In article <q4kocl0224r@drn.newsguy.com>,
Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com> wrote:
> https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26430532/f-21-lockheed-figh
> ter-jet/
>
> Lockheed Martin has announced a fighter jet it calls the F-21. The
> single-seat
> fighter is packed with missiles, modern sensors, and can engage in both
> air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. It?s not exactly ?new? though?the rest
> of
> the world knows this plane as the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
>
> For years, Lockheed has been lobbying India for a fighter contract in excess
> of
> 100 jets. Why? Because it saw a window of opportunity. India traditionally
> bought its defense tech from the Soviet Union and Russia, but recently, the
> hugely populous nation has been on a roll buying American military
> technology,
> including the P-8 Poseidon and AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
>
> Now, India is seeking a foreign fighter for its air force. There?s stiff
> competition between Lockheed?s F-16, Boeing?s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the
> Swedish Gripen, French Rafale, European Eurofighter Typhoon, and Russian
> jets.
> To break through the logjam, Lockheed decided it needed to upgrade its
> offering
>
> The latest version of the F-16, officially dubbed the F-16 Block 70, is a
> thoroughly modern fighter jet. The original F-16 was introduced in the 1970s,
> but the new jet is a different beast thanks to advanced avionics, the APG-83
> active electronically scanned array radar, above-wing fuel tanks for
> increased
> range, and an automatic ground collision avoidance system. The Block 70 also
> has
> a structural service life of 12,000 hours, compared to just 8,000 hours for
> earlier versions of the F-16.
>
> https://youtu.be/VNIwVxhwLPM
>
> The fact that this upgraded jet is still called an "F-16," however, is both a
> blessing and a curse. On one hand, the F-16 has an excellent reputation and
> is
> in service with nearly 30 air forces around the world. On the other hand,
> well,
> it's old. Not to worry, though, because Lockheed came up with a marketing
> solution: Rebrand the plane as the ?F-21.? This is not an official
> designation,
> but it does help shed the perception of an aging jet.
>
> The ?F-21? also has some tricks the Block 70 doesn?t have. Lockheed's
> promotional video shows the fighter with a remarkable ten missiles?eight
> medium
> range, radar-guided AMRAAM missiles plus two AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles. The
> F-21 can be seen carrying a Sniper electro-optical targeting pod, also
> produced
> by Lockheed Martin. In service with the U.S. Air Force, the Sniper pod
> provides
> HD forward-looking infrared (also known as thermal imaging), a dual mode
> laser,
> video data link, and digital data recorder. The F-21 also features an aerial
> refueling probe for refueling using the drogue system and a huge flat panel
> cockpit display.
>
> India doesn't just want a new fighter. It wants to produce the new fighter
> locally, which would be a substantial boost to the country?s defense
> industrial
> base. To wit, Lockheed Martin has offered to move F-16 production from Fort
> Worth, Texas to India if the country chooses the F-16 (or F-21). This would
> be a
> win-win for Lockmart since the company probably needs the space at Fort Worth
> to
> ramp up production of the F-35 anyway. And India eventually could build
> planes
> for future, non-American F-16 customers.
>
> As neat as this new fighter is, you won?t see the U.S. Air Force flying it
> anytime soon. The Air Force is fully committed to the F-35 Joint Strike
> Fighter
> program, and while it might upgrade some existing F-16s in the service to
> include some technology in the F-21, there is very little chance the service
> will purchase new F-16s (I mean, F-21s). While the Air Force may in fact buy
> new
> F-15X fighters, the new version of the Eagle complements rather than competes
> with the F-35.
>
>
>
>
>
> *
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Well the last fighter in the standard numerical serie was the Northrop
F-20 (ex F-5G) who disappear when the sale of F-16 was allowed so
renaming the F-16 as F-21 is rather humorous. If I remember well the
F-21 designation was used for the IAI Kfir (no more in service).
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