Forum: General

Some of you guys are intimately familiar with F-16 Blocks and seem to be able to do so just by glancing at their pics. Are there any distinguishing features unique to each Block or can you tell by the squadron.unit markings? They pretty much look the same to me.

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Block 10/15 - lower UHF antenna just beneath inlet

Block 25 - lower UHF antenna moved to between ventral fins. Cockpit upgrade

Block 30/32 - GE motor introduced and bigger inlet. HARM missile capability. Targeting pod.

Block 40/42 - HUD display. LANTIRN capability. Larger landing gear. Landing/Taxi lights moved to nosegear door. Blade antennas in front of canopy for IFF system.

Block 50/52 - HUD display. HTS pod and HARM carriage. 229 motor has carbon turkey feathers. Larger landing gear. Blade antennas again.

Those are a few off the top of my head. Year on the tail helps too.

cywolf32 wrote:

Block 10/15 - lower UHF antenna just beneath inlet

Block 25 - lower UHF antenna moved to between ventral fins. Cockpit upgrade

Block 30/32 - GE motor introduced and bigger inlet. HARM missile capability. Targeting pod.

Block 40/42 - HUD display. LANTIRN capability. Larger landing gear. Landing/Taxi lights moved to nosegear door. Blade antennas in front of canopy for IFF system.

Block 50/52 - HUD display. HTS pod and HARM carriage. 229 motor has carbon turkey feathers. Larger landing gear. Blade antennas again.

Those are a few off the top of my head. Year on the tail helps too.

Actually, putting the lower UHF/IFF antenna between the ventral fins started with the block 15's.

Useful info, but, perhaps, any pictures? I'd always wanted to know that too. I see some slight differences but not knowing which "HUD display" is which means I really can't tell without seeing them Wink

Last edited by DeepSpace on Nov 16, 2009 - 02:53 PM; edited 6 times in total

cywolf32 wrote:

Block 40/42 - HUD display. LANTIRN capability. Larger landing gear. Landing/Taxi lights moved to nosegear door. Blade antennas in front of canopy for IFF system.

I believe that's true to a very limited extent, as only few USAF Block 40/42 got the blade IFF antennas installed in recent upgrade programs. Usually, it's a feature that is unique only to Block 50/52/52+, Block 60 and MLU aircraft.

Also, there's the small horizontal stabilizers, that in the past were a feature of early Block 5/10 and some 15 (up to sub-block 15Y I believe?) aircraft. Most of these aircraft that are still in use today got the bigger stabilizers fitted for them somewhere later in their life.

Another feature a more recent Vipers have is a larger fin fairing, started from Block 25 (the first "true" C model, apart from the Block 15OCU).

Another, very standing out difference between an A/B to a C/D aircraft (Block 15 to 25) is the triangle shaped IFF\UHF antenna on the base of the vertical stabilizer. This antenna is kept up to these days Block 60 aircraft.

There is a pretty easy way to distinguish a Block 30 D model from a Block 40 D model, given that both have the Dorsal Spine that some operators installed. A Block 30 D with a Dorsal Spine would have 4 flare dispensers on the left side of the spine, whilst a Block 40 would have 3 dispensers instead.

Also look at the years..
Block 10's built from 1980 to 81
Block 15's built from 1981 to 85
Block 25's built from 1984 to 97
Block 30/32 built from 1986 to 89
Block 40/42 built from 1989 to 93

Cheers,

ViperDude

Last edited by LinkF16SimDude on Nov 16, 2009 - 10:45 PM; edited 1 time in total

Just to add to what others have said (DeepSpace beat me to the upper UHF antenna)...

- If you can tell a GE exhaust nozzle from a Pratt & Whitney, then you'll know if it's a Block 30 (GE) or a Block 32 (Pratt) or higher series (40/42, 50/52).

- An American jet with what looks like a large, round-ish HUD display with a projecting glass lip along the top is a Block 4X. It's called the WAR HUD (for Wide Angle Raster) and Block 4X is the only USAF model to use it. Several foreign Block 40 users (Turkey and Egypt come to mind) also have WARs as do Singaporean Block 52s.

- Most US jets of FY91 or higher are Block 5X, starting with 91-0336. A short run of 90-0801 to -0849 are also Block 5X with a few of those already written off in accidents.

DeepSpace wrote:

cywolf32 wrote:

Block 40/42 - HUD display. LANTIRN capability. Larger landing gear. Landing/Taxi lights moved to nosegear door. Blade antennas in front of canopy for IFF system.

I believe that's true to a very limited extent, as only few USAF Block 40/42 got the blade IFF antennas installed in recent upgrade programs. Usually, it's a feature that is unique only to Block 50/52/52+, Block 60 and MLU aircraft.

I was under the impression that all 40/42's received the apx-113 IFF system under the CCIP program. Is that not true?

