Increased demand for F-16s forced Lockheed Martin to open a new production line

The production line at Lockheed Martin's Greenville, South Carolina plant is currently the only one in the world producing F-16 fighter jets. Prior to this, the fighters were produced at facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, but the line was closed three years ago and production of fighters ceased.

The US Air Force has long reoriented to fifth generation fighters, but numerous foreign partners of the United States are interested in purchasing the "good old" F-16s, which are much cheaper.

The US Department of Defense has received about $ 14 billion from five foreign military partners in aggregate to build 128 F-16 fighter jets by 2026.

The first F-16 fighters are due to leave the new production line in 2022. They will be delivered to several foreign defense partners of the United States, including Bahrain, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Taiwan. Some foreign countries want to purchase large quantities of fighters. It is also expected that in the foreseeable future, there will be new requests from foreign countries in need of updating their fighter aviation or purchasing additional fighters. The United States is also counting on the Indian order. So, the Indian side is offered special versions of the F-16 - F-21 fighters.

Brian Pearson, the head of the Air Force Fighter and Advanced Aircraft Authority Integrated Products Sales Group, noted that Lockheed Martin's new product line is very important. Currently, according to Pearson, F-16 aircraft are operated by 25 countries around the world and are in great demand. In addition, some countries are showing interest in these fighters for the first time, and this interest also needs satisfaction from the manufacturer.

Which countries are currently operating the F-16

Recall that the F-16 aircraft have been in operation since 1978. For its rather long history they have taken part in numerous armed conflicts in which the United States and its allies have participated. The largest conflicts in which F-16 aircraft were used were Israeli aviation operations in the Middle East, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia. The planes were also actively used by Turkey against Kurdish guerrillas, Venezuela against drug cartels, Pakistan against terrorist groups and in the conflict with India.

Despite the fact that the fighter is over forty years old, it is very popular in various modifications. In the United States, the F-16 fighter is in service with the Air Force - 442 F-16C and 114 F-16D, as of 2019, the Navy - 10 F-16A and 4 F-16B, as of 2019, the US Air Force - 291 F-16C and 45 F-16D, as of 2019.

If we talk about foreign countries, the fighter is operated in Bahrain, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Indonesia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey , Chile, Iraq, Romania. As you can see, the list of countries operating the F-16 is large, and Bulgaria and Slovakia showed interest in the new production line, which did not previously possess these fighters.

Comments

[Bradley]

Justifies the title of the most popular fourth generation fighter.

[Nikon O'Conor]

about $ 14 billion in total for the construction of 128 F-16 fighters

Those. one plane leaves about 109 million evergreens, while as an export version of the SU-35 - 104 million.
The classes of fighters and their combat effectiveness are different, ours surpasses the old man in the state at times. Someone in third countries bought a washing machine for babosiks ...

[Dmitry Izmalkov]

Do you know the exact terms of the contract? It happens that the content includes secondary factors that also cost a lot.

[Nikon O'Conor]

Of course, I gave very rough figures, but agree F-16 and SU-35, at approximately the same cost, in reality - the earth and the sky, and, I think, ours also offer very good contract terms.
It's just NATO policy and standards.
My comment was purely speculative and comparative, nothing more.
Sincerely

[OgnennyiKotik]

Just to understand what is included in the contract price:

The US Department of State has approved the likely delivery of 58 F / A-18 E / F Super Hornets and 14 EA-18G Growlers worth $ 14,7 billion to Finland. Like 206 million per unit.

