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F-16 Fighting Falcon News

Luke F-16s receiving modern makeover

October 18, 2005 (by Anonymous) - Some F-16s at Luke Air Force Base are undergoing remodeling that will give the old fighter-bombers renewed vigor and double their life spans. The upgrades are bringing the F-16 to the "leading edge of technology," said Col. Tim Strawther, 44, the 56th Operations Group commander.
New cockpits, avionic and communications systems and displays will match those being used in Afghanistan and Iraq. The upgrades will make it easier for the jets to interface with the Air Force's new generation of aircraft as well.

Because Luke's mission is training F-16 pilots and crew chiefs, the upgrades will give the student pilots the ability to train with the exact same type of equipment they will use in war, Strawther said.

One improvement alone - having color displays instead of monochrome ones - will make it easier for a pilot to define what is on the screens.

And instead of having four different cockpit and avionics systems in F-16s scattered throughout the Air Force, there ultimately will be only one system.

Maj. James Merchant, 35, assistant director of operations for the 56th Training Squadron, says the retrofitted F-16 will be like flying the Internet in the sky.

"It's like Star Wars," he said.

Merchant said the full-color displays make shapes and symbols sharper, helping the pilot process information faster. The pilot will be able to see everything in the air anywhere near the F-16's area.

More than 80 Luke block 42 F-16s will be modified over the next three years. On Sept. 15, the first of the jets began undergoing modification at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It takes five months for each jet to be remade.

Maj. Konrad Cote, 34, said the avionics are completely ripped out of the old F-16s and replaced. The aging jets also are undergoing a structural upgrade that makes them stronger.

Cote, a 56th Maintenance Operations Squadron officer, said that typically, an F-16 has a life span of 4,000 flying hours. The upgrades will boost that life span to 8,000 hours. To put that in perspective, an F-16 at Luke, which is used to train student pilots, will fly about 300 hours a year, Cote said.

"We'll have a lot more combat capability on the operator's side, and on the maintenance side, it's easier to maintain and keep it flying," Merchant said of the upgraded jets.