F-16 Test Pilot Perspective: Falcon Forward
Hear from Lockheed Martin Test Pilot, Monessa "Siren" Balzhiser, on flying the F-16.
Ready then, ready now, ahead of ready for what’s to come.
Transforming 4th Generation for the next generation with the newest and most advanced F-16.
Meet the Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon.
Built Upon 4+ Decades of a Proven and Powerful Legacy
Now Produced in Greenville, South Carolina
Global Partnerships: 3,000 F-16s Across 25 Countries
New, Advanced and Unmatched Capabilities
New, Advanced and Unmatched Capabilities
Today’s F-16 –the Block 70/72 –is the most advanced 4th generation fighter ever built and brings a new level of capability to air forces around the world.
Advanced Radar
Northrop Grumman’s advanced APG-83 AESA radar provides the Block 70/72 with 5th Generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars. It delivers greater situational awareness, flexibility and quicker all-weather targeting and provides pilots with unprecedented target area detail and digital map displays that can be tailored with slew and zoom features.
Enhanced Battlespace Awareness
The Block 70/72 features a new, high resolution Center Pedestal Display (CPD), which provides critical tactical imagery to pilots and allows them to take full advantage of AESA and targeting pod data. The new CPD enables color moving maps, larger and easier to manage air-to-air Situation Displays, zoom functionality with the ability to switch information among displays, digital display of Flight Instrument Data, and a color/night helmet mounted display. Additional integration of the Lockheed Martin Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod and Legion-ES™ IRST system increase pilot situational awareness and enhance warfighter survivability.
Saving Tomorrow’s Pilots
Developed by Lockheed Martin, the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) was purpose-built to prevent deadly crashes and has already saved the lives of multiple pilots and F-16s since the system entered service with the U.S. Air Force in late 2014. The Auto GCAS is designed to reduce incidents of what is known as controlled flight into terrain, or CFIT. According to U.S. Air Force statistics, CFIT incidents account for 26 percent of aircraft losses and a staggering 75 percent of all F-16 pilot fatalities.
Unmatched Weapon Integration
Lockheed Martin has more than 36 years of weapon integration experience with the F-16 – enabling it to be one of the most versatile multirole fighters ever. No one else can match this weapons integration experience. In concert with the U.S. Air Force and multiple F-16 Foreign Military Sales customers, Lockheed Martin has certified more than 3,300 carriage and release configurations for greater than 180 weapon and store types.
Extended Structural Capabilities
