Israel Sells Croatia 12 F-16 Fighter Jets for $500 Million

Croatia's government has approved the purchase of 12 used Israeli F-16 fighter aircraft in a package worth $500 million.
The deal was agreed at a meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the prime minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, at the World Economic forum in Davos in January.
The deal, which includes the training of pilots in Israel, aircraft armament, a training simulator and the construction and equipping of facilities at Croatia's military airports, is lead by Israel Ministry of Defense in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force along with Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries.
haaretz

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras fly in an F-16D

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was given a ride in a HAF F-16D during his visit to the 110th Combat Wing at Larisa air base on Oct. 12.
The hour-long flight took him across Halkidiki, Mt. Athos, Limnos, Agios Efstratios and Skyros.
alert5

Israeli air force details F-35 transition plan

The Israeli air force plans to close one of its Lockheed Martin F-16C/D squadrons in 2017, in parallel with the service's new-generation F-35 "Adir" achieving initial operational capability.
Halting operations with the F-16C/D unit will be part of a major adjustment programme aimed at tailoring the air force's inventory to future challenges, while taking into account the limitations of the nation's defence budget.
Earlier this year, a contract was signed for the purchase of another 14 F-35 (Adir) fighters for the Israeli air force. The service and defence ministry had wanted to 31, but strong opposition in the Israeli cabinet limited the number in a $2.82 billion deal. The order includes options for the 17 additional aircraft.
According to the Israeli defence ministry – which signed a first, 19-aircraft order in 2010 – the first two F-35s will land in the nation at the end of 2016.
Israel is operating 77 F-16C fighters and 48 D-model trainers.
flightglobal

Singapore Requests Upgrade for 60 F-16C/D/D+ Aircraft

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Singapore for the F-16 Block 52 Upgrade Program.
The Government of Singapore has requested a possible sale for the upgrade of 60 F-16C/D/D+ aircraft.
Items included in the proposed sale are :
-50 Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System,
-90 AN/APX-126 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe Interrogator/Transponders,
-150 LAU-129 Missile Launchers,
-8 KMU-572/B 500lbs Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Tail Kits,
-9 KMU-556/B 2000lbs JDAM Tail Kits,
-2 FMU-152 Munition Fuze Units,
-10 MK-82 500lbs Inert Bombs,
-3 MK-84 2000lbs Inert Bombs,
-12 LN-260 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems (GPS/INS),
-20 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB),
-92 Link-16 Multifunctional Information Distribution System/ Low Volume Terminals
(MIDS/LVT),
-2 SDB Guided Test Vehicles,
-Computer Control Group and Tail Assembly for GBU-49,
-DSU-38/40 Proximity Sensor for JDAM,
-GBU-39 Tactical training Round,
-ADU-890/E and 891 Adaptor Group for Common Munitions Built-In-Test/Reprogramming
Equipment,
-Encryption/Decryption devise,
-MIDS/LVT Ground Support Station,
defense-studies

Indonesia grounds F-16 fleet after fire

Indonesia has temporarily grounded its fleet of F-16C and F-16D combat aircraft pending investigations into a fire that claimed one airframe on 16 April.
The aircraft grounded are all used stock received from the US under a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) arrangement for 24 airframes.
Under the deal, Indonesia is to receive 19 F-16Cs and five F-16Ds. The service has taken delivery of five airframes, with the first three delivered in July 2014.
janes

France reveals that lost 2 Mirage 2000 and 2 Alpha Jet in January Albacete disaster. 2 Rafale severely damaged as well

The French Air Force lost four combat aircraft as write-offs and a further two as severely damaged as a result of the disaster at Los Llanos/Albacete Air Base in Spain.
The accident, which saw a Hellenic Air Force F-16D Block 50 crash while attempting to take off on 26 January, resulted in the total loss of two Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters and two Alpha Jet trainers. As well, a pair of Dassault Rafale fighters suffered extensive damage.
As well as losing its aircraft, the French Air Force also suffered the loss of nine of its personnel in the accident, which is still being investigated.
janes

USAF F-16D return to flight after longeron repair

Air Force officials removed 82 two-seat F-16D Fighting Falcons from flight earlier this summer after discovering cracks along the canopy sill longeron between the front and rear pilot seats. The longeron is a major structural component that carries significant loads during dynamic flight operations of the F-16.
Aircraft maintainers have been working on getting those F-16s back into the air since mid-October and are nearing completion of repairs on the F-16D aircraft that belong to Luke.
In November, the first F-16D was returned to operational status.
af.mi