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One hundred and sixty six (166) F414-GE-400 engines (144 installed and 22 spare); five hundred (500) small diameter bombs GBU-53 / B II (SDB II) All-Up Round (AUR); twelve (12) GBU-53 / B SDB II (GTV) guided testing machines; twelve (12) GBU-53 / B SDB II grip reliability trainers; one hundred fifty (150) tactical missiles AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder; thirty-two (32) AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder captive Air training (Catms) training missiles; thirty (30) AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder tactical guidance units; eight (8) guidance blocks AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder CATM; one hundred sixty (160) AGM-154C-1 Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW); two hundred (200) AGM-158B-2B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range All Up Rounds (JASSM ER AUR); Two (2) AGM-158B-2 JASSM Separation Test Vehicles (STV) Two (2) AGM-158B-2 JASSM Instrumentated Test Vehicles (ITV) two (2) AGM-158B-2 JASSM Jettison Test vehicles (JTV); two (2) AGM-158B-2 inert joint air-to-surface missiles with telemetry kits; two (2) AGM-158B-2 JASSM (DATM) maintenance training missiles; one hundred twenty (120) Blu-117B / B 2000lb GP bombs; one hundred twenty (120) sets of tail bombs KMU-556F / B (JDAM); three hundred (300) FMU-139D / B fuses; two (2) KMU-556 (D-2) / B (JDAM) simulators; thirty (30) BLU-109C / B 2000LB bombs; thirty (30) sets of KMU-557F / B (JDAM) tail bombs; two (2) BLU-109 (D-1) / B 2000LB bombs; one hundred and two (102) BLU-111B / BB 500lb bombs general purpose bombs; one hundred and two (102) tail sets of KMU-572f / b JDAM bombs; six (6) MK-82-0,1 500lb, general purpose bombs, inert; fifty one (51) Blu-110B / b 1000lb general purpose bombs; fifty (50) tail bomb kits KMU-559f / b; fifty-eight (58) 20mm M61A2 cannon complexes; thirty-two (32) advanced sighting far infrared (ATFLIR); thirty two (32) sniper sighting modules; fourteen (14) advanced electronic attack kits for the EA-18G; sixty-five (65) AN / ALR-67 (V) 3 reception complexes for electric warfare countermeasures; sixty-five (65) AN / ALQ-214 Integrated Countermeasure Systems; seventy-four (74) multifunctional information distribution systems-joint tactical radio systems (MIDS JTRS); eighty-nine (89) Joint Helmet Guidance Systems (JHMCS); three hundred seventy-seven (377) launchers of Lau-127e / A guided missiles; seventy-four (74) AN / AYK-29 distributed guidance processors (DTP - N); twenty-five (25) Infrared Search and Tracking Systems (IRST); and eight (8) Next Generation Medium Jamming (NGJ-MB) kits.

[Nikon O'Conor]

Impressively, the old people are given with a dowry.
Is accepted.

[sabakina]

Alexei, what are you worried about? Look wider, our enemies are buying. Well, let them ...

[TermNachTer]

Even if there are a lot of secondary factors, the whole figure turns out to be very suspicious. Taking into account the fact that the car is already on the assembly line. Many of our customers already operate such machines, i.e. there is no question of retraining the l / s of the composition. I doubt that all cars will be in maximum configuration and with the latest b / k. And therefore, the figure is, to put it mildly, very strange.

[Herman 4223]

Well, China bought at least a set of spare engines for each aircraft. Probably something else was picked up.

[eklmn]

Those. one plane leaves about 109 million evergreens, while as an export version of the SU-35 - 104 million.

Su-35 is 1,5 / 2 times more expensive than F-16! The resource of the Su-35 engines is 4 thousand. hours, the resource of the F-16 engine is 8 thousand. hours ...
Replacement of engines is carried out for a separate fee, the warranty is not included ...

[Observer.]

The market puts everything in its place. AnalogGovnets are inferior in all respects to the super modern F 16 Block. And you lie like Skabeeva............ Units produced 4 (as of June 604)[2018][4][5][6][7][8]
Unit cost $4,5 million (1975)[10]
$ 34 million (F-16D Block 52) [11].

[knn54]

By and large, combat qualities have improved, but not flight performance.
Statistics: 671 crashes of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, while the US Air Force lost 286 aircraft. The combat losses of the F-16 for the entire time of participation in local wars amounted to about 160 fighters.
-Dmitry: How does the F-21 differ from the F-16 block 70/72?
Such renaming FOR India will "remove" unpleasant associations with Pakistani F-16s and, given the above, "zero" all the losses of the "attacking falcon".

[Sergey Sfiedu]

Quote: knn54

The combat losses of the F-16 for the entire time of participation in local wars amounted to about 160 fighters.

Isn't it cool? where are the firewood from?

