F-16I 'Suefa' rollout soon......
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Rollout of first Israeli F-16I scheduled for next week
Posted by: Stefaan on Nov 08, 2003 - 01:05 PM
An Israeli delegation will attend the rollout of the first Israeli F-16I Fighting Falcon, scheduled for Friday, November 14th, 2003. The ceremony will take place at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility in Texas.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz flies to Washington next week for key meetings with with his American counterpart Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice and other top defense and foreign policy officials as well as US Senators.
The meetings are scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Accompanying Mofaz will be director general of the Defense Ministry Amos Yaron, who is currently in Korea, and Amos Gilad, the head of the Security and Politico bureau.
Mofaz will be joining a contingent of IDF/AF pilots and OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Dan Halutz in Ft. Worth for next Friday's rollout ceremony of the first of 102 F-16I aircraft. That $4.5 billion contract is the largest ever defense deal ever made in the history of Israel. The aircraft were purchased with part of the annual $2.2 billion in military grants from the United States.
http://www.f-16.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=896&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 -
aha! probably to give a presentation on the IAI arrow to the south koreans. Those guys sure need it against da fat bastard up northOriginally posted by duotiga83:The meetings are scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday. Accompanying Mofaz will be director general of the Defense Ministry Amos Yaron, who is currently in Korea -
To be followed soon by ours.....will see if m sources can nail down an approx timeframe...Originally posted by duotiga83:Rollout of first Israeli F-16I scheduled for next week
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Could you explain what you are referring to? You dont seem to be referring to the selection of our NGF. Are you referring to an indigeneous F-16 upgrade of some sort?Originally posted by Viper52:To be followed soon by ours.....will see if m sources can nail down an approx timeframe... -
I think Viper is referfing to the 20 F-16s tat we have ordered in the year 2000, it was rumoured to be same standard of Israeli F-16I.Originally posted by YourFather:Could you explain what you are referring to? You dont seem to be referring to the selection of our NGF. Are you referring to an indigeneous F-16 upgrade of some sort? -
Yap, I believe that's the one - the Block 52+.... wonder if we will see the CFT pre-fitted from the production lineOriginally posted by gary1910:I think Viper is referfing to the 20 F-16s tat we have ordered in the year 2000, it was rumoured to be same standard of Israeli F-16I.
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any idea is it all be in D ver or a mix of Cs and Ds?Originally posted by Joe Black:Yap, I believe that's the one - the Block 52+.... wonder if we will see the CFT pre-fitted from the production line -
If I am not wrong its 2 seater. all D version like the F-15 I
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.Originally posted by gary1910:I think Viper is referfing to the 20 F-16s tat we have ordered in the year 2000, it was rumoured to be same standard of Israeli F-16I.
Spot on gary1910!
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1st F-16I can be seen here
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Wow...sui man!
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wonder wad are the burges are behind the radar.....
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http://www.lmtas.com/news/programnews/combat_air/f16/f16_03/f16pr011114.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2003
Lockheed Martin, Israel Air Force
Celebrate Inauguration Of Newest F-16 Jet Fighter
Fort Worth, Texas — Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] and the Israel Air Force (IAF) celebrated its first F-16I aircraft of a new purchase program in ceremonies today. This F-16 acquisition is the fifth for the nation of Israel.
Shaul Mofaz, IsraelÂ’s Minister of Defense, accepted the aircraft on behalf of his nation.
“This is a key moment in our national defense history,” Mofaz said. “The F-16I’s strong characteristics elevate our air force to a new level of capability. This acquisition not only enhances our military strength but contributes to our nation through significant industrial cooperation.”
Lockheed Martin was represented by Dr. Vance Coffman, chairman and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin Corp.; Dain M. Hancock, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Corp., and president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, and John Bean, vice president of F-16 programs.
“We are proud to provide the IAF with the hallmark of their arsenal of modern fighter aircraft,” Bean said. “This program illustrates the strong bond between Lockheed Martin and Israel; we hope to strengthen that relationship through our continuing commitment to this program.”
