F-16V

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12 years

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JAKARTA, Indonesia, Oct. 7, 2015 – Lockheed Martin brought its F-16 cockpit demonstrator to Indonesia this week to highlight the F-16V, the latest version of Lockheed Martin’s venerable F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighter. The F-16V offers the most advanced 4th Generation capability available on the market today, including Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) and enhancements to the aircraft’s mission computer, vehicle systems, aircraft structure, cockpit and electronic warfare system.

The F-16V is the next generation configuration that leverages a common worldwide sustainment infrastructure and provides significant capability improvements to the world’s most affordable and effective multi-role fighter. This upgrade and production configuration will be the predominant configuration for the F-16 worldwide fleet. The new avionics configuration represents the most significant F-16 upgrade to date.

With more than 4,500 F-16s delivered, the F-16V is a natural step in the evolution of the world’s most successful 4th Generation fighter. The Fighting Falcon program has continually evolved as it began with the F-16 A/B as the lightweight fighter then transitioned to F-16 C/D and Block 60 versions as customers’ requirements evolved.
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii120/Duggy009/a%20and%20a%20two/F-16V.jpg

Anyone ??

Original post

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11 years 10 months

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I think it is a great idea for existing Falcon flyers and for those looking for an entry-level type with great capability. I wish the USAF would procure some of these in lieu of F-35As. It would save a pile of $$$ and offer the USAF upgraded capability over what it has now.

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15 years 2 months

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Looks pretty cool...not bulged like the block-60.

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15 years 2 months

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If you are talking abut the CFTs as being bulged, they are still an option.

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18 years 9 months

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I think it is a great idea for existing Falcon flyers and for those looking for an entry-level type with great capability. I wish the USAF would procure some of these in lieu of F-35As. It would save a pile of $$$ and offer the USAF upgraded capability over what it has now.

The USAF was going to retrofit a lot of its current F-16s with SABR, among other upgrades, but the money went away. I'm not sure what the current status of the programme is.

LM offers the F-16V as an upgrade, as well as new build.

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11 years 7 months

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Looks pretty cool...not bulged like the block-60.

That picture depicts a very strange load-out with almost no fuel. You would expect an F-16 operating without drop tanks to at least have the conformal tanks fitted.

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24 years 2 months

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That picture depicts a very strange load-out with almost no fuel. You would expect an F-16 operating without drop tanks to at least have the conformal tanks fitted.

Doubtful if that cgi is supposed to be representative. Looks very much like a Block 52 model akin to the ones f.e. Poland is flying. No AESA radar, no internal jammer, none of the Block 60 humps and bumps.

A new built F-16V might look more loke this:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]241060[/ATTACH]

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12 years 10 months

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I've seen this many times before, but may as well ask now. Why is the AMRAAM on the wingtips and the Sidewinder under-wing? Reducing the load as you move away from the fuselage should lower the bending moment on the wing and improve fatigue life. What gives?

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9 years 8 months

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The bending moment you're talking (downwards?) about I think would be in a static state (parked). When flying though, the lift on the wings causes a bending moment upwards. If you have more mass on the tips that could reduce the bending moment, so...
Up-rigging ailerons has been used in the past on large a/c to reduce fatigue, it was effectively pushing the wing (tips) down. I don't know if they still use it though.
Apart from that, why would they put AMRAAM on the tips with promotional material? Poetic license I suppose, the sales department like to give things a spin..

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8 years 6 months

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The F-16V In our airforce color.

http://arc.web.id/images/viper%202.jpg

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17 years 7 months

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I'm pretty sure F-16 flies better with a load at the wing tip, whereas unloaded wingtips oscillate more rapidly. The movement can have an adverse effect on the already difficult accuracy of unguided munitions.

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12 years 3 months

Posts: 5,905

I've seen this many times before, but may as well ask now. Why is the AMRAAM on the wingtips and the Sidewinder under-wing? Reducing the load as you move away from the fuselage should lower the bending moment on the wing and improve fatigue life. What gives?

Going for the merge after a few shot at BVR, the least that you want is roll inertia. At that point both Amraam would have been depleted, leaving the sidewinders in the outboard pylons.

Firing restriction under high load might also be eased with the missile fired from a position under the wing less subjected to high deflection (flexion, easing your engagement geo.

Hence:
- less roll inertia
- opened firing envelope
- less restriction while maneouvring

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,271

I've seen this many times before, but may as well ask now. Why is the AMRAAM on the wingtips and the Sidewinder under-wing? Reducing the load as you move away from the fuselage should lower the bending moment on the wing and improve fatigue life. What gives?

To reduce flutter.
See here or here.

AIM-9X is only cleared on stations 2/8 btw.

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12 years

Posts: 1,141

FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 21, 2015 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully completed the maiden flight of the F-16V, the latest and most advanced F-16 on the market today. The October 16 flight marks the first time an F-16 has flown with Northrop Grumman’s advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), which will deliver a quantum leap in capability for the venerable F-16.

The F-16V “Viper” advanced avionics configuration also includes a new cockpit Center Pedestal Display, a modernized mission computer, a high-capacity Ethernet data bus, and several other missions systems enhancements that collectively add significant combat capabilities to address the dynamic threat environments emerging in the coming decades.

“This flight marks a historic milestone in the evolution of the F-16,” said Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-16/F-22 Integrated Fighter Group. “The new F-16V configuration includes numerous enhancements designed to keep the F-16 at the forefront of international security, strengthening its position as the world’s foremost combat-proven 4th Generation fighter aircraft.”

The F-16V, an option for both new production F-16s and F-16 upgrades, is the next generation configuration that leverages a common worldwide sustainment infrastructure and provides significant capability improvements to the world’s most affordable, combat-proven multi-role fighter.

Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 SABR AESA fire control radar provides 5th Generation air-to-air and air-to-ground radar capability. Northrop Grumman also provides AESA radars for the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

With more than 4,550 F-16s delivered to date, the F-16V is a natural step in the evolution of the world’s most successful 4th Generation fighter.
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii120/Duggy009/a%20and%20a%20two/F-16V-first%20flight_1.jpg

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10 years 5 months

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Looks pretty cool...not bulged like the block-60.

the CFT on block 60 can be removed if they want to

http://www.f-16.net/forum/download/file.php?id=21892&t=1

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13 years 4 months

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http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii120/Duggy009/a%20and%20a%20two/F-16V-first%20flight.jpg

That f-16v is obviously a retrofitted aircraft, not a brand new one. Looks like a foreign owned aircraft, with no usaf roundels and signs of painted over roundels on wings and rear fuselage. A Taiwanese air force aircraft perhaps?

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8 years 6 months

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That f-16v is obviously a retrofitted aircraft, not a brand new one. Looks like a foreign owned aircraft, with no usaf roundels and signs of painted over roundels on wings and rear fuselage. A Taiwanese air force aircraft perhaps?

well..searching in F-16.net database indicate that serial number 93-702 was F-16 Block 20 for Taiwan.

That one might be Taiwanese Falcon.. Upgraded with AESA.