[knn54]

Sergei, he took the data from a former auto mechanic, he consulted on the Chuguev tragedy.
I think that there is infa in the Internet.
With such a combat biography for more than 40 years and given the reluctance of some countries to give real information (in his own words, Pakistan and Israel, in particular), this is less than 4 pieces. in year.

[Sergey Sfiedu]

Nikolay, given that wars do not happen so often, the impression that an extra zero has been added. As for Israel and Pakistan - most likely, they give truthful information, but even if they lied somewhere - 160 does not dance in any way.

[torkonut]

see the wiki, there is exactly the same data

[HONESTLY SERVER]

Hello. I wish to replenish your information from the mechanic, I am also a mechanic))) 160 these are combat losses. but not NATO AND the US. These are the so-called * minor conflicts * in which, as a rule, old aircraft and not the best training of pilots are involved. so the US has ZERO losses from enemies for the entire time - 40 years! But about 300 aircraft were killed for technical reasons! Just like that - they fly and fall! 15% of the total issued quantity! and if you take only American planes, today there are only a little less than a thousand of them, then the figure is terrifying! almost 30% of today's amount of American! planes fell to the ground and crashed with a huge number of casualties from simple FAILURES! And the fact that this has happened over the course of 40 years does not in the least diminish the ** merits ** of this aircraft! in the table ALL the exploits of the Americans and NATO on F16 (if the table can be placed.)

[lucul]

Justifies the title of the most popular fourth generation fighter.

I wonder how far off it glows on the radar with these outboard tanks? )))

[Holgerton]

No worse than the Su-35 with its huge air intakes and suspensions, which nevertheless does not interfere with either one or the other.
But with all this, the F-16 has much more advanced electronics, electronic warfare and airborne radar.

[lucul]

No worse than the Su-35 with its huge air intakes

So the F-16 has one air intake more in area than the 2 for Drying)))

But with all this, the F-16 has much more advanced electronics, electronic warfare and airborne radar.

And how will she help him if he glows at the maximum detection range of the radar)))
Regarding the radar, I would not speak so categorically)))), as well as about the electronic warfare))))

[TermNachTer]

I strongly doubt that everyone will be supplied with the maximum configuration. I think there will be an option slightly higher than the budget. So talking about an advantage over the Su - 35 is ridiculous to say the least. If we compare performance characteristics and price tags)))

[HONESTLY SERVER]

It's not very smart to compare heavy and light fighters, EXCEPT ONE PARAMETER - C E N A !!! And when the price of the newest HEAVY fighter is lower than the oldest, LIGHT, then * discussions * are simply meaningless and stupid ... The new will never be worse than the old, the light will never be better than the heavy! And if, with all this, the old light aircraft is more expensive than the new heavy one, then this is some kind of scam! And we all know that USA is a hard-core swindler! Well, let them fool their satellites-sixes, what is there to discuss that ?!

[TermNachTer]

Well, no one doubted that this was another grandiose scam of the Washington Reich Chancellery. It’s strange that suckers fell for this bastard so easily. 14 lard, for "sturgeon of the third freshness" - it's cool))))

[Herman 4223]

Justifies the title of world hegemon. The US has good leverage to take its products and not take others.

[HONESTLY SERVER]

Perhaps the most * killer * for OWN? Since the start of operation, 671 crashes of F-16s have been recorded, in which 208 pilots and 98 people were killed in the crash zones of this aircraft. Strange as it may sound, the American Air Force, which lost 286 aircraft, was the most distinguished. At the same time, they claim that they did not lose ANY ONE F16 in the battles !!! The combat losses of the F-16 for the entire time of participation in local wars amounted to about 160 fighters. AT 4600 released, 671 dead? it's about 15% ??? moreover, combat losses are insignificant and about 80% crashed from banal breakdowns? and who is there singing about the quality of the aircraft and the engine resource? in general, it's creepy to imagine that every 8th plane crashes! new customers need to order batches of 7 aircraft !!! )))

[pytar]

The F-16 is a great car. It successfully combines the whole range of characteristics.

[Ryaruav]

the car is not bad, but far from great

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

Every 7 F-16 produced crashed for a technical reason.

Still, one engine makes the aircraft less reliable than a similar twin-engine.

In Poland, the old Soviet MiG-29s are still flying, despite the uncertified service, and the F-16s are laid up.

[voyaka uh]

"Every 7 produced F-16 crashed for a technical reason." ///
---
How many years of operation have you checked? For 47 years.
In the F-16, one engine changes during its service.
Sushki had 3 sets for the same time. 6 engines.

[TermNachTer]

It depends on how you fly. A dumb pilot can screw up a new engine. If you fly a lot, then the engines change more often. For 40 years, one engine change - do not be funny)))) if the plane is in the hangar. So, do not "juggle the cards". Well, about the savings, tell the pilot, who had a hole in the engine over Afghanistan, Vietnam, Yugoslavia. Especially carefully, he will listen to you if he remains alive))) in addition, twin-engine cars have better acceleration characteristics (the F - 16, they are sad from the very "childhood"), maximum speed. F - 16, at a normal price, would be not bad for the countries of the "third world".

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

How many years of operation have you checked? For 47 years.

I simply divided the number of produced F-16s - 4600 by the number of lost for technical reasons - 650 pieces.

I did not take into account the lost planes in local wars - 160 pieces.

Moreover, this is the data for 2016, since then the F-16 also fell quite often.

You can just as well compare the Gazelle with Kamaz as the F-16 with the Su-27/30/34/35.

The resource of the new drying engines is 4000 hours, if 200 hours of flight per year per pilot is enough for 20 years.

And about the reliability of the F-16, the experience of Poland is very indicative, as an exercise or a parade, the MiG-29 is still of Soviet construction, and they themselves do not know how many F-16s are serviceable out of 48 pieces. It looks like not much.

This is the US Jews for the genocide of Palestinians and the murder of Syrians are paid 3,8 billion dollars ANNUALLY, and Poland has not yet earned this, and at its own expense it turns out to be expensive to repair, the MiG-29, even without certified repairs, turned out to be more reliable, although the RD-33 resource the first issues were small.

It looks easier to power the RD-33 than to maintain the engine on the F-16 on time.

[pytar]

Every 7 F-16 produced crashed for a technical reason.

4588 produced (23 Apr 2019) and production is ongoing. More than 3 thousand are in operation. The total bloom is colossal. The F-16 is a participant in many conflicts. It appeared quite successfully. In terms of the optimal combination of characteristics, the F-16 is truly an excellent technical comprehension in its class and time!

Still, one engine makes the aircraft less reliable than a similar twin-engine.

On theory, yes. In practice, it depends on the reliability of a particular type of engine. An aircraft with 1 reliable engine is generally more reliable than an aircraft with 2 less reliable engines. And the resource of American engines is longer than that of a moment.

In Poland, the old Soviet MiG-29s are still flying, despite the uncertified service, and the F-16s are laid up.

But this hardening is controversial. Polish media Onet came out with a publication of this nature. In response, the Polish Ministry of Defense accused Onet of fabricating fake navis. Whatever it was, Poland received old F-16 bl 52 kids almost as a gift. They operate with a minimum of costs, they cannibalize parts, some did it themselves, because of that, disasters have occurred. For the Air Force, this is a temporary mayor until new ones are acquired. And by the way, they were originally going to buy the F-16 bl 70/72, but changed their minds when the opportunity arose to get the F-35.
They are still busy with the MiG-29, because they have long mastered at their factories in the repair of all basic elements, including engines. It turns out cheaply, they do not spend currency, but ... everything comes to an end.

[HONESTLY SERVER]

* buried mother-in-law broke three boyans! * buddy, you talk so cheerfully about sad things that I remembered this joke (Russian). This is what I wanted to ask you - do you troll professionally? do you make money? or you TAAAK SHAME for Bulgaria that you decided to belittle us and embellish your masters? I won't argue with you, but you also bring less * stupid * arguments, okay? while they are purely * troll *, Good luck, brother!

[pytar]

We are discussing the technique here. Do not be offended, but your post is interesting to me alone from the point of view of psychology. They do not carry any other information.

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

The fact that an aircraft with two engines is more reliable than a single engine has been proven by the war and the operation of these types of aircraft. And this is a fact. You can check it yourself, at least for the F-16 and F-15, at least for MiGs if you find the data.