I think the CCIP'd 4Xs got everything EXCEPT the AIFF. Might be a technical issue or just a lack of funding. ICBWT. Shrug

Thanks. Haven't been around USAF jets for a while now. Last jets I worked were MLU's.

Block 1/5/10 smaller horizontal tail...No Deepspace...never retrofitted and never on Blk 15
30/40/50...big inlet for GE...32/42/52...small inlet for PW...not big inlet from 30/32 on...Dragracin
Crywolf, inlet mount for TGP added in Blk 15 and beyond so not new to Blk 30/32. Blk 25s can carry just like 30/32...not really good ID feature...MLU A-models carry TGP
AIFF blade antenna only on CCIP BLK50/52, not 40/42

Be careful...the more mods the less distinctive the visual references become.

jbgator, your post is very misleading.

"Block 1/5/10 smaller horizontal tail"

Like I wrote.

"never retrofitted and never on Blk 15 "...... "inlet mount for TGP added in Blk 15"

Which is exactly why the larger stabs were introduced on the block 15 (to counter react the weight of the pods), and yes, there was a modification, at least on some air frames in different countries.

Here's a quote from the F-16.net database:

Quote:

In November 1981, the Block 15 introduced MSIP Stage I changes to the F-16A/B starting with subblock 15Y and continuing through subblock 15AZ. More than a year earlier, in February 1980, these modifications were already effective on the F-16C/D production. The changes expanded the F-16s growth potential by allowing improved capabilities in the air-to-ground and BVR missions.

One major modification was the addition of two hardpoints to (and structural strengthening of) the chin of the inlet, designated hardpoints 5L and 5R. To offset the shift in center of gravity caused by the weight of these two additional hardpoints (and eventual stores attached to them), the extended horizontal stabilator (the so-called "big tail", 30% increase in area), was fitted. The new tail also provided better stability and more authority for out-of-control situations. It changed lift-off rotation speeds and allowed stable flight at higher angles of attack.

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_versions_article3.html

As for the retrofit of earlier block with the larger stabs, also from this website:

Quote:

As mentioned before, Pacer Loft I & II saw the Block 1 and 5 models upgraded to Block 10 standard.Between late-1987 and late-1993, some USAF Block 10 and early Block 15 aircraft were upgraded to Block 15OCU standard.Between 1991 and 1996, earlier models of the F-16 with the -200 engines had them upgraded to -220E standard, providing capabilities and lifespan comparable to the Block 15OCU -220 engine. From 1994, British Aerospace Systems & Equipment TERPROM (Terrain Profile Matching) software was installed in ANG and AFRES F-16s. TERPROM minimalizes the ground collision danger.

In October 1986, the USAF decided that remaining F-16A's would be modified as Air Defence Fighters (F-16 ADF) for the Air National Guard.

The ADF modification included the larger stabs, as can be seen in these photos:

http://www.aviopress.com/images/2007051 ... 255_02.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _Force.JPG

Other photos of pre-block 15 air frames with the larger stabs:

IDFAF F-16A block 5 (original) #113 and a sistership both from 140 sqn are flying side by side.

RNlAF F-16A block 1 #J-215 is on display at the Air Force Museum at Soesterberg, spotted there on August 25th, 2000.

Wow, wow.

Quote:

Also, there's the small horizontal stabilizers, that in the past were a feature of early Block 5/10 and some 15 (up to sub-block 15Y I believe?) aircraft. Most of these aircraft that are still in use today got the bigger stabilizers fitted for them somewhere later in their life.

Nope, block 15's never had the smaller stabs. All block 15's had the larger stabs.

Quote:

The ADF modification included the larger stabs, as can be seen in these photos:

Nope, the ADF mod didn't include the larger stabs since all ADF's are original block 15's who already had the larger stabs.

And yes, some older block 1/5/10's had the larger stabs retrofitted in their upgrade process through the different blocks. An excellent exemple of this is here:

BAF F-16BM #FB-05 seen taking off from Florennes AB on November 30th, 2006.

This is Belgian F-16BM #FB-05. It was originally delivered as a block 1 (with black nose and small stabs). It was upgraded to block 10 in 1981/82. Upgrade to block 15OCU (with introduction of the larger stab, PW220E,...) happened in 1992/93. Updated to block 20MLU standards in 2002/03.

Greets,

Bjorn wrote:

Wow, wow.
Nope, block 15's never had the smaller stabs. All block 15's had the larger stabs.

So, shouldn't this paragraph on the Block 1-15 page be changed?

Quote:

Block 15

In November 1981, the Block 15 introduced MSIP Stage I changes to the F-16A/B starting with subblock 15Y and continuing through subblock 15AZ.

No, because MSIP stage I has nothing to do with the larger stab as such. Seperate things.

Greets,

Forum: General

Identifying Blocks