IAF to upgrade F-16's as F-35 encounters further delay
One of the earliest moves President Obama made to change America's defense priorities was to coerce the Senate into removing funding for the F-22 Raptor (pictured), which was already in production, by threatening to veto the defense budget. It was a move that I attacked at the time, as did many other conservatives. But the President argued that the F-22 was no longer necessary because soon we would have the hotsy totsy F-35.Except that it's three years later and the F-35 joint strike fighter, which is being co-developed with several other countries, and which Israel is scheduled to be one of the first to purchase, is nowhere near completion. As an indication of how far the F-35 is from completion, consider this: Israel is going to upgrade its old F-16 fleet.
The decision to begin the upgrades on the F-16 C/D models – called “Barak” in the IAF – began in 2010 with the installation of new avionics and a new mission-debriefing system.What could go wrong?
In an effort to increase the aircraft’s lifespan, the IAF has now decided to also upgrade the F- 16s flight-control system as well as its central display unit and the aircraft will be fitted with new high-resolution screens aimed at increasing pilots’ situational awareness.
Pilots of the Barak aircraft will also be equipped with Elbit’s display and sight helmet system, which enables pilots to aim their weapons simply by looking at their targets.
The upgrades come amid the possibility the delivery of the F- 35 will be delayed.
In 2010, the Defense Ministry signed a $2.75 billion contract for its first squadron of 20 F-35s, which are supposed to begin arriving in 2017 with pilots traveling to the US for training in mid-2016.
IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan recently held a number of discussions within the force regarding reports the Pentagon was considering slowing down the development of the F-35 after a number of cracks were discovered on some of the aircraft.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, F-16, F-22, F-35
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:22 AM
2 Comments:
Maybe Obama has decided to sell them to the Iranians instead!!
Carl, seems to me that an upgrade of the F-16 will put more of your own tailored technology in the air. The F-35 will eat a lot more $$ even for the basic platform. I think you'll come out ok.
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