Showing posts with label F-16 Falcon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label F-16 Falcon. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Raytheon Expands International Electronic Warfare Business with Egyptian Air Force Contract Win

Raytheon Expands International Electronic Warfare Business with Egyptian Air Force Contract Win
July 20, 2010

FARNBOROUGH, England, - Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) newest integrated electronic warfare suite "ACES" has been selected by the Egyptian Air Force to provide self-protection capabilities for its F-16 aircraft. The EAF recently agreed to purchase 20 Block 52 F-16 aircraft from prime contractor Lockheed Martin.

Raytheon has been successful in expanding its international business in recent years. Important wins in this market include the selection of ACES for the Moroccan Air Force's F-16s and Lockheed Martin's reliance on another of Raytheon's integrated electronic warfare suites for its F-16 bid in the current India fighter competition.

Under Egypt's Peace Vector VII program, Raytheon will provide Lockheed Martin with electronic warfare systems for the F-16 contract as well as related spares and maintenance support.

ACES is Raytheon's latest advanced countermeasures electronic system, comprising a radar warning receiver, jammer and chaff-flare dispenser. This highly effective system is Raytheon's latest offering for F-16 and other customers.

"The need for advanced, extremely accurate electronic warfare technology continues to be a critical element for every warfighter operating in a combat environment today. Our ACES self-protection system will identify potential threats, pinpoint their locations and jam them," said Scott Jackson, general manager for Raytheon's Electronic Warfare Systems business. "ACES delivers the latest capabilities in enhanced situational awareness and supports improved survivability to aircrews as they operate in ever more challenging environments."

Raytheon's electronic warfare systems -- including towed decoy systems, radar warning receivers and integrated suites -- are currently deployed on U.S. and international aircraft worldwide.

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Lockheed Martin F-16 is Ready for the Future as the World's Most Advanced 4th Generation Fighter

Lockheed Martin F-16 is Ready for the Future as the World's Most Advanced 4th Generation Fighter
July 20, 2010

FARNBOROUGH, England, - The versions of the F-16 being delivered to customers now are the most advanced 4th Generation multi-role fighter aircraft currently available on the international market and are building on the F-16's reputation for effectiveness and value, the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) director of business development for the program said today.

"The F-16 continues as a modern, highly capable, affordable and supportable fighter. The program is healthy and active, with firm production through 2013 and a strong likelihood of new orders that will extend the line for several more years," said Bill McHenry, director of business development for F-16 programs, in remarks to reporters at the Farnborough International Airshow. McHenry also added that there is a firm backlog of 86 F-16 aircraft, including a recent order from Egypt for 20 new, Advanced Block 50/52 aircraft, the sixth follow-on buy for this country.

More than 4,450 F-16s have been delivered worldwide since the program's inception more than 30 years ago - including 53 follow-on buys by 14 countries.

In addition to the F-16 production programs, Lockheed Martin continues to develop the F-16 for the future by integrating advanced technologies through upgrade programs for existing F-16s to ensure interoperability with the world's only 5th Generation fighters, the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.

"This integration of advanced technologies for fielded and new aircraft provides an opportunity for F-16 operators to benefit from the latest developments in technology and capabilities for fighter aircraft," McHenry said. "This synergy will parallel technology and provide a natural bridge from the 4th Generation of fighters to the 5th Generation."

Aircraft now being produced for Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco and Egypt are the Advanced Block 50/52 F-16C/D configuration. The United Arab Emirates was the launch customer for the Block 60 F-16 E/F version, and is the platform basis for the proposed variant called the F-16IN Super Viper for the Indian Air Force's Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft competition.

McHenry said the F-16 offers the latest technologies and capabilities available today - including AESA radar, day-night, all-weather, standoff, autonomous, air intercept and precision strike. These aircraft have the latest in avionics, sensors and weapons, plus user-friendly cockpits and systems integration that provide pilots with high situational awareness.

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Boeing, Jacksonville Community Celebrate Arrival of F-16s for Aerial Target Program

Boeing, Jacksonville Community Celebrate Arrival of F-16s for Aerial Target Program
July 15, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - Boeing [NYSE: BA] employees joined congressional representatives, local government officials and community leaders on July 9 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville to celebrate the arrival of the first F-16s for the QF-16 aerial target program.

Boeing received a $69.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force in March to convert up to 126 retired F-16s into QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Targets that can fly either manned or unmanned. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2014.

"This is an important program for the Air Force and Boeing," Steve Waltman, Boeing director of Aircraft Sustainment & Maintenance, told the audience. "This is a significant off-platform project for our company, and we have confidence that our Cecil Field teammates will deliver the aerial targets to our customer on budget and on time."

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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Boeing Receives 1st F-16 for Conversion into QF-16 Aerial Drone

Boeing Receives 1st F-16 for Conversion into QF-16 Aerial Drone
May 27, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - The first retired F-16 Falcon arrived at Boeing's [NYSE: BA] Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville on April 22 to begin conversion into a QF-16 aerial drone. Boeing received a $69.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on March 8 for the first phase of the QF-16 program.

The Boeing-led team, which includes BAE Systems, will begin engineering, manufacturing and development of the full-scale manned and unmanned QF-16s during Phase 1. The drones will be used as aerial targets for newly developed weapons and tactics. They will be a higher-performing aircraft than the QF-4s they will replace.

The team will receive six F-16s during the program's development phase. After modification to the QF-16 configuration, they will serve as prototypes for engineering tests and evaluation prior to low-rate initial production. Up to 126 QF-16 drones will be converted beginning in 2014.

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Lockheed Martin Receives $213 Million Contract for 20 New F-16s for Egypt

Lockheed Martin Receives $213 Million Contract for 20 New F-16s for Egypt
March 3, 2010 9:33:00 AM

FORT WORTH, Texas, -- The U.S. government has awarded an initial $213 million to Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) for long-lead tasks for the production of 20 new Advanced Block 52 F-16 aircraft for Egypt.

"This is a great day for Lockheed Martin and a testament to the enduring partnership and commitment we have made to the government of Egypt. We remain committed to providing our customer with a proven, advanced 4th Generation multirole fighter," said John Larson, vice president, Lockheed Martin F-16 programs. "This marks the 53rd follow-on buy of F-16s by 14 repeat customers. The aircraft we will deliver to Egypt will join the fleet of more than 4,400 F-16s representing 25 nations."

The new aircraft order includes 16 F-16Cs and 4 F-16Ds, and will supplement the Egyptian Air Force's (EAF) existing fleet of F-16s and contribute to the modernization of the EAF. The final Egyptian F-16 under this contract will be delivered in 2013.

Egypt was the first Arab country to purchase F-16s through a Foreign Military Sales program called Peace Vector. The Egyptian Air Force received a total of 42 F-16s in its first order in 1980 and since then has purchased five more lots of aircraft, for a total of 240 F-16 Fighting Falcons.

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Friday, February 12, 2010

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Air Force Advanced Information Management During Bold Quest Exercise

Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Air Force Advanced Information Management During Bold Quest Exercise
February 12, 2010

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has demonstrated airborne information management capabilities supporting tactical operations under an Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) contract. The company demonstrated its Advanced Information Management System (AIMS) last fall during the Bold Quest exercise headquarters at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Two Air National Guard F-16 fighter jets fitted with AIMS-equipped LITENING pods were able to share information with the exercise headquarters.

The goal of the AFRL project is to integrate and demonstrate an advanced airborne capability merging AFRL's Joint Battlespace Infosphere's information brokering capabilities into Northrop Grumman's high speed recording and tactical dissemination capabilities and
transition it to U.S. Department of Defense programs. The result is AIMS, providing the tactical warfighter with critical information on
demand, through tactical radio communications or existing enterprise networks.

"Key to the effective coordination between air and coalition ground entities is the real-time management of information in a rapidly
changing battlespace," said Richard Wassmuth, Northrop Grumman AIMS program manager. "Immediate access to relevant information in a usable
and understandable form reduces the fog of war and allows collaboration between shooters and ground forces to achieve their objectives while
minimizing fratricide."

During the Bold Quest exercise, the LITENING pod hosted AIMS and allowed Air Force battle managers to discover, receive and exploit
images from the F-16 aircraft to better coordinate targeting with the fighter pilots, and provide unprecedented situational awareness of the
battlefield to ground forces, mission planners and operators at the tactical headquarters.

AIMS was hosted on a single board computer integrated with the LITENING pod. It recorded and disseminated the pod's real-time video,
imagery, blue force tracking, and sensor points of interest to support Joint Tactical Air Controllers' (JTACs') air strike operations and
provided them with instant access to the entire mission record in an organized way. "These technologies were key enablers for providing
real-time operational situational awareness, evaluation of exercise effectiveness, and facilitating post mission technical analysis," said Wassmuth.

The data collected by AIMS aboard the F-16 was also transmitted via tactical radios to the Moving Intelligence (MOVINT) Client at the USAF headquarters at Camp Lejeune.

"The MOVINT Client is developed jointly by Northrop Grumman and AFRL to provide an integrated, temporal view of the battlespace, and
aggregates air and ground force locations, moving target intelligence, aircraft video, sensor points of interest and target locations," said
Philip Ceccio, Northrop Grumman lead systems engineer for AIMS. "It allows operators and planners to jog backward and forward, much like a
digital video recorder, to review current operations and perform post mission forensic analysis."

"AIMS brings lightweight tactical information management services to LITENING pods," continued Ceccio. "These capabilities fortify Close Air Support (CAS) missions by increasing Special Forces and CAS interoperability. The MOVINT Client provides exceptional situational awareness to the headquarters. These capabilities are being further enhanced for demonstration during the Joint Expeditionary Forces Experiment (JEFX) in April at Nellis AFB, Nev."

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Successfully Demonstrated aboard U.S. Air Force F-16

Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) Successfully
Demonstrated aboard U.S. Air Force F-16
January 25, 2010

LINTHICUM, Md. - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, has successfully completed a series of demonstration flights of its Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) installed in an F-16 fighter aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The demonstration was in support of a U.S. Air Force F-16 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) feasibility study.

"Almost two years ago Northrop Grumman said that air forces of
the future will necessarily gravitate toward using AESA technology –
especially through scalable retrofit technology. Our team has worked
diligently to make that possible and today we've made it a reality.
This officially marks the first time a retrofit AESA has ever flown in
a legacy F-16," said Arlene Camp, director of Advanced F-16 Radar
Programs at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector.

"This demonstration validated our goal of developing an AESA
that can be easily installed on the flight line and integrated with
existing power and cooling provisions of currently fielded F-16s," Camp
added. "With regard to installed performance, SABR's air-to-air and
air-to-ground detection and tracking and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
mapping performance met or exceeded our predictions."

SABR is an affordable and scalable AESA radar designed for
retrofit in current F-16s and other legacy fighter, attack, and
training aircraft. Compared to mechanically-scanned array radars, SABR
will provide the increased performance, multi-functionality, and
greater reliability inherent in AESA radars. In terms of combat
capability, SABR provides improved situational awareness, greater
detection, high-resolution SAR maps, interleaved air-to-air and
air-to-surface mode operations, and an all-environment precision strike
capability.

Northrop Grumman has been the sole provider of radars for the
F-16 and for over 30 years has continually improved the F-16 radar's
performance and reliability. More than 5,000 F-16 radars have been
produced for the U.S. Air Force and 24 nations worldwide.

Because of this extensive foundation and rich F-16 heritage and
platform intimacy, Northrop Grumman is the first to design, develop,
integrate, test and successfully demonstrate retrofit AESA capability
in flight on a legacy F-16. SABR is part of Northrop Grumman's robust
product family of multi-function sensors and capabilities.

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Northrop Grumman Performs Successful SABR Fit-Check Aboard F-16 Fighter At Edwards Air Force Base

Northrop Grumman Performs Successful SABR Fit-Check Aboard F-16 Fighter At Edwards Air Force Base

BALTIMORE – July 23, 2009 – Northrop Grumman Corporation's
(NYSE:NOC) newest active electronically scanned array (AESA) fighter
sensor, the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), has been successfully
installed on a U.S. Air Force F-16 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

In November, SABR began a series of flight demonstrations
aboard the company's test aircraft, successfully detecting and
displaying multiple aerial targets and generating high resolution
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) ground maps.

"The fit-check completed on June 29, is another important
milestone leading up to a planned F-16 flight demonstration later this
year," said Arlene Camp, director of Advanced F-16 Radar Programs at
Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems Division. "Installation took less
than five hours and assessed SABR's design goals to integrate
seamlessly within existing F-16 Block 50/52 physical constraints for
interface to aircraft power, cooling, and avionics."

The aircraft was returned to original configuration after the
installation evaluation.

"Northrop Grumman is the sole provider of radars for the F-16
and for over 30 years has continually improved the F-16 radar's
performance and reliability. SABR is Northrop Grumman's latest
investment towards enhancing and sustaining the F-16's combat
capability for decades to come," added Camp.

Although designed specifically for the F-16, SABR is scalable
and adaptable to other platforms and missions. Compared to the
mechanically-scanned array radars it is designed to replace, SABR will
provide increased performance, multi-functionality and greater
reliability. SABR's greater detection and tracking range,
high-resolution SAR maps, and interleaved mode operations will provide
pilots improved situational awareness and all-environment precision
strike capability.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security
company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products,
and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems,
shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial
customers worldwide.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Global Partners Building Global Security

Global Partners Building Global Security
June 16, 2009

Lockheed Martin F-16 - The Most Advanced 4th Generation Multirole Fighter In The World

PARIS, FRANCE, -- Lockheed Martin's [NYSE:LMT] vice president and general manager of F-16 Programs, John Larson, told reporters attending the Paris Air Show today that the F-16 continues to be the most advanced 4th Generation multirole fighter currently available on the international market. The Fighting Falcon provides global security through a worldwide partnership base of 25 nations with advanced technologies, complete multirole capabilities and lowest life-cycle cost. The F-16 was established as a European fighter from the program's inception with international co-production beginning in 1977, through the establishment of the most successful multinational consortium program in history with Belgium, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the United States. Since then, 19 countries have participated in F-16 manufacturing, and the program continues to foster a strong foundation of international partnerships with more than 50 industrial companies participating today.

"There are currently 25 nations that depend on the F-16 to help meet their country's security needs," said Larson, who, in addition to the F-16 programs, also oversees Lockheed Martin?s work in the T-50 and F-2 aircraft programs. "We've built more F-16s outside the United States making the F-16 the largest multinational production program in history," he said.

Underscoring the Lockheed Martin 'Global Partnerships Building Global Security' theme for this year's show, Larson said the F-16 continues to lead the international fighter market with 52 repeat buys by 14 customers.

"The F-16 is the most affordable and proven choice to meet the force structure needs and security requirements of air forces around the world," said Larson. "Continuous technology enhancements and a very clear path for upgrades and global sustainment have allowed the F-16 to perform as a comprehensive weapon system with over 14 million flight hours proving its safety and reliability."

Larson explained that many of the F-16's advanced technologies were developed from analyzing the aircraft?s performance in combat operations. "We took feedback from U.S. and international warfighters and incorporated it into the avionics systems and architecture of the F-16, keeping the F-16 on the leading edge of technology to meet the needs of our customers."

The F-16 continues as a modern, highly capable, affordable and supportable fighter. The program is healthy, with firm production through 2012, and a strong likelihood of new orders that will extend the line for several more years. Through the first quarter of 2009, the company's backlog is about 95 F-16 aircraft and there remains significant international potential, said Larson.

Recent F-16 program milestones have included an arrival ceremony at Araxos Air Base, Greece, for the first four of 30 aircraft to be delivered through the Hellenic Air Force?s Peace Xenia IV program, as well as the final deliveries of F-16s to Poland in December 2008, and F-16s to Israel in January of this year.

Several F-16 modification, upgrade and modernization programs are also underway for Turkey, Pakistan, Jordan and the U.S. Air Force, providing the newest combat capabilities to the worldwide group of F-16 users. The upgrade potential for the F-16 fleet is substantial since 25 countries have ordered F-16s to date and the aircraft will be in operation around the world for several more decades.

"Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force are committed to modification and sustainment of the worldwide F-16 fleet. We recognize that we have a serious obligation to support our customers' security requirements, and we also recognize fleet sustainment as a growing customer need, as well as a business opportunity," Larson said.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Boeing Part of Development Team for US Air Force F-16 Training Program

Boeing Part of Development Team for US Air Force F-16 Training Program

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 28, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it will assist in the development of the U.S. Air Force F-16 Mission Training Center (MTC) program as part of a team led by L-3 Link Simulation & Training (L-3 Link). The Aeronautical Systems Center's Simulator Systems Group at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, awarded L-3 Link a $68.2 million contract for the program in December 2008.

"This program supports our growth strategy of capturing contracts for non-Boeing platforms, expands our F-16 business base to allow expansion to markets outside the United States, and supports our position as a leader in the Distributed Mission Operations [DMO] market," said Mark McGraw, vice president of Training Systems & Services, a division of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Global Services & Support.

The multiyear contract includes options for the production, delivery and sustainment of up to 20 four-ship F-16 MTCs at Air Force installations in the United States, Europe and Pacific region. High-fidelity F-16 MTC simulators, which will accurately model all of the fighter aircraft's weapon systems and ordnance, will be delivered in Block 40/42 and 50/52 configurations to support basic and advanced pilot mission training, tactics validation and mission rehearsal.

If the contract options are exercised, Training Systems & Services will provide F-16 MTC Synthetic Forces Entity Simulation, weapons simulation, instructor/operator stations and brief/debrief stations. L-3 Link will develop and deliver the F-16 simulation, crew stations and visual system, in addition to being responsible for overall system integration, program management and logistics support.

Each F-16 simulator will include a 360-degree visual system, robust synthetic environment, instructor/operator station and brief/debrief station. The simulators can be operated individually or linked together to provide four-ship training, both within the MTC and linked to the DMO network.

A leading provider of networking and integration solutions for training systems, Boeing Training Systems & Services has delivered and currently operates five Air Force F-15C MTCs and three F-15E MTCs around the world. Boeing also is integrating the F-22 Raptor Full Mission Trainer into the DMO training network.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Northrop Grumman Conducts Successful First Flight of New Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR)

Northrop Grumman Conducts Successful First Flight of New Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR)

LINTHICUM, Md., Nov. 18, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully conducted the first demonstration flight of the company's newest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fighter sensor, the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR). SABR is being developed as a significant avionics enhancement for the existing fleet of F-16s and other fighter aircraft worldwide.

"This first flight marks a major milestone in our effort to develop an AESA radar designed specifically to meet current F-16 power, cooling, and interface requirements," said Arlene Camp, director of Advanced F-16 Radar Programs at Northrop Grumman. "Although designed specifically for the F-16, SABR is scalable and adaptable to other platforms and missions."

SABR completed its first flight ahead of schedule on November 16, successfully detecting and displaying numerous aerial targets, and exceeding first flight predictions, Camp noted.

"This demonstration flight is the first in a series scheduled over the next few weeks as we transition SABR from a laboratory environment to an operational flight environment," said Camp. "The Sabreliner testbed aircraft has an actual F-16 radome and avionics. We've used the Sabreliner for more than 20 years for developing and testing F-16 mechanically scanned radar hardware and software. It's as close as you're going to get to a real F-16 flight demonstration."

"SABR is Northrop Grumman's investment toward enhancing and sustaining the F-16's combat capability for decades to come," added Camp. "We plan to demonstrate SABR on an F-16 next year."

Compared to the mechanically-scanned array radars it is designed to replace, SABR will provide the increased performance, multi-functionality, and greater reliability inherent in AESA radars. The improved situational awareness, greater detection, high-resolution synthetic aperture radar, and interleaved air-to-air and air-to-surface mode operations will provide pilots true all-environment precision strike capability.

More information on SABR is available at: http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/sabr/


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