70-will-stay-in-the-U.S.-longer.jpg
 
isayyo2 said:
When reading this "Feel Good" story on Stripes, I noticed these F-16's were lacking their "Bird Slicer" IFF antennas on the nose - has APG-83 removed their need?

www.stripes.com

Islanders greet F-16 pilots with crab, kindness after emergency landing

Two U.S. Air Force pilots stationed in South Korea received a warm welcome after their F-16 fighter jets made an emergency landing on a remote island off the coast of Alaska.
www.stripes.com www.stripes.com

View attachment 772492
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All active duty Block 40 don't have them it would seem... That is units in Korea and Aviano, Italy these days. Block 40 Vipers from Hill AFB also were without bird slicers, but have them now in ANG service.
And Block 42 equipped Oklahoma ANG also have bird slicers, these F-16s should have APG-83, so there is nothing that prevents a Block 40/42 with APG-83 from also having the IFF installed.
 
I hope I can ask this question without going completely Crazy Ivan on the thread but... how many fighter jets have the bird slicer IFF arrays in front of the windscreens like the F-16s do? I've seen them, I believe, on the IDF Chung Kuo light fighter out of Taiwan, but I don't think I've seen them anywhere else.
 
Titus said:
I hope I can ask this question without going completely Crazy Ivan on the thread but... how many fighter jets have the bird slicer IFF arrays in front of the windscreens like the F-16s do? I've seen them, I believe, on the IDF Chung Kuo light fighter out of Taiwan, but I don't think I've seen them anywhere else.
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F-2 has then as does the Legacy Hornet.
 
F-2 said:
F-2 has then as does the Legacy Hornet.
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By golly, you are correct. (I am ashamed to say I looked them up to make sure, for which I apologize most humbly.)
Now, my new conundrum is...why do IFF antenna arrays on other modern fighters look different? I will try researching it on my own.
Thanks.
 
Poland signs $3.8 billion deal to upgrade F-16 fighter jets:

Polish Defence Minister Wladysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told a news conference that the modernisation work would take place at the Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze Nr 2 military aviation plant in the northern city of Bydgoszcz.
"The current capabilities of the F-16 in the CD version are good, but after 20 years, they are insufficient against threats," he told a news conference."
"We must improve reconnaissance capabilities, communication, integration with F-35s, Abrams tanks, and Apaches, as well as the ability to operate in every domain."
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EmoBirb said:
Who would be the potential users of AShMs carried by F-16s?

I suppose Korea and countries in SEA?
Click to expand...
Bit late, but 'SEA' didn't cover the full potential set of users, which is anyone who has a maritime border. So: Ukraine, Poland, the Gulf States, Israel and Turkey, though Israel and the Turks will probably use something local.
 
TomcatViP said:
Quite noteworthy that another Air Force turns away from the Mirage lin. The lack of an open manufacturing line and real upgrades in the last decade certainly weighted heavily.
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I wouldn’t necessarily read this as an indication that Peru is going for the F-16, it had been pretty widely reported in the press that they were pursuing the Gripen.

You’ll get a DSCA arms sale notification like this whenever a proposed export that is Congressionally-notifiable based on dollar amount gets requested and goes through the FMS and Export Licensing process, and that approval will get posted regardless of whether the deal is actually going to happen.

A lot of times these notifications get reported as though XYZ country is definitely going to by the approved items, but many times the sales don’t eventuate (Indonesia V-22s, Colombia F-16s, etc.)
 
Based on what has been written in the news..
Peru has selected and expressed intent on purchasing the Gripen, but it does not seem like any contract was signed yet.
sounds like the US side is trying to make one last effort to get the F-16 through
 
@HaveVoid : Yes, that's absolutely true. But my remark stands for both reported winners (F-16 and Gripen).

Notice that with Peru political situation being a bit in shamble for now, we might hear claims from both sides for some times.
 
The Peruvian Air Force prefers the F16 over the Gripen, and this is understandable since the American fighter has combat experience, has global users, doesn't depend on third parties who can veto the engine, avionics, or armament, has a mega factory, and fulfills its customers orders.

The problem with Saab Gripen is that it has a small factory in Sweden, few customers, no combat experience, and relies on other countries, such as the engine, which is American, and parts from the UK and Brazil.

Production of the Gripen E for export to Latin America has been commissioned to Brazil through Embraer, but this Brazilian company doesn't deliver, not even to the FAB, much less will it deliver to Peru on the dates stated in a hypothetical contract.
 
NMaude said:
Well if Turkey wants to get its' F-35As then it needs to get rid of its' SA-21 Growler missile batteries first.
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This again?

Frankly, aren't you tired of bringing up the S-400 political excuse all the time?