USAF to extend F-16 life

The US Air Force is pushing ahead with an effort to extend the service lives of 300 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighters as a stopgap measure until the F-35 Lightning II is operational in sufficient numbers.
The service announced on 2 October it would finalise the design of the aircraft within 18 to 24 months and wants to give prospective industry bidders a “first look” into the scope of work needed to extend the aircraft’s service life from 8,000 flight hours to between 10,000 and 12,000 flight hours.
The request for information (RFI) is seeking industry input into the production and deployment of modification kits for Block 40, 42, 50 and 52 aircraft.
flightglobal

Fix Decided on For F-16 Cracks

The US Air Force and Lockheed Martin have reached agreement on a fix for a series of cracks impacting F-16B and D fleets around the world.
The fix involves attaching steel and aluminum straps to the front fuselage area.
The cracks in question are on the canopy sill longeron, part of the frame of the aircraft that surrounds the cockpit area of the jet. Cracks were first discovered on an F-16D model on July 31, and the service ordered inspections of the entire F-16D fleet. That resulted in 82 of the service’s 157 F-16D models being grounded.
According to initial Air Force figures, the largest number of cracked F-16D models were at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where all 35 planes were found to have cracks.
That inspection order also applies to the F-16B and F-16D models used internationally. More than 150 F-16B and 400 F-16D models are operating around the world.
While the US Air Force no longer operates the B model, Turkey, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Denmark and Norway are among customers that must inspect their fleets.
defensenews

Singapore grounds US-based F-16Ds after structural cracks found

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has grounded an unspecified number of Lockheed Martin F-16D multirole combat aircraft attached to its Peace Carvin II training detachment at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona, Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) revealed to IHS Jane's on 29 August.
The US Air Force (USAF) announced on 19 August that it had removed 82 two-seat F-16Ds from flight status after canopy sill longeron cracks were detected between the front and rear pilot seats. According to the statement, the structural defect was confirmed after officials ordered further investigations of all US F-16Ds under an "immediate action time compliance technical order (TCTO)" when the cracks were discovered during routine post-flight inspections.
janes

Poland Retains Su-22s, Wants New Attack Helicopters

Faced with a worsening security situation in neighboring Ukraine, Poland has issued a requirement for new attack helicopters. Meanwhile, the country’s choice of 72 new multirole helicopters remains undecided. Budget shortfalls continue to frustrate the armed forces’ desire for new equipment. Earlier this year, Poland decided to retain one squadron of aging Su-22 strike aircraft for up to 10 more years, since it cannot afford a replacement.
Poland currently operates 28 Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters, the remnants of 52 acquired since 1978. The new proposal is to buy about 32 replacements in two stages, with an initial 20 to be followed by 12 more beginning in 2022. Candidates include the AgustaWestland AW129 or its Turkish sibling, the TAI T-129; the Airbus Helicopters EC665 Tiger; and the Boeing AH-64E Apache. Offers are scheduled to be considered next year.
Meanwhile, the multirole helicopter contract award has been postponed until next year, two years later than originally envisioned. The AgustaWestland AW149, Airbus Helicopters EC725 Caracal and Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk are in contention, each OEM having partnered with a local company for production and support (PZL-Swidnik, Heli-Invest and Mielec, respectively). The army is slated to receive 48 helicopters for troop transport, with the air force receiving 10 for SAR, and the navy receiving another six for SAR plus six for the ASW role. They will replace about 16 Mi-8s, 10 Mi-14s and 20 Mi-17s that remain in service from much larger numbers acquired previously.
The decision to retain 12 single-seat and six two-seat Su-22Ms for another 10 years was taken last February and was driven by the choice of the Aermacchi M346 as the air force’s new jet trainer. The air force received 110 Su-22s beginning in 1984; 32 remain in service. They have received only minor avionics upgrades.
The Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 52 is Poland’s frontline fighter, with 48 delivered between 2006. Poland hopes to share the development cost of future upgrades, such as an AESA radar, with the U.S. Air Force. However, the U.S. F-16 upgrade program faces an uncertain future. The air force also operates two squadrons of MiG-29s.
ainonline