This purchase program, called Peace Marble V, contains 102 two-seat aircraft and is the largest Israeli acquisition yet, raising the total number of IAF F-16s to 362. Among Lockheed MartinÂ’s 24 F-16 customers, IsraelÂ’s Fighting Falcon fleet is second in number only to the United States Air Force. The program also involves a large military industrial cooperation program, providing $1.5 billion in offsets directly contributing to Israeli industry.
The F-16I is specially designed for Israel. Named the “Soufa,” or “storm” in Hebrew by the IAF, it will provide a key element of Israel’s defense posture. It will incorporate the latest technology and capabilities in an air combat fighter, such as modern core avionics, color cockpits featuring moving maps, conformal fuel tanks and advanced electronic warfare displays. The APG-68(V)9 multimode radar includes Synthetic Aperture Radar ground mapping capability.
The F-16I is powered by the Pratt and Whitney F100 Improved Performance Engine, with the capability to carry 52,000 lbs. in takeoff gross weight, the most ever for an F-16. It incorporates a dorsal equipment compartment and a fully missionized rear cockpit. Along with hosting the latest in electronic countermeasures equipment, the F-16I will be compatible with a wide variety of stores including day/night navigation and targeting pods, advanced air-to-air missiles, and precision “smart” weapons.
The F-16 is the choice of 24 countries. More than 4,000 aircraft have been delivered worldwide from assembly lines in five countries. The F-16 program recently marked 25 years of continuous production deliveries and has forged relationships leading to unprecedented international cooperation, including the participation of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Elbit, and other Israeli industrial partnerships. Hundreds more aircraft are on order, and production is expected to continue beyond 2010. Major upgrades for all F-16 versions are being incorporated to keep the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraftÂ’s long service life.
Background Information
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., a business area of Lockheed Martin, is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5, C-130, C-130J, P-3, S-3 and U-2.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2002 sales of $26.6 billion. -
Originally posted by duotiga83:This purchase program, called Peace Marble V, contains 102 two-seat aircraft and is the largest Israeli acquisition yet, raising the total number of IAF F-16s to 362. Among Lockheed MartinÂ’s 24 F-16 customers, IsraelÂ’s Fighting Falcon fleet is second in number only to the United States Air Force. where they get so many viper pilots?
Btw..the following is an IAF viper pilot's account of their raid on a terrorist camp in syria last month
http://www.f-16.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=887&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 -
is said to replace their F-4 and A-4Originally posted by IAF: where they get so many viper pilots? -
wonder if s'pore help funded this program..Originally posted by duotiga83:is said to replace their F-4 and A-4 
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Viper pilots around the world can only gawk at the sidelines..
Israel gets new F-16I fighter/bomber
By ARIEH O'SULLIVANPilots 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. -
Longer range for the F-16I , maybe they have CFT.
So anyone noe what is the range ? -
Israel's F-16I fighters to go down a storm
By Alon Ben-David, JDW Correspondent, Tel Aviv
The Israel Air Force's (IAF's) first F-16I fighter was rolled out at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth manufacturing facility, Texas, on 14 November, marking a new era in the service's operations of the multirole strike aircraft.
A total of 102 two-seat F-16Is will be delivered to Israel under two production contracts worth a combined $4.4 billion. The first aircraft will arrive early next year and subsequent deliveries will occur at a rate of two per month spanning about four years.
Acquired through the US government's Peace Marble V programme, the fighters will gradually replace the IAF's existing inventories of A-4 Skyhawk ground-attack and F-4 Phantom strike aircraft (Jane's Defence Weekly 30 April). The F-16 will provide the backbone of the air force's future strike capability - the latest acquisition brings to 362 the number of the aircraft delivered to the IAF. Dubbed the Soufa (Storm), the new aircraft will augment more than 230 F-16s now in service, as well as the IAF's fleet of more than 90 F-15-series fighters.
The F-16I's Pratt & Whitney F110-PW-229 engine will enable it to achieve a maximum take-off weight of 23,582kg "with a large inventory of modern weapons, both US- and Israeli-made", said Gen Shkedi.
The F-16I was selected in 1999 ahead of a follow-on buy of Boeing's multirole F-15I, 25 of which have been in Israeli service since 1998.
