First F-16I to be delivered to the IAF

[S'13]

Nov. 14, 2003
Israel gets new F-16I fighter/bomber
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN

Pilots of the newest F-16I long-range fighter/bomber which is to roll off the assembly line in Texas Friday are itchy to get their hands on the $45 million jet.

Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin delivers the first F-16I at its plant here Friday to an Israeli delegation led by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, fresh from his talks in Washington.

The rollout ceremony marks the interim phase in this $4.5 billion dollar deal, the largest arms deal ever taken in the history of the state. Lockheed Martin won the tender, beating rival Boeing, in 1999 to supply 102 of the advanced fighter jets which are aimed at strengthening the IAF's long reach, being able to reach nations like Iran and Libya.

The aircraft have been supplemented to Israel's specifications and are different from any other F-16, even in the service of the US Air Force. They are being paid for from the annual US military grants given to Israel, which this year stands at about $2.2 billion.

The next phase is transporting the jets to Israel. The first is expected to arrive next month and gradually the whole squadron will be in place at the Ramon base deep in the Negev. A total of three squadrons will be delivered by 2008.

"We have not flown them yet," said Lt.-Col. A., commander of the "Negev" squadron "We went through a conversion course in the United States and we flew the simulator. But we will only fly the real thing when it comes to the country. But after we flew the simulator we got real itchy to get in the cockpit and fly it already."

Lt.-Col. A. was plucked from his command of an F-15 squadron to command the new jet squadron. He said the Air Force gave him top priority in assembling the IAF's top aviators and ground crews to receive the new jets.

'This is a jet that doesn't exist elsewhere. We did not buy a jet that has experience in the US air force. This means that we will reach maturity in stages and it will take a while for the squadron to ripen and the jet reaches its full capacities," the 36-year-old squadron leader said.

"We don't' think about the price of the jet in terms of dollars, but in the defense of the state of Israel," he told The Jerusalem Post. "We do understand how much the country is investing in this and not just the platform, but also in the development of the south (where the F-16I squadrons will be based and families relocated)

"My hope is for us to be the spearhead of the IAF," Lt.-Col. A said.

With the arrival of the 102 F-16Is, Israel will have a total of 362 of the jets – the largest fleet in any country in the world behind the United States. The F-16s are the backbone of the IAF, but these new "I" models will give added punch to the long-range capabilities of the IAF and will complement the squadron of F-15Is Israel received in the end of the 1990s.

The Air Force has nicknamed the F-16I as "Sufa," or thunderstorm. It has a 820 non-refueling radius of operation.



F-16I
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~steven/images/iaff16.jpg

[Red]

I just love me the israeli's.you dont want to mess with these guys.Let me tell you what i think,no country on earth can beat israel not one.Yes even the US.My only problem with israel is that they dont like black people,been to uisrael before i enjoyed it for a while untill........

[spier]

I just love me the israeli's.you dont want to mess with these guys.Let me tell you what i think,no country on earth can beat israel not one.Yes even the US.My only problem with israel is that they dont like black people,been to uisrael before i enjoyed it for a while untill........Countries that can beat(read, turn 60% of Israel into glass): France, UK, Russia, India, Pakistan, USA and China.

[Red]

Israeli's are God's chosen people no others can defaet them in battle becaus the ark of the lord is with them. :P

[spier]

Israeli's are God's chosen people no others can defaet them in battle becaus the ark of the lord is with them. :P rofl (it was a joke, right?)

[S'13]

Countries that can beat(read, turn 60% of Israel into glass): France, UK, Russia, India, Pakistan, USA and China.

Israel also has the ability to turn other countries into glass.

Anyway, this is not the topic so could we plaese stick to it and not be carried away into meaningless debates?

[Fliptape]

so you can even beat the US :)

and where did you get all those weapons from again?

if the US stopped funding Israel even Syria could beat you.

[S'13]

so you can even beat the US
Is the U.S an enemy of Israel? If not then this question is not even relevant.


and where did you get all those weapons from again?

What weapons are you refering to?


if the US stopped funding Israel even Syria could beat you.