Indonesia gets first three F-16s from US

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) received the first three of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D aircraft on 25 July.
The F-16s, which are being upgraded from Block 25 to Block 52 standard by the US Air Force, are former USAF and Air National Guard units that were transferred to Indonesia as excess defence articles under a contract signed in January 2012.
According to official US Air Force media the USAF handed over one F-16C and two F-16Ds on 14 July. The remaining 21 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Indonesia by the end of 2015.
The three aircraft landed East Java, after flying from Alaska via Guam. In August, six Indonesian Air Force instructors will begin F-16C/D conversion training. The 24 aircraft will be split between Squadron 3 at Madiun and Squadron 16 at Pekanbaru.
janes

Lockheed Martin awarded Contrat to Upgrade Egypt's F-16

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract to deliver and install 20 advanced countermeasure electronics system-system integrity (ACES SI) retrofit kits, modify 24 radar warning receivers and procure three electronic warfare memory loader verifiers for Egypt's F-16C/D (16 C’s and 4 D’s) Block 52 aircraft. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 19, 2015.defense.gov

Iraq requests Apache helicopter purchase

Iraq’s continuing military transformation could be advanced further, through a potentially $4.8 billion deal for 24 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters.
“This proposed sale supports the strategic interests of the United States by providing Iraq with a critical capability to protect itself from terrorist and conventional threats, to enhance the protection of key oil infrastructure and platforms, and to reinforce Iraqi sovereignty,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency says. Its message to Congress was disclosed in a notification published on 27 January.
Expected roles for an Iraqi Apache fleet would include flying close-air support and armed reconnaissance and anti-tank warfare missions. Baghdad’s request includes 12 Northrop Grumman APG-78 Longbow fire control radars and 480 Lockheed Martin AGM-114R Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.
An Apache acquisition would come on top of the Iraqi army’s previous purchase of the Mil Mi-28 from Russia. Baghdad has signed a firm order for 12 of the type, and has previously shown interest in acquiring a further 28.
Iraq’s defence spending in the post-Saddam Hussein era has included numerous foreign military sales deals with the USA. These have included orders for Lockheed-built F-16C/D and IQ-model fighters and C-130J tactical transports, Beechcraft King Air 350 transport and reconnaissance aircraft and T-6A trainers, plus Cessna 208s in utility, reconnaissance and light-attack configurations.
flightglobal

Pentagon clears BAE to create upgrade for Korean F-16s

The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress about phase one of an upgrade for 134 South Korean Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D Block 52 aircraft, with the work to be conducted by BAE Systems.
In 2012, BAE defeated Lockheed Martin in a competitive bidding process to upgrade the avionics for South Korea’s F-16 fleet. A separate radar competition saw Raytheon's Advanced Combat Radar (RACR) defeat Northrop Grumman’s Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR). As part of its upgrade programme, BAE will integrate RACR into the aircraft.
Phase two of the upgrade will see BAE's upgrade programme implemented across the South Korean F-16 fleet.
BAE expects Seoul to sign the letter of agreement for both the avionics and radar upgrades by the end of 2013.
This will set the stage for BAE to upgrade two F-16s – one single-seat C-model aircraft and one two-seat D-model. After extensive testing, BAE will then develop upgrade kits that will be shipped to South Korea. It is deciding between Samsung Techwin or Korea Aerospace Industries for the performance of the in-country upgrade work.
The upgrades of operational aircraft could begin in 2017, with four to six aircraft receiving the modifications each month.
flightglobal

BAE Systems poised to commence South Korea F-16 upgrades

BAE expects Seoul to sign the letter of agreement for both the avionics and radar upgrades by the end of 2013.
BAE will also install the RACR equipment, to upgrade two F-16s – one single-seat C-model aircraft and one two-seat D-model – to the new configuration. After extensive testing, BAE will then develop upgrade kits that will be shipped to South Korea. BAE is deciding between Samsung Techwin or Korea Aerospace Industries to perform the in-country upgrade work.
The upgrades of operational aircraft could begin in 2017, with four to six aircraft receiving the modifications each month.
Following its success in South Korea, BAE is looking at other opportunities to upgrade legacy F-16s in nations such as Singapore, Turkey and Egypt.
flightglobal