The F-16I is a further development of Lockheed Martin's advanced F-16 Block 50/52-series fighter, which has also been selected by Chile, Greece, Oman and Poland. The aircraft can be distinguished by its removable conformal fuel tanks (CFTs), which add 2,271 litres of fuel to the aircraft's internal load, increasing mission range and endurance and reducing dependence on inflight-refuelling aircraft. Use of the CFTs also frees up two wing stations, expanding the aircraft's air-to-surface weapons load. The aircraft also features a dorsal compartment containing mission avionics and chaff and flare dispensers, enabling it to conduct either pilot training or combat missions.
Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-68(V)9 multimode radar will enable crews to detect airborne threats from a range 30% greater than the existing APG-69 system and adds a synthetic-aperture radar mode for high-resolution ground mapping.
http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military/news/jdw/jdw031117_1_n.shtml -
First F-16I Sufa ready for delivery to Israel
Posted by: F16VIPER on Nov 26, 2003 - 08:10 AM
The long-awaited Israeli F-16I Sufa ('Storm') rolled off Lockheed Martin's production line in Texas.It is the first of 102 ordered by Israel in 1997. The estimated $4.5 billion dollar F-16I deal will be financed by the annual U.S. military aid package and concludes the largest Israeli military purchase in history.
The F-16I is a heavily modified two seat version of the F-16D Block 50/52. In addition to the new and more powerful Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine, the F-16I boasts numerous internal and external advancements and modifications.The Sufa has for example been customized with new avionic technologies, internally mounted FLIR (forward looking infrared) viewers, and cutting edge weapon system hardware provided by the Israeli defense company Lahav - a division of Israel Aircraft Industries.
The Lahav technology will allow for simultaneous, multi-target air-to-air engagement and increased standoff and survivability capabilities. The F-16I has been earmarked to receive the new Python 5 imaging infrared-guided high agility air-to-air missile produced by Rafael. The predecessor to the Python 5, the Python 4, was by many regarded to be the most advanced heat-seeking missile in the world. The Python 5 boasts a new seeker less prone to countermeasures, lock-after-launch capabilities, and an extended operational engagement time once fired. In addition, the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68(V)9 multimode radar increases the distance of airborne engagement by 30 percent over the older APG-69 system and affords the "Sufa" with a high-resolution synthetic-aperture ground mapping capability.
Complementing the upgraded weapon systems is a dorsal compartment containing enhanced mission avionics and chaff and flare dispensers, enabling it to conduct either pilot training or combat missions. In addition, removable conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) have been added along the fuselage and above the wing roots, freeing-up underwing hard points for additional armaments. The F-16I has an unrefueled combat strike radius well in excess of 500 miles. The extended flight range allows Israeli forces to attack targets well within Iran and Libya without having to refuel. In addition, the cockpit of the F-16I has been expanded to provide for the addition of an onboard weapons officer situated behind the pilot.
Israel had originally ordered 50 F-16Is in 2001 but increased the purchase to 102 after deciding against the procurement of additional the more expensive twin engine Boeing F-15Is - for which the IAF placed an order for 25 in 1997. Whereas each F-15 cosst approximately $84 million the cost of the F-16I is estimated at $45 million per aircraft.
The acquisition of the Sufa compliments Israel's deterrent strategy by further strengthening the threat to carry out retaliatory strikes throughout the Middle East while at the same time allowing the IAF to retire aging A-4 Skyhawks and F-4E Phantom IIs in service with the IAF since the late 1960s.
Three squadrons of the new aircraft are expected to be operational from the Ramon airbase deep inside the Negev by 2008 with the first strike aircraft arriving next month.
With the additional 102 new F-16Is, Israel will operate a total of 362 F-16s - the largest fleet of F-16s in the world outside of the United States Air Force.
Lockheed Martin will continue production at a rate of about 1.5 planes per month, and until 2008 they will send a few jets to Israel several times a year.
http://www.f-16.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=912&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 -
So.....here's a question:-
If the last order for 20 F16s are of the F16I standard and it's been stated that Israel chose them in place of the more expensive F15I which there's only 25........
I read in Flight International that the NGFP will come on line very close to JSF if there's no delays.
Why are we doing the NGFP?