They're quite literally collecting dust in storage and have never been deployed since the initial performance test. They've never been integrated with NATO or any national network either. Even U.S. insiders have admitted since then that it was never really about the S-400.

Every time you or others bring this up, I have to clear up the misinformation. I literally have 36 different posts in the F-35 thread, where I try to present both sides' views and debunk misinformation:

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...ii-joint-strike-fighter-jsf.17732/post-756676

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/search/1529853/?t=post&c[thread]=17732&c[users]=snne&o=relevance

It's clear that no matter what Turkey does, even if it bends over backwards, the U.S. will never deliver the impounded aircraft or provide production slots, regardless of the reason; whether it’s due to foreign lobbying (particularly Israeli) or strained relations with Turkey.

These people will keep demanding more and more as you try to please them for something that isn’t entirely your fault. There's no middle ground to be found with them.

U.S. lawmakers have introduced amendments to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would block F-35 fighter jet deliveries and other arms sales to Türkiye unless Ankara meets specific political and security conditions, including certifications regarding Hamas, Israel, and defense cooperation with U.S. adversaries.

A bipartisan amendment introduced by Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider would prohibit F-35 sales to Türkiye unless the White House certifies that Ankara is not "materially supporting Hamas or any of its affiliates."

The proposed legislation would also require certification that Türkiye is not "engaging in military threats to Israel" and is not conducting military cooperation, including drone sales, with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.

Another amendment calls for the State, Defense, and Treasury departments to conduct detailed investigations and submit a joint report to Congress examining whether Türkiye is harboring Hamas members or financial assets, or otherwise permitting the group's officials to operate from its territory.

The report, requested within 180 days, would assess security risks to the U.S. and allies, activities of groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards, terrorism history, threats to U.S. personnel and bases, and Türkiye's responses to these threats.

Additional amendments submitted to the House Armed Services Committee by Representatives Dan Goldman of New York and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey target Türkiye's military presence in Turkish Cyprus and its regional activities, according to Greek Reporter.

These proposals would require Türkiye to stop alleged violations of Greece and Greek Cyprus, avoid defense cooperation with U.S. rivals like Russia, and ensure U.S.-made weapons are not used in Turkish Cyprus. The restrictions would remain in effect for five years unless these conditions are met.

The amendments also require Türkiye to disclose to the U.S. all American-origin systems used in Turkish Cyprus.
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Nobody trusts the U.S. anymore; you make promises all the time, yet never follow through. The whole Good Cop - Bad Cop routine between the President and Congress has really grown tiresome for many countries already.
 
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Roughly 80% of all Ukrainian Air Force sorties are now flown by F-16:

www.airandspaceforces.com

Ukraine’s F-16 Force: Innovation, Impact, and Resolve

One of Ukraine’s top F-16 pilots, known by his call sign “AB,” spoke to the Mitchell Institute about the impact of fighter against Russia.
www.airandspaceforces.com www.airandspaceforces.com

(I wish we had some similar public feedbacks related to the French M2K)
 
Titus said:
I hope I can ask this question without going completely Crazy Ivan on the thread but... how many fighter jets have the bird slicer IFF arrays in front of the windscreens like the F-16s do? I've seen them, I believe, on the IDF Chung Kuo light fighter out of Taiwan, but I don't think I've seen them anywhere else.
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Mig-29. The "defected" ones.
www.flightglobal.com

First NATO modified Polish MiG-29 makes its debut

Poland has deployed the first of its Mikoyan MiG-29A fighters fitted with Western identification friend or foe (IFF) and communications equipment, ready for air-defence duties with NATO following Poland's recent accession to the alliance. The new IFF blade antennas on the top of the nose to port...
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com

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WatcherZero said:
www.flightglobal.com

Turkey drops plan to purchase F-16 Block 70 upgrade kits, opting for domestic improvement work

While Turkey will still move forward with the purchase of 40 new F-16V fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, Ankara has decided to scrap a planned acquisition of 79 Block 70 upgrade kits for its existing F-16 fleet, opting instead to contract with domestic Turkish Aerospace for the modernisations.
www.flightglobal.com www.flightglobal.com

Decision could be linked to a Eurofighter purchase.
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The negotiations are ongoing, recent news according to Turkish sources say that Turkey is pushing for sovereignty over the Block 70, allowing for integration of Turkish mission computers and munitions. This isn't farfetched request by the Turkish side, Turkey previously leveraged it's Veto power for the admittance of Finland and Sweden to NATO in exchange for sovereignty over block 40/50 (block 30 not binding, due to them being out of contract) - hence why Turkey dropped 78 viper modernisation kits for indigenous modernisation kits.

It's fairly complex, the negotiations likely include F-35 and F110 engines as well, US leveraging Turkey to drop Russian Oil and Gas, which geographically isn't an easy task and likely to increase energy prices in Turkey.
 

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