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| F-16V. Photo: Lockheed Martin |
[Avionics Today 10-21-2015] Lockheed Martin’s F-16V fighter aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight earlier this week. The flight marks the first time an F-16 has flown with Northrop Grumman’s advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR).
Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 SABR AESA fire control radar provides fifth generation air-to-air and air-to-ground radar capability. Northrop Grumman also provides AESA radars for the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
The F-16V “Viper” advanced avionics configuration also includes a new cockpit center pedestal display, a modernized mission computer, a high-capacity Ethernet data bus, and several other missions systems enhancements that collectively add combat capabilities to address the dynamic threat environments emerging in the coming decades. The F-16V is an option for both new production F-16s and F-16 upgrades.