News

Today Pratt & Whitney joined the countries of the European Participating Air Forces (EPAF) in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the F-16 Fighting Falcon EPAF program in Brussels, Belgium.

CPU Technology announced that its prototype AN/APG-68 Modernized Programmable Signal Processor (MPSP), a form-, fit- and function-compatible Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) for F16 Block 30/40 aircraft, has completed Design Try Out (DTO) flight tests.

The Theatre Airborne Reconnaissance System (TARS) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) successfully performed, for the first time, aboard an operational F-16 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. TARS SAR is the first all weather, day and night, precision radar capability developed for tactical aircraft.

Raytheon Company's unitary/penetration variant of Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW-C) has completed operational test (OT) firings with nine of 10 shots successful against a wide range of targets. JSOW-C was developed by a team that includes the U.S. Navy, Raytheon, BAE Systems and Thales Missile Electronics.

Environmental Tectonics Corporation PZL Aerospace Industries in Poland announced it landed a $6.6 million contract from L-3 Communications, under which ETC-PZL will assemble, test and deliver several L-3-designed F-16 simulators to the Polish Air Force.

A defense contractor has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of two and a half years as a result of participation in a fraudulent scheme to supply counterfeit and sub-standard aircraft parts to the United States Department of Defense.

Northrop Grumman Corporation received a two-year contract to develop a radar replacement "kit" that will improve performance and enhance reliability in approximately 280 U.S. Air Force F-16C and D fighter aircraft.

Lockheed Martin has selected Goodrich's dimmer display control unit for use onboard the F-16. The unit independently controls the brightness settings of selected instruments and panels under a variety of lighting conditions.

Pratt & Whitney is being awarded a $9,7 million contract to support equipment and spare parts for one year of Level 1 depot in Egypt for F100-PW220E engines. This work will be completed by November 2005.

L-3 Communications announced that its Link Simulation and Training (Link) division has been awarded a $41 million contract to provide an F-16 Aircrew Training System to the Polish Air Force.

EADS Defence Electronics is adapting its MILDS® missile warning system to a new configuration MILDS F, accommodating the demanding requirements of fighter aircraft such as the F16 Fighting Falcon.

The air-to-air combat ability of the F-16 will be even more dangerous in the very near future. Janes.com has some great reading on the new AIM-120 AMRAAM variants in the works. One the AIM-120C-7 and an even more interesting version to be fielded in a few years: the AIM-120-D.

On July 9th, the Belgian Ministry of Defence announced the co-operation with BAE Systems. The Belgian Air Component is going to rent some evaluation systems for air combat manoeuvres of their F-16s above the North Sea.

BAE Systems has been selected by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, Undersecretariat for Defense Industries and the Turkish Air Force as the key subcontractor for an integrated electronic self-protection system to be installed on that nation's F-16 fighters.

Representatives of 14 Israeli companies attended a homeland security conference hosted by Lockheed-Martin in Washington this week. They met with Lockheed-Martin executives in an effort to expand cooperation and reciprocal procurements.