And while milking Poland, NATO countries would be more logical and correct to repair the F-16 and fly pilots on them again, but somehow the Polish MiG-29s fly, and the F-16s are on the ground. Poles themselves write about this.
And the repair of the MiG-29 by the forces of Poland turns out to be uncertified. At the last time, due to a defect in the catapult that they themselves repaired, the Polish pilot could not save. Yes, and there will be more failures of a technical nature on old MiGs repaired by whoever and what spare parts will be more.

So, why don't the Poles fix the F-16?

Either very expensive or very difficult.

And the Poles do not consider the currency to lick the ass of the United States and the air defense systems are buying and new F-35s and are ready to pay for the NATO base on their territory.

And 50% of the maintenance of the NATO base (that is, the United States) on its territory costs billions of dollars, Japan and South Korea pay 5 billion dollars somewhere. In Poland, the base will be smaller, but 2-3 billion will have to be given.

And how much does Bulgaria pay for its "security"?

[pytar]

The fact that an aircraft with two engines is more reliable than a single engine has been proven by the war and the operation of these types of aircraft.

Not everything is as simple as it seems. On the one hand, 2 engines on theory give a greater chance of survival, on the other hand, the greater the number of elements, so the likelihood of breakdowns is higher. The controversial is not consoled, and the design continues to develop, both single-engine and twin-engine fighters. It's all about balance!

... it would be more logical and more correct to repair the F-16 ... but somehow the Polish MiG-29s fly, and the F-16s are on the ground. .. Yes, and the repair of the MiG-29 by the forces of Poland turns out to be uncertified. ..So, why don't the Poles fix the F-16? Either very expensive or very difficult.

Those old, worn-out F-16 / bl52 and Mig-i, live their last days. The Poles repair them at the minimum salary, so that they can somehow fly before receiving new F-35s. Repaired in a matter of seconds, what is not certified on the Falcon. It makes no sense to spend on a certificate, tomorrow they will be sent to a landfill one way or another. Repairing an old Migah is cheaper than repairing an old F-16. For the MiG-29, the Poles have some spare parts, test bench and experience, but not for the F-16. On the Falcon they take what is needed from one, bet on the other. There is such a term - "cannibalism".

And the Poles do not consider the currency to lick the ass of the United States and the air defense systems are buying and new F-35s and are ready to pay for the NATO base on their territory.

If the Poles did not get the opportunity to buy the F-35, they intended to order new F-16 bl70 / 72. There is no point in spending money on support for old junk MiG-29, F-16/52, it’s better to spend on a quality fleet update! Do not worry about the Poles, they spend their money as they want, it is not our concern of the Vedas!

And how much does Bulgaria pay for its "security"?

2-3% of GDP. It is quite high for the state budget. I personally want more funds to be removed for the Armed Forces, but the situation will become clearer after the elections. I will vote for those who prioritize defense.

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

There is no dispute, there is practice - compare the accident rate of F-16 and F-15. By the way, there are almost the same engines.

The F-16 was much more often lost for technical reasons than the F-15.

Poland has the opportunity to get original spare parts for the F-16 and there is no way to do the same for the MiG-29, or rather, there is an opportunity, but they will never use it, it does not allow Russophobia)).

I'm not worried about Poland, but I'm showing you the difference on the example of this country having the ability to operate the F-16 and MiG-29, where, despite the critical level of Russophobia, the MiG-29 was preferred.

And when Poland receives the F-35, I am sure that the result will be the same as with the F-16)).

[pytar]

There is no dispute, there is practice - compare the accident rate of F-16 and F-15. By the way, there are almost the same engines.

You are comparing planes of different classes! If we take the class / conditionally / light, most of them are single-engine! In addition to the F-16, another Mirage 2000, Grippen, Mitsubishi F-2, Chengdu J-10. In the light class MiG-29, there are almost identical twin-engine ones. I read that the designers said that if they had a suitable engine with the required trouble-free characteristics, they would have made the MiG-29 single-engine. As for Eurofighter and Rafal, they go to the middle class, expensive with a limited market. F-18 "marine", there are specific requirements. The F-15 is a heavy class, like the Su-27 and ego derivatives.
The F-16 is likely to have a higher emergency rate than the F-15, but the Falcon is the most flying aircraft in the world. So, there is nothing surprising. Falconies have a huge number of countries, which cannot be compared with the number of Orel operators.

