US Air Force Tests New Biggest Upgraded F-16 Fighter Jet Will Fly Upto 2070
Following years of contemplation, the US Air Force has finally decided to upgrade its 608 F-16 Block 40 and 50 in one of the largest modernization initiatives in history.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center announced on 28 February the F-16 Fighter jets will get up to 22 modifications. The program aims to increase the lethality of aircraft and ensure that the fourth-generation fighter can confront current and future threats.
The 22 modifications include an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, new cockpit displays, a new mission computer, and a new database. The fighters will also receive next-generation electronic warfare capability as well as a Communication Suite Upgrade, a Center Display Unit, a Programmable Data Generator, and several other key hardware components to modernize the aircraft.
The complex project, known as Post Block Integration Team, is being led by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, which formulated the strategy to organize and install the upgrades on the aircraft.
“This is a pretty massive effort, a collision of mods as we call it,” said Oryan Joseph, program manager with the directorate’s F-16 Program Office. “We had to quickly look at all of the mods that are going on the aircraft and not only understand the timing of when the mods are going to deliver, but also when the aircraft will be available from the units. There are a lot of variables, a give and take tug of war that we deal with every day on bringing down aircraft [for modifications] at the right time.”
Future of F-16 fighter jets
Last year, the Airforce Magazine reported that the F-16 could fly until the 2070s or later, based on Lockheed Martin’s backlog of F-16 orders, planned modifications, and the US Air Force’s plans to rely on the fighter into the late 2030s.
Lockheed Martin’s backlog of 128 F-16 fighter jets, all for foreign military sales, won’t be completed until 2026. Those jets might be flying into the late 2070s or later, with a service life of 40 years or more.