Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon News and Developments

Change to Viva la VISTA VENOM Viper
 
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F-15EX timeline: first order July 2020, first flight February 2021, first delivery March 2021, all followed by an IOC in July 2024.

In that case it didn't take very long to get the first lot of eight tails into USAF hands. The key point was just to get that handful of developmental/validation jets into testers hands quickly. Much less time sensitivity after that.

So if the Viper G were to happen, and follow the same timeline, perhaps we'd see a contract award in calendar 2028, first delivery in 2029, IOC around 2032. Maybe with the ANG Viper unit they have in South Carolina already, since that's close to both the factory and all the expertise at Shaw? Would be poetic to sign the contract around the F-16's 50th IOC anniversary in August '28, and since the budget cycle is so horribly out of whack, IMO "next year's" budget and FYDP seem like they won't become a congressionally authorized budget for quite a while.
 
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books said:
F-15EX timeline: first order July 2020, first flight February 2021, first delivery March 2021, all followed by an IOC in July 2024.

In that case it didn't take very long to get the first lot of eight tails into USAF hands. The key point was just to get that handful of developmental/validation jets into testers hands quickly. Much less time sensitivity after that.

So if the Viper G were to happen, and follow the same timeline, perhaps we'd see a contract award in calendar 2028, first delivery in 2029, IOC around 2032. Maybe with the ANG Viper unit they have in South Carolina already, since that's close to both the factory and all the expertise at Shaw? Would be poetic to sign the contract around the F-16's 50th IOC anniversary in August '28, and since the budget cycle is so horribly out of whack, IMO "next year's" budget and FYDP seem like they won't become a congressionally authorized budget for quite a while.
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F-16 production is sold out for I believe the next four years but given delayed deliveries, see post #881 above, who knows when the USAF would actually be able to get their hands on airframes.
 
My guess is that they'd horse trade with the respective customers to get just a few tails (that is, just the test jets) into USAF hands faster. Say, a two-for-one deal on some FMS purchases an int'l customer might currently be negotiating, or free spare parts for a couple years, or a diplomatic concession, ect ect.

Some kind of method where customers aren't spooked by arm twisting behavior or discouraged from making future purchases
 
books said:
My guess is that they'd horse trade with the respective customers to get just a few tails (that is, just the test jets) into USAF hands faster. Say, a two-for-one deal on some FMS purchases an int'l customer might currently be negotiating, or free spare parts for a couple years, or a diplomatic concession, ect ect.

Some kind of method where customers aren't spooked by arm twisting behavior or discouraged from making future purchases
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Many of the current new customers are suffering badly from the delays already. Makes you wonder, whether they would accept another slow down and delay of deliveries. It may even translate into cancelation of contracts for non-fulfillment.
 
helmutkohl said:
how many remaining F-16s are there in the queue? Bulgaria, Slovakia, Peru and Taiwan's orders?
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“Lockheed Martin says the order backlog for its F-16 Block 70/72 has reached 119 aircraft”

https://defence-industry.eu/lockhee...-broad-weapon-integration-to-combat-missions/

Here’s one on Bulgaria’s troubles:

https://thedefensepost.com/2026/08/19/bulgaria-f-16-delays/amp/

edited to add a Taipei Times article on their F-16 order for 66 aircraft that was supposed to start delivering in 2023, but is only about to start now, with TT reporting however that most of the rest should arrive this year or next:

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/06/16/2003859168
 
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Aha!

Jen DiMascio: "An April 2025 report to Congress, Sustainment and Recapitalization of the Air National Guard Fighter Fleet, assessed the potential to develop a U.S. version of the F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft to replace aging F-16s and found that development would require four to five years and $925 million"

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R49338
 
Scott Kenny said:
And this new F-16 isn't an enlarged version like the Agile Falcon/Mitsu F-2?
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the "G" being proposed by LM to the USAF?
Most reports indicate that its going to be a variant based off the Block 70, so it won't be an enlarged version. Changes largely going to be internal, perhaps slightly different avionics, etc.
 

Air Force Injects $87M into IVEWS F-16 Electronic Warfare Upgrades​

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/air-force-ivews-f-16-electronic-warfare-upgrades/
The Air Force has invested $87.4 million to upgrade the F-16 Fighting Falcon‘s electronic warfare capabilities, bolstering the fighter’s self-protection against increasingly advanced threats.
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Bringing the total program value to $1.92 billion, the move is expected to jump-start fielding by funding low-rate initial production of the AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite, or IVEWS, which is integrated into the fighter’s airframe.
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Damn, that was a close call (less than 20sec before impact):

the initiation of the ejection sequence [...] 467 feet Above Ground Level (AGL), 151 KCAS, magnetic heading of 169 degrees, 10 degrees nose-up pitch, and 1 degree of left bank. (Tabs J-41, J-56, and Z-10). The MA was descending at a rate of approximately 1,200 feet per minute. (Tab J-56).
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Screenshot 2026-09-26 184750.png
 
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https://www.dw.com/en/taiwan-first-new-f-16v-fighters-arrive-amid-china-threat/a-79510328

"Two new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets landed in Taiwan on Friday, the first of a batch of 66 US-made planes ordered back in 2019 as the island nation looks to bolster its defenses in the face of threats posed by neighboring China.