Poland has the opportunity to get original spare parts for the F-16 ...

What for? Why pay for parts when you can take them off other junk?

... and there is no way to do the same for the MiG-29, or rather there is an opportunity, but they will never use it, it does not allow Russophobia)).

Even if there was a possibility, why would they waste money on this junk when they can somehow fix it until they get the F-35?

And when Poland receives the F-35, I am sure that the result will be the same as with the F-16)).

Don't you take too much on yourself, being considered smarter than specialists in dozens of countries around the world? On the F-35, they are in line! There is an order for many years ahead!

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

Don't talk nonsense.

F-16 and F-15, at least in the USA, fly about the same number of hours, since both there and there are the same requirements for flying hours for pilots.

At the same time, the F-16 and F-15 have almost the same engines, that is, their reliability is identical, and here the difference is only in the number of engines, which affects the accident rate of these aircraft, therefore, the comparison here is the most correct.

The conclusion is unambiguous that a single-engine aircraft is more emergency and this is confirmed by the facts - the number of accidents of these aircraft.

According to official figures, 2008 aircraft were lost in accidents in fiscal 117 (an average of one loss per 50 flight hours). The F-000 is one of the most reliable aircraft in the United States Air Force.

A total of 1500 F-15s were made, every 13 aircraft crashed for technical reasons, and 16 out of 4600 F-650s, that is, every 7 aircraft.

The difference in accidents between F-15 and F-16 is exactly 2 times)).

This is what the savings on engine and fuel have resulted in.

And the fact that the MiG wanted to make the MiG-29 with one engine, promto could not - this is nonsense !!!

The MiG-21 was produced in the amount of 11000 MiG-23, about 700 units, and all these are single-engine aircraft, the MiG never had any problems to make a single-engine aircraft.

Don't you take too much on yourself, being considered smarter than specialists in dozens of countries around the world? On the F-35, they are in line! There is an order for many years ahead!

Not at all. I only draw conclusions from the facts. The same Poland has normal relations with the United States and they could easily have repaired and modernized all their F-16s, but they do not, because it is very expensive, and the MiG-29s are still flying, and these are still the very first aircraft, now even the MiG- The 29K / M has gone far ahead, and the MiG-35 will generally have fire.

There are orders for the F-35, so these countries have no choice, especially since they have already invested heavily in this project, many simply want to buy the F-35, frankly speaking, to please the United States (like Poland), and Israel itself buys these aircraft with the money that the United States itself allocates to them (3,8 billion dollars annually for the purchase of weapons).

But Turkey chose to buy the S-400 instead of the F-35 and do not want to make concessions, and this is a NATO country)). As if they know a little more about the S-400 and F-35 than everyone else.

Moreover, in the United States itself, it is increasingly said that the F-35 project has not justified itself.

So, I think the fate of the Polish F-35 is very unenviable.

[torkonut]

but you can read more about bl 70/72, otherwise I don’t find information about this modification. the latter is like bl 60

[pytar]

but you can read more about bl 70/72, otherwise I don’t find information about this modification. the latter is like bl 60

I found a short description in Russian.
The latest Block 70/72 upgrade was based on the F-16V prototype. Basically, the modernization affected the electronic filling of the fighter - it received a new onboard radar with an active phased array - APG-83 (SABR), which can detect and identify targets in the air and on the ground at long distances, as well as an electronic warfare system with jamming systems. helmet-mounted target designation system, data transmission equipment according to the Link 16 standard and much more. Block 70/72 uses a standard F-16 armament complex consisting of Raytheon AIM-120C7 AMRAAM medium-range missiles, AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range missiles, GBU-12 Paveway II guided air bombs, GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II , GDU-39 SDB, GBU-54 Laser JDAM and GBU-38 JDAM. In addition, the delivery package may include AN / AAQ-33 Sniper suspended target designation containers, which provide more accurate guidance of aircraft weapons in the daytime and at night. Suspended container and "influxes" on the fuselage change the RCS of the aircraft, but the electronic warfare equipment and jamming stations located in these "influxes" more than compensate for this disadvantage. The electronic filling of the "Block 70/72 Viper" is estimated by many foreign experts as "almost identical" to the on-board electronics of the F-22 and F-35 aircraft. The presence of a command data link according to the Link 16 standard means that the F-16V aircraft will be able to exchange tactical information in real time, not only with fifth-generation aircraft, but also with AWACS and Patriot air defense systems. from 16 to 8000 flight hours.

