F-16 Fleet Reports

F-16 aircraft conversions

Previous: F-16 aircraft detailed version production Next: F-16 aircraft version inventory

Data

This graph shows the origin of converted F-16 airframes - which aircraft where converted into what?

Disclaimer: This report is generated in real-time from our F-16 Aircraft Database. We strive to keep our database up-to-date and complete, nevertheless for some countries data is hard to verify (e.g. accuracy for the Middle East is only 90%). Please contact us if you have any questions or feedback.

Horizontal Axis: The new, converted aircraft model
Vertical Axis: Number of F-16 airframes
Series: The different series represent different "source" F-16 models that were used during the conversion to produce the new converted models

Click on the color labels to disable/enable series; click on the zoom icons to zoom in (+) or out (-). Click on the full screen icon to display the graph full screen.

Analysis

The Mid-Life Update programme was mainly intended to backport some of the F-16C/D avionics improvements to the F-16 fleets of the original European operators. This photgraph shows MLU aircraft from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Two operational F-16 models were actially converted from older airframes. The first is the F-16 block 15 ADF (Air Defense Fighter), a variant specifically designed for the USAF to take over the interception role from the ageing F-106 and F-102 aircraft, traditionally assigned to the Fighter Intercept Squadrons of the Air National Guard. The F-16 ADF was capable of firing the AIM-7 Sparrow and was the first F-16 to be equiped with an advanced IFF system. All ADF airframes were converted from existing block 15 aircraft.

The second operational converted model is the F-16 block 20 MLU. This Mid-Life Upgrade was designed to significantly increase the operational capabilities of the older block 1-5-10-15 aircraft still in service with the four original European customers (Belgium, Denmark, The Netherland and Norway). It introduced many C/D capabilities into the A/B models, including a new Modular Mission Computer, upgraded radar, advanced stores management, etc. Most MLU aircraft are by definition upgrades of existing A/B aircraft. The majority of MLUs were upgraded from block 15 and block 15OCU airframes, with a small portion upgraded from block 1, 5 and 10.

As far as the experimental models are concerned, all of them (both F-16XL and NF-16) were converted from the limited batch of F-16A Full-Scale Development aircraft, of whch 8 were built - 6 F-16As and 2 F-16Bs. Interestingly enough, even the F-16B XL was converted from an F-16A airframe.

Visitor Comments

Note: Errors and omissions in the above text can be added here. Please note: your comments will be displayed immediately on this page.

If you wish to send a private comment to the webmasters, please use the Contact Us link.