The aircraft, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at Chihhang Air Base near Taitung on Taiwan's mountainous east coast at midday local time"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADIHioWagLE
 
Wotan said:
https://www.dw.com/en/taiwan-first-new-f-16v-fighters-arrive-amid-china-threat/a-79510328

"Two new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets landed in Taiwan on Friday, the first of a batch of 66 US-made planes ordered back in 2019 as the island nation looks to bolster its defenses in the face of threats posed by neighboring China.

The aircraft, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at Chihhang Air Base near Taitung on Taiwan's mountainous east coast at midday local time"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADIHioWagLE
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Brought to you by r/chonkers
 
Seems like operating the F-16 outside of the larger NATO framwork during wartime proves to be quite a headache

https://archive.is/OKgRR

The U.S. awarded Sabena Aerospace Engineering, a Belgian company, a contract of up to some $235.5 million for maintenance of Ukraine’s F-16s, though subcontractors perform some of the work. Phase inspection generally takes two to six weeks in the U.S., but it’s “taking as long as 40 weeks in Belgium,” says retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery.
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Another Western source tells us that more than half of Ukraine’s F-16s are currently in maintenance limbo, and at the current pace of use and maintenance Kyiv will exhaust the rest by the end of the year. A Ukrainian air force spokesman declined to comment.
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The maintenance woes would explain the only sporadic use of the aircraft in regular operations and the high accident and loss rate. Low readiness and lacking support are not a recipe for running smooth wartime operations, especially with pilots who were rushed through training and high end adversary aircraft looking out for every opportunity to engage. Also explains why the MiG-29 and Su-24 are still the primary workhorse for offensive operations and operations approaching the line of contact. As Ukrainian pilots should be more familiar with those, same with their maintenance personelle.

All of this definitely paints an interesting albeit not a positive picture for Ukraine. It also highlights imo that the F-16 as the "cheap and readily available NATO workhorse" is heavily dependent on the immense and widespread NATO infrastructure that has been established for partner and closely adjacent countries over decades. Certainly something proponents of the JAS 39 Gripen C/D have eagerly pointed out even well before 2014 and the start of hostilities. Without easy access to that larger framwork in the own country or immediate surroundings, it seems like logistics are actually a hurdle for F-16 operations, despite being considered the "cheap and reliable" jet by NATO Air Forces who have access to all of those things.
 
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The ukrainian pilots are trained on romanian F-16, thus taking a part of the burden off the ukrainian fleet.

https://www.bursa.ro/the-f-16-train...ecomes-a-strategic-objective-of-nato-09601950

"In essence, Romania now hosts one of the most concentrated accumulations of Western expertise in the operation and maintenance of the F-16 in Eastern Europe. And this is no coincidence. The F-16 is becoming the backbone of combat aviation for NATO states in the region and for Ukraine. That is why the Borcea center was built for regional interoperability. Bill Thomas explained directly that the project was possible thanks to the strategic partnership between Romania and the Netherlands: "We started with 18 Dutch aircraft deployed in Romania; they entrusted them to us for maintenance and training. On December 31, those aircraft were purchased by Romania from the Netherlands. It is the same type of aircraft that Romania had and that Ukraine also has."

And Aerostar can help with the maintenance of the ukrainian F-16 fleet. They should not be all maintained in one facility.
https://news.lockheedmartin.com/202...tei-de-avioane-F-16-a-Fortelor-Aeriene-Romane
 
New F-16 for Ukraina
https://www.f-16.net/f-35-news-article4964.html

"The arrival of new F-35As in the Belgian Air Force will determine the pace at which Belgium transfers F-16s to Ukraine. As F-35s are delivered, Belgium will gradually decommission its F-16 fighter jets and transfer them to Ukraine.

By the end of 2026, Belgium plans to transfer seven F-16s to Ukraine: three for combat use and four as a source of spare parts. In total, Belgium plans to transfer all 53 of its F-16s to Ukraine by the end of 2029.

Under the timeline given by Belgium earlier this year, the delivery of the first seven F-16s should take place this year. These are likely to include three combat-capable aircraft and four non-operational Falcons for spare parts. Another five are expected to head to Ukraine in 2027. This will rise to 14 in 2028 and the remaining 27 in 2029."
 

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