If you will look in the history books you will see that Israel has been dealing with Syria (and many other much stronger enemys) long before it got any significant U.S support. I know many Americans like to think that our existence depends on them but that's not the case.

[pinkeye]

getting this thread back on track, what's special/different about this latest version of the f-16? the article states that the range has been extended, so what else?

[He219]

http://www.jinsa.org/documents/200110/1289.jpg

Find out more here (related articles at the bottom): http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/154/documentid/1286/history/3,654,154,1286


The F-16I-series has a two-seat cockpit configuration with advanced avionic technologies, new weapons, and improved Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines and is similar to the F-16D model in service with the USAF. The aircraft are equipped with FLIR (forward-looking infrared) viewers, for target designation, and features increased external fuel capacity in conformal fuel tanks, increasing the aircraft range to 800 miles (1,500 km). These systems give the F-16s new combat capabilities including simultaneous, multi-target air-to-air intercept, standoff, all-weather precision strike and enhanced survivability against the most advanced threats. It is expected that the Israelis will equip the F-16s with the advanced RAFAEL Derby medium-range air-to-air missile and the RAFAEL Python-4 short-range air-to-air missile. The Derby is a radar-guided missile similar to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM. Advanced radar seeker performance enables the engagement of several targets from short ranges to beyond visual range. The Python-4, widely considered to be the finest heat-seeking missile in the world, is capable of engaging targets within a wider area than the current U.S. AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Cost is one of the primary factors driving the popularity of Lockheed Martin's F-16 relative to Boeing's twin-engine F-15 Eagle. The delivery cost of an F-15I is about $84 million. According to Aviation Week, late-model F-16s run approximately $33 million each including U.S. supplied avionics. In open competitions, the F-16 has been selected in 67 percent of the decisions; repeat orders have accounted for 75 percent of all sales. In the last five years, the F-16 has accounted for all American fighter export orders. "We are grateful to the government of Israel for this continued expression of confidence in the F-16 and our company," stated Dain M. *******, president of Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in Fort Worth. "Israel is a long-term F-16 customer that has both contributed to and benefited from the continual evolution of our product as the world's premier multi-role fighter."

As a result of the new purchases, Israel operates the second largest fleet of F-16s in the world behind only the United States. The country has received or ordered more than 300 Fighting Falcons, including the most recent order. "This order is another significant development that continues the long heritage of cooperative program between the government of Israel and Lockheed Martin Corporation," said Amos Yaron, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. "It reinforces the significant defense capability provided by Israel's Air Force, which relies on the F-16 as the backbone of its fighter aircraft fleet."

[pinkeye]

http://www.jinsa.org/documents/200110/1289.jpg

Find out more here (related articles at the bottom): http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/154/documentid/1286/history/3,654,154,1286


The F-16I-series has a two-seat cockpit configuration with advanced avionic technologies, new weapons, and improved Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines and is similar to the F-16D model in service with the USAF. The aircraft are equipped with FLIR (forward-looking infrared) viewers, for target designation, and features increased external fuel capacity in conformal fuel tanks, increasing the aircraft range to 800 miles (1,500 km). These systems give the F-16s new combat capabilities including simultaneous, multi-target air-to-air intercept, standoff, all-weather precision strike and enhanced survivability against the most advanced threats. It is expected that the Israelis will equip the F-16s with the advanced RAFAEL Derby medium-range air-to-air missile and the RAFAEL Python-4 short-range air-to-air missile. The Derby is a radar-guided missile similar to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM. Advanced radar seeker performance enables the engagement of several targets from short ranges to beyond visual range. The Python-4, widely considered to be the finest heat-seeking missile in the world, is capable of engaging targets within a wider area than the current U.S. AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Cost is one of the primary factors driving the popularity of Lockheed Martin's F-16 relative to Boeing's twin-engine F-15 Eagle. The delivery cost of an F-15I is about $84 million. According to Aviation Week, late-model F-16s run approximately $33 million each including U.S. supplied avionics. In open competitions, the F-16 has been selected in 67 percent of the decisions; repeat orders have accounted for 75 percent of all sales. In the last five years, the F-16 has accounted for all American fighter export orders. "We are grateful to the government of Israel for this continued expression of confidence in the F-16 and our company," stated Dain M. *******, president of Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in Fort Worth. "Israel is a long-term F-16 customer that has both contributed to and benefited from the continual evolution of our product as the world's premier multi-role fighter."