As far as I read, they also put a more powerful TRDDF "General Electric F110-GE-132" (14740 kgf on afterburner) with an increased resource.

Here about the Slovak Vipers:
https://topwar.ru/160843-ssha-nachali-proizvodstvo-istrebitelej-lockheed-martin-dlja-vvs-slovakii.html

[lucul]

The F-16 is a great car. good It successfully combines the whole range of characteristics.

Yeah, especially the flight range))))

[bang]

So among the customers of the country with a not very large area, they have nowhere to fly far)
For example, such a giant as Bahrain.

[lucul]

So among the customers of the country with a not very large area, they have nowhere to fly far)

The F-16 did not reach the MiG-21, which was equal in value to the price of one BMP -1.)))
Well, well, for 1974 it was of course an outstanding short-range aircraft.

[pytar]

The F-16 did not reach the MiG-21, which was equal in value to the price of one BMP -1.)))
Well, well, for 1974 it was of course an outstanding short-range aircraft.

The F-16 is a development of the same concept as the MiG-21! Of course at a more modern level!
One of the projects of the evolution of the MiG-21 (V), similar to ... F-16 in the location of the air intake! True scheme of the MiG-a PGO, which was influenced by the Israeli Kfir. This was during the Arab-Israeli wars.

Unfortunately, the MIG did not develop this topic, they went along the modern then variable geometry / Mig-23 /, which brought the ego out of the class of light maneuverable fighters.
But the American made the correct conclusion from Vietnam. Agile, lightweight MiG-21 turned out to be a tough nut to crack for heavy and complex Phantoms! This is how the F-16 appeared, a soldier aircraft that is still in demand around the world!
The title of the article unambiguously says about this: "The rise in demand for the F-16 has prompted Lockheed Martin to open a new production line."

[Zhevlonenko]

The NATO bloc has grown, that's all the growth, the resource of the "old" Soviet ones is running out.

[Ratmir_Ryazan]

Israel also has a small territory, but had to fly far.

The flight range of a fighter does not determine the boundaries of the state, but the ability to attack the enemy deep in its rear.

[Sergey Sfiedu]

Quote: lucul

Yeah, especially the flight range))))

The Jews had enough to bomb the reactor in Baghdad and the PLO headquarters in Tunisia. With mid-air refueling, of course, but impressive nonetheless.

[HONESTLY SERVER]

hallow, mister Jew, do not remind me when it was? my old head says that OOP in Tunisia was banged in 1985 !!! when the F 16 was the newest aircraft! And she says that I don't care that he was the newest! because he has NOTHING to do with that operation! 6 pieces of F-15 participated there !!! moreover, having flown 3 km, they refueled, blasted and flew away! stop trolling with fake information!

[Russ]

Demand creates supply...

[Dmitry Izmalkov]

And how does the F-21 differ from the F-16 block 70/72?

[Barberry25]

nothing .. trying to get into the Indian tender

[decimalegio]

Again, the market for single-engine aircraft still exists.

[Alex_You]

F-35, if anything, is also single-engine.

[Crabong]

Yes, just amers need to support the Air Force park and that's it. Along the way, significant aging is taking place ... Why didn't the F-22 go into production?

[Gennady Fomkin]

Quote: pytar

The F-16 is a great car. It successfully combines the whole range of characteristics.

Denyuh no new to buy? All Lukashenka has repairs begging

[DMi]

Aircraft of the 5th generation will never become widespread) the fairy tale did not happen. More precisely, even another technological tale from the "advanced" USA turned out to be dead-born.

[Zhevlonenko]

Well, still, the former eastern bloc has exhausted the capabilities of Soviet fighters, and the owner does not order to buy new ones.