Just yesterday the air force announced the final production of the F-16 for the USAF but production will continue for foreign customers,also the U.S approved the purchase of F-16s to pakistan, i don,t know what you all think about this but im VERY,VERY MAD[:(!].
all good things come to an end i guess!! those new F-22 and such are probably gonna take over the roll. especially having the directional exhaust, super sonic, stealthy, and vertical takeoff capabilities all rolled up into one machine!! it is sad, but no, i’m not mad. later.
Hey Aurthur,
I don’t like the idea of the US selling technology like the F-16 to an unscrupulous
nation like Pakistan either…however, its all part of that joint effort to catch Osama
Bin Laden…Pakistan is our new partner in the war against terrorism. I’m not sure if
their government really has control of the country…
Anyway…it also makes good business for general dynamics…
Take care,
Tank
one other thing india is getting them as well
All good things come to an end eventually [:(]. The F-16 has been a great aircraft, but the next generation is taking over.
Regards, Rick
Why should the US military pour more milliions of dollars into a weapons system that is based on 30-40 year old technology when something much better is available? Updated electronics are great, but they don’t make up for the outdated airframe. The F-14, F-15 and F-16 are great designs and have definately earned their place in the hall of hallowed aircraft. But, we need to look forward, not backward.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
yeah but the even worst news is that Congress cut the number of F-22’s that the USAF is to have to only a measly 180 aircraft.
That is the unfortunate result of super high technology, super expensive aircraft. The B-2 Spirit is several magnitudes better than any other bomber in the world, but at over $2 billion per copy, not even the US can afford very many.
The Russians have developed several very good airplanes over the last few years including the Mig-39 BERKUT, but they can’t afford to produce any of them.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]
One thing you guys gotta remember - when the US sells an aircraft to a foreign country, it usually doesn’t have the electronics and weapons systems that the US aircraft have. More than likely, the manufacturer will add that country’s electronics and weapons to each aircraft, or the electronics and weapons will be added to the aircraft by that country once they are delivered to the country in question. A good example is the F-14s that we sold to Iran back in the late '70s/early '80s. They did not have the Phoenix missile system, nor the then-advanced avionics packages that the Navy’s F-14s had. Consequently, Iran didn’t fly them much at all because of this.
Strange… I have an old article about the F-16. It’s about the plane in it’s beginning. Questions were if it should be purchased by our government (Holland), and if we really needed replacements for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighters then in service… Hmm… Sounds like a Deja Vu to me!![:D][:D]
However, the most advanced F-16’s currently in existence are those used by Israel. They have conformal fuel tanks, FLIR/DLIR etc. These fighters are very hi-tech, and can probably take on a JSF any time!! Still, things come, and they go. The F-16 basic design is almost 30 years old, and that’s about the average age for fighterplanes. I don’t understand Congress though… Those F-15’s aren’t going to be around forever. So, I guess the Raptor is such a could plane that 180 could replace the entire F-15 fleet…[^][^][^]
Problem is stealth. Everyone wants stealth nowadays. But stealth in aircraft is already becoming obsolete. The Eurofighter Typhoon for example only uses very little stealth, but is still capable of taking down an F-15 anyday! It’s far superior to most (USAF) fighters now in use. Same goes for the Rafale and the Gripen. The much talked about JSF (still in it’s experimental phase!!!) won’t be in service for another 10 years. If it will ever come so far.
Oh well… Politics…[:D][:D]
Remko
Yeah, I have kind of gotten attached to this old bird. Working on it on depot level for a couple of years now have gotten under my skin.
Here in Denmark we were the first to install helmet mounted display and sighting system in an F-16 ( A system developed by the Israelies, who had a couple of guys here in Denmark to help us out. ) we are also experimenting with a 3D sound system for warnings, but all these mods can’t remove the signs of old age on the structure, we see more and more cracks, and its getting more and more obvious that we need a replacement.
Here’s the last one…
USAF Photo
Fade to Black…
Frankly, I really can’t believe that the Vipers has so many admirors. Well, I guess everybody has his or her own taste.
Living in Holland, you don’t have much choice… It’s the only fighter jet that is commonly seen here. Although I once saw a couple of F-15’s stationed at Soesterberg Aibase when the USAF-Europe was still here. But that was years ago. I also saw a couple of Lancers flying over my town very low a few years ago. Very cool sight!!!
Still, the Viper isn’t my favorite fighter jet. That’s still the F-14 Tomcat. Nothing can beat that kitty in coolness!!![:D][:D]
Remko
I hope that I can say this without starting a major argument. The F-14 Tomcats that we sold to Iran in 1977 were identical to the US Navy versions, including all electronics and the Phoenix missile. That was Iran’s insistence before buying them. They were aware of the “degraded” aircraft the US and USSR usually sold to foreign buyers and they didn’t want anything second rate. The “powers that be” in Washington at the time were so sure that Iran would always be our friend, that they were willing to agree to this.
The degradation started in 1980 when the Iranian militants invaded our embassy and took the folks there prisoners. We immediately cut off all technical assistance and spare parts for the F-5, F-4, F-14 and any other US equipment in Iran. The Phoenix is a very complicated piece of equipment that requires constant attention and “tweaking” to keep it operational. The Iranian maintenance folks were limited in what they could do and had to cannibalize both aircraft and missile parts during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. It didn’t take very long for the entire stockpile of Phoenix’s to become non-operational and many of the F-14s also.
Many of the military equipment sales to foreign countries these days by the US, USSR, China, France, etc are for 1st rate, top of the line equipment. ie, India and Pakistan. One country is not going to spend billions of dollars for 2nd rate equipment if the other side is getting 1st rate items. That is too large of a handicap in today’s high tech environment.
Darwin, O.F. [alien]