News Archive

December 2003


30 December 2003 Israeli F-16s for sale
F-16 fighter planes, assault helicopters, and tanks are all available at knock-down prices in an end-of-year sale being staged by the Israeli army, an Israeli newspaper reported today....
28 December 2003 F-16 building demolition
USAF F-16s occasionally destroy empty buildings that are used to launch attacks on coalition forces in Iraq....
25 December 2003 Pratt and Whitney awarded $72 million contract
Pratt and Whitney is being awarded a $72 million contract to provide for Overhaul and Repair of the F100-PW-100/200/220/220E/229 engine modules applicable to the F-15 and F16 aircraft....
24 December 2003 First flight of the F-16I
Yesterday, the first of 102 F-16I's ordered by Israel flew for the first time at Forth-Worth, Texas. The flight took 55 minutes, during which the basic operations of the plane were checked, including the flight control system and the rest of the avionics. ...
23 December 2003 National Guard F-16 makes emergency landing
A National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon had to make an emergency landing at the South Burlington Airport Monday morning. The jet, belonging to the 134th FS 'Green Mountain Boys', blew a main tire on take-off. ...
23 December 2003 Bad blades potentially affect 45% of USAF F-16s
Widespread engine problems with F-15 and F-16 fighters are forcing maintainers to perform frequent inspections while the Air Force starts an engine redesign. The engines are Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, -200 and -220 power plants that went through modifications as part of the "reliability enhancement" program that started in the late 1990s....
23 December 2003 Pilot fatigue contributed to June 12, Iraq F-16 mishap
According to a final USAF report, pilot fatigue contributed to June 12, Iraq mishap where a USAF F-16 flamed out due to a mistake in fuel management....
23 December 2003 EFW Inc. awarded a $33 million contract
EFW Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $33 million contract to provide for Common Data Entry Electronics Unit, Electronics LRU that acts an interface between pilot entry and cockpits displays. ...
23 December 2003 USAF pilot receives two DFCs for OIF missions
An F-16 instructor pilot from the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis AFB was presented two Distinguished Flying Crosses in a ceremony. Capt. Scott Ulmer, a member of the 16th Weapons Squadron, earned both decorations in the span of three days during Operation Iraqi Freedom....
22 December 2003 TuAF F-16C crashes - pilot safe
Today, at 18:31 local time, a Turkish F-16C block 40 crashed during a training flight. The F-16 belonged to the 6th AJÜ (Ana Jet Üs), based at Bandirma AB. Pilot Serhat Yildirim ejected safely but suffered some injuries....
22 December 2003 United Technologies, ITT win Polish F-16 deals
United Technologies Corp. and ITT Industries Inc. won contracts to supply key parts for 48 F-16s being sold to Poland. ...
20 December 2003 Portugal to equip its F-16s with FACE system
Following similar contracts with the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Belgium Air Force - RADA Electronic Industries Ltd. signed an agreement with the Portuguese Air Force to equip its Mid Life Upgrade F-16 fleet with FACE....
19 December 2003 Lack of spares could potentially ground 254 US F-16s
The alliance of BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins Government Systems is being awarded a $8 million contract to provide for 35 receiver transmitters. This contract includes 16 spares, which the U.S. Air Force currently doesn't have....
18 December 2003 Czechs turn down F-16 offers
The Czech government has decided to begin negotiations over the lease of 14 Anglo-Swedish Gripen fighter planes to replace their old Soviet-built MiG-21s, in preference to F-16 Fighting Falcons....
17 December 2003 100 years of powered flight
Exactly one hundred year ago, on December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first successful flight with a heavier-than-air flying machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first flight, with Orville Wright at the controls, covered 120 feet in 12 seconds, from wich an average speed of nearly Mach 0.01 (at sea level) can be deduced....
15 December 2003 U.S steps up pressure over Czech jet deal
NATO member the Czech Republic is set to decide on a replacement for its fleet of ageing, Soviet-built MiG-21 fighters amid intense diplomatic lobbying and mud slinging....
15 December 2003 Exercise Cope Tiger in its planning stage
An opening ceremony at Paya Lebar Airbase in Singapore set the stage for Exercise Cope Tiger, a tri-lateral exercise in Thailand in February. Cope Tiger is a joint air exercise between the Royal Thai Air Force, the US Air Force And the Royal Singapore Air Force. ...
13 December 2003 SABCA will modernize Venezuelan F-16s
The Belgian company SABCA (Societe Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aeronautiques) will be updating the 21 Venezulean F-16s....
11 December 2003 F-16 mid-air collision blamed for crash in Belgium
Yesterday it was confirmed that the Belgian F-16 accident that led to the death of a pilot was caused by a mid-air collision. The collision between two F-16s happened at 11.30am on Tuesday above the village of Havelange, near Marche-en-Famenne....
11 December 2003 Lockheed Martin to deliver eight F-16E/F in 2004
The first eight of the F-16 E/F Block 60 fighter jets custom developed for the Emirates will be delivered to the Gulf country next year. The Emirates signed a contract with the defense giant in 2000 to acquire 80 F-16s with particular requirements. ...
11 December 2003 Qatar to acquire F-16s?
Oman will see the delivery of 12 F-16s in 2006, but according to Lockheed officials Qatar is also a "potential client."...
11 December 2003 USAF Thunderbirds Release 2004 Schedule
The USAF Thunderbirds announced the 2004 air show schedule. The team is scheduled to perform more than 65 shows in 22 states, Canada and Asia....
09 December 2003 Two Belgian F-16s crashed - One pilot killed
Two Belgian F-16s collided in mid-air during a Forward Air Controler exercise, killing one of the pilots. They crashed into the ground in the wooded area of Marche-en-Famenne in the Belgian Ardennes....
08 December 2003 First flight of the F-16 Block 60
The newest, most advanced Lockheed Martin F-16 completed a successful first flight on Saturday.The aircraft is the first of the Block 60 line, which has been designated the F-16E/F version. It is the first of 80 F-16E/F Block 60 aircraft being produced for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under an order placed in early 2000....
05 December 2003 U.S. Air Force further extends phase maintenance interval on F-16
The U.S. Air Force recently further extended the phase maintenance interval for its Block 40/42/50/52 F-16C/Ds to 400 flight hours. The F-16 now ties with the A-10 as the longest phase maintenance interval among all USAF combat aircraft....
05 December 2003 F-16CG accident investigation report released
Air Force investigators have determined trapped external fuel due to an aircraft malfunction and the pilot's failure to properly monitor his fuel status were the causes of the F-16CG crash in the Iraqi area of responsibility June 12, 2003....
03 December 2003 Belgian F-16 force reduced to 60 by 2015
Today, a formal consensus has been reached between al government parties to update the Belgian strategic plan for the armed forces. Major rumors existed the past months and weren't really opposed by the government before the plan was made public this afternoon....
03 December 2003 TAT Technologies in $6.4 deal with Lockheed Martin
TAT Technologies limited, announced a new Memorandum of Agreement with Lockheed Martin. TAT will supply turbine power units for F-16 aircraft. The company said that the estimated amount of the agreement is $6.4 million....
03 December 2003 ViaSat wins MIDS contract for RNLAF F-16s
ViaSat Inc. said won a $30 million contract from the Royal Netherlands Air Force for military wireless communication equipment. ViaSat sells the devices, called Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Low Volume Terminals (LVT), to military agencies seeking secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications....