Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

I've noticed some very different birdslicers in Vipers; The Turkish versson is different than the ADF version and then we have the MLU version. Finally the F-2 has again another different version.

I know lot of it is confidential but my question is why so much different versions? Has it to do with capability, progress in time, or capacity of the radar or simply it depend on the version one has?

Can anyone tell me what the basic task is of the bird slicer?

Regards
Dick van Faassen

F-16.net Sponsor

Sounds to me like you've answered your own questions Wink

In the last Combat Aircraft magazine I picked up there were some shots of USAF F-16Cs that have sprouted some "bird slicers". I'm assuming this is another MSIP stage for the aircraft.

Indeed,

Just depends on the version of the IFF system.

You have the AN/APX-101, AN/APX-104, AN/APX-109, AN/APX-111 and AN/APX-113 IFF systems which can be installed on the F-16. They all feature different antenna designs, which declares the difference in exteriour appearance.

Greets,

Bjorn is correct - not all services/nations use the same IFF systems so it depends on what is on the other end of the anternna array.

You will see IFF bird slicers appearing on all USAF Block 50/52s as they go through CCIP. The plan is to then process all USAF 40/42s through CCIP, effectively making all 40/42/50/52s have common avionics.

Habu2 wrote:

Quote:

You will see IFF bird slicers appearing on all USAF Block 50/52s as they go through CCIP. The plan is to then process all USAF 40/42s through CCIP, effectively making all 40/42/50/52s have common avionics.

I was just looking at a picture in the gallery of the F-16 at the Edwards open house that has the CCIP bird slicers and I notice three square shaped boxes along the fuselage. Are those part of the CCIP and what are they??????

Fastmover76, can you post a link? There are hundreds of photos in the gallery....

grrr. . . lemme find it. I just happened to be looking at it cause it was one of the random ones that shows up when I log in. . .

^I'm with stupid^

http://www.f-16.net/f-16_photos_album10-photoanj.html

bickety bam, there it is. . .

Quote:

^I'm with stupid^

thanks bro. . .

actually my reply was supposed to be under h2's, you got in there before me...

What boxes are you talking about?

The "bird slicers" are the antennas that give the F-16 the capability to integrate an IFF system that can interrogate. F-4s and F-15s could and can do this already. That is why the F-16s coming off of active duty were chosen to take the place of the F-4 in Air Defense units were outfitted with systems like the AIFF found in ADF birds. I think that after 9/11 the Air Force took notice of how much of a handicap it was for F-16C/Ds to not be able to interrogate other aircraft. I don't know if AIFF was a part of the CCIP to begin with or just a knee-jerk reaction like F-15s not having VHF radios and couldn't communicate directly with a potentially hijacked airliner if they wanted to.

Just my thoughts,
An Avionics weenie working on old-a$$ ADF F-16s

Boxes? There is a aft facing vent cover just below the Ejection triangle that is a vent for the ASPJ system that never went in the jets, then there are the Falcon Up stiffener braces along the spine bulkheads - are those what you are asking about?

damn, I wish I could draw an arrow on the picture, but I dont' have the skills like H2 has. anyway, look in the center of the fuselage, there's one shape, look at the fuselage just where the fin base starts, there's another, and then look right under the ECM bulge on the fin base (or whatever it is), there's another (and that's the most noticeable one), they're all in the dark gray area of the paint, so it's a little hard to see, but I swear I'm not crazy, there's something there. Please believe me, please believe me!

Okay, Habu, I get it, you were saying that you wanted me to post the link. You'd think after 100 posts I'd know how this works. . .

Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

Bird Slicers