As a result of the new purchases, Israel operates the second largest fleet of F-16s in the world behind only the United States. The country has received or ordered more than 300 Fighting Falcons, including the most recent order. "This order is another significant development that continues the long heritage of cooperative program between the government of Israel and Lockheed Martin Corporation," said Amos Yaron, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. "It reinforces the significant defense capability provided by Israel's Air Force, which relies on the F-16 as the backbone of its fighter aircraft fleet."


thanks for the info...

[spier]

and where did you get all those weapons from again?
If you are talking about the nukes, then they made them themselves with help from France.

[UoUo]

I just love me the israeli's.you dont want to mess with these guys.Let me tell you what i think,no country on earth can beat israel not one.Yes even the US.My only problem with israel is that they dont like black people,been to uisrael before i enjoyed it for a while untill........Countries that can beat(read, turn 60% of Israel into glass): France, UK, Russia, India, Pakistan, USA and China.

And israel can turn them into glass as well....

I belive that 400 nukes is plenty....



and where did you get all those weapons from again?

if the US stopped funding Israel even Syria could beat you.

rofl rofl rofl

Like they did in 67 ? or 73 ? or 82 ?

rofl

[UoUo]

I just love me the israeli's.you dont want to mess with these guys.Let me tell you what i think,no country on earth can beat israel not one.Yes even the US.My only problem with israel is that they dont like black people,been to uisrael before i enjoyed it for a while untill........

hey man !!!

who told you that **** ? we don't hate black people....

I a bunch of freinds that they are blacks.

[StarvingStudent47]

This is good. It always seemed to me that the number of electronics in modern military aircraft could overwhelm one person. Two-seaters always seemed like a smart move to me.

[AirZone]

I just love me the israeli's.you dont want to mess with these guys.Let me tell you what i think,no country on earth can beat israel not one.Yes even the US.My only problem with israel is that they dont like black people,been to uisrael before i enjoyed it for a while untill........

hey man !!!

who told you that **** ? we don't hate black people....

I a bunch of freinds that they are blacks.

yeah.. i have a bunch of black friends to... in israel you have so many cultures so its hard to be racists :hug:

[He219]

Here (http://www.elbit.co.il/news/arch/Nov2001c.html) is another unique feature of F-16I models. http://www.elbit.co.il/news/arch/feb2000c.html

Also, notice the unusual fuselage confuguration at the wing roots...

http://www.lmtas.com/gallery/products/combat_air/f16/f16_press/01/f16pr010905.jpg

Those lines are the new conformal fuel tanks (CFT) that allow 50 percent more fuel than the centerline external fuel tank, but has only 12 percent of the drag and are designed for the full F-16 flight envelope – up to 9 g’s, maximum angle of attack, sideslip and roll rate.

http://www.lmtas.com/gallery/products/combat_air/f16/f16_press/02/f16pr021127_lr.jpg
http://www.lmtas.com/news/programnews/combat_air/f16/f16_02/f16pr021127.html


Just to be fair with the Peace Marble V Program, here are the corresponding Egyptian Peace Vector VI F-16's....

http://www.lmtas.com/gallery/products/combat_air/f16/f16_press/01/f16pr010822.jpg

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force commented they were very pleased with the performance and maintainability of their F-16s and that the F-16 was the backbone of EAF’s modernization program. He also stated that peace through strength was at the top of Egypt’s strategic priorities, and the F-16s are helping to deter aggression and maintain peace in the region.

The EAF already operates similar F-16s and their Fighter Weapons Training School at Gianaklis AB. Egypt received its first F-16s in 1982 and has ordered a total of 220 aircraft, giving them the fourth largest fleet of F-16s in the world.
http://www.lmtas.com/news/programnews/combat_air/f16/f16_01/f16pr010822.html



;)

[usa320]

I dont think it would be possible for any nation to flat out defeat the US in war, there is simply too many targets they would need to hit, and too much area to cover, and too many people to brainwash.

And i dont think any military other than Canada, Russia and Mexico have the range to Hit us.

[One?]

I dont think it would be possible for any nation to flat out defeat the US in war, there is simply too many targets they would need to hit, and too much area to cover, and too many people to brainwash.

And i dont think any military other than Canada, Russia and Mexico have the range to Hit us.


Canadians will start fist fights in NORAD.... :bash:

[Midtown]

for gods sake, this topic is ABOUT the new F16's you goons, Who gives a **** about who could beat who. You people are obsessed with pissing contests.

[He219]

Another intersting F-16I feature is the latest generation Display and Sight Helmet system, stores management systems and other avionics (DASH IV) for launching Python IV missiles. DASH is measuring the pilot's line of sight (LOS), slaving missiles and sensors to the target, DASH also brings displays to the pilot's eye-level and informs the pilot of target location, while integrating all modes of operation with Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) controls.

http://www.hangardigital.com.ar/notas/misiles_10.jpghttp://www.flightgear.dk/pic/dash.jpg


Elbit Systems' fixed wing Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) technology provides the basis for the U.S. Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/jhmcs/jhmcs_back.html)) program. Through the joint venture with Kaiser Electronics, Vision Systems International Inc (VSI) is equipping all frontline U.S. fighters (F-16, F/A-18, F-15 and F-22) with the advanced helmet mounted display and sight. Additionally, VSI was selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company to be its HMD source for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

http://www.defense-update.com/directory/jhmcs1.jpghttp://www.flightgear.dk/pic/jhmcs2.jpghttp://www.flightgear.dk/pic/jhmcs1.jpg

Other variants:

http://www.flightgear.dk/pic/sextant.jpg
French Rafale Sextant Avionique Topsight

http://www.flightgear.dk/pic/hmd.jpg
Eurofighter GEC Marconi HMD



Ironically, we discovered the Soviet lead in these systems only after the fall of the Berlin Wall and not Firefox, the movie. ;)

http://www.hangardigital.com.ar/notas/misiles_15.jpg

An edition of Air Forces Monthly describes the 510th Fighter Squadron F-16C wing based in Spain sending a group down to the ACM range in Sardinia at the same time as the Luftwaffe Mig-29/F4 wing had slots. "The Head mounted AA-11 site system (integration with the R-73 Archer heat-seeking air-to-air missile system) is great, giving a 45 degree cone of engagement and the Mig-29 can out point the F-16C at most speeds but the F-16C can maintain energy better. With that helmet sight, they were able to take shots that you'd never expect a western-type jet to be able to take," the captain said. "That was pretty eye-opening." - Capt. Mike McCoy

This was followed in 1993 by the Israeli Elbit DASH for the Python III missile with the capability for 60º and 90º degree off-boresight missile launches at great speed and stresses. I read someplace that during maneuvers against US Navy F-18's armed with Aim-9M's, the IAF DASH/Python III system resulted in 220 victories out of 240 confrontations!! Quite impressive. No wonder the collaboration between Elbit and Kaiser Electronics to form VSI Inc. that jointly developed the JHMCS (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/jhmcs/jhmcs_back.html) program.

[perdurabo]

Countries that can beat(read, turn 60% of Israel into glass): France, UK, Russia, India, Pakistan, USA and China.

Israel also has the ability to turn other countries into glass.

Anyway, this is not the topic so could we plaese stick to it and not be carried away into meaningless debates?
as my personal hero said;: dont be to proud of your technological terror the ability of destroying whole planet is insignificant next to the POWER OF THE FORCE;-)
Use the force ;-)
Sorry for this offtopic joke it isn't aimed towards Israeli but all countries that are proud of their Nuke-forces

[S'13]

as my personal hero said;: dont be to proud of your technological terror the ability of destroying whole planet is insignificant next to the POWER OF THE FORCE;-)
Use the force
Sorry for this offtopic joke it isn't aimed towards Israeli but all countries that are proud of their Nuke-forces

Were not proud of our nuclear force but happy to have it as a deterrent.

[UoUo]

"I read someplace that during maneuvers against US Navy F-18's armed with Aim-9M's, the IAF DASH/Python III system resulted in 220 victories out of 240 "

woot