How Feasible is to Revamp a F-16 from the 1980s to the Latest Block 70/72 Viper
Norway’s Minister of Overseas Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, explained Ukraine will get F-16 multirole fighters “updated and in good form” and “with the latest weapons.” The statement raises questions as the Norwegian armed service itself operates pretty previous F-16s.
Back in the early 1980s, the state grew to become one particular of the 1st European nations to operate this fighter, along with Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Norway purchased 60 plane, they ended up created in versions Block 5, Block 10, and Block 15. By the late 1990s, all the F-16s in company bought the Mid-Lifetime Update (MLU) which incorporated integration of the IRIS-T air-to-air missile for the Norwegian fleet.
Thus, the Norwegian minister’s words really should maybe be recognized as that the F-16s for Ukraine have gone through the claimed mid-life upkeep and are in great condition generally. After all, Norway did very easily locate clients for its made use of aircraft earlier. For case in point, Romania bought 32 employed F-16s for EUR 388 million in November 2022, though negotiations on this offer experienced been heading for a even though considering that Oct 2021.
So, even the present standing of the Norwegian F-16s, with the MLU upgrade, in itself counts as “up to date” and able of employing “most recent weapons.”
Even so, there’s always room for a possibility that some increased enhancements were being done to Ukrainian fighters. Primarily because the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine has now been delayed: at first predicted in wintertime, then in Q1 of 2024, now with the deadline established for summer months 2024, you can find hope that time was not squandered and the jets in the meantime underwent supplemental modernization.
Undoubtedly, Ukraine would much like not just to obtain much more fighters to its fleet but get the greatest of now offered capabilities related with the F-16, before long the to start with Western-kind jet aircraft with the Ukrainian Air Force. A thing nearer to the Block 70/72 variant. Also, it is really possible to up grade the F-16 to this degree even from really previous versions.
This is evidenced by the case in point of Taiwan, which in 2012 signed a $3.7 billion deal with Lockheed Martin to up grade 144 F-16 Block 20 to Block 72 (other resources say, $4.5 billion for 139 aircraft).
The realistic implementation of this method began back again in 2016, and completed just a handful of months ago in February 2024, when Taiwan been given the last upgraded F-16. The performs had been carried out by the Taiwanese business AIDC, which was predicted to achieve a modernization capacity of 24 up-to-date aircraft for each yr.
Major attributes of the Block 70/72 exclusively is the integration of a a lot additional highly effective Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 radar, new digital avionics, digital warfare methods, new weapons, as effectively as a considerable extension of the aircraft’s support existence, and strengthening of its construction.
And, of training course, it is the F-16 in the Block 70/72 version that has a a lot better vary and precision of detecting targets, in unique, versus the track record of the floor. A pretty effective jamming process, which really should shield the plane from enemy missiles. And also built-in very long-vary Purpose-120-C8 missiles with a assortment of 160 km, as properly as JASSM-ER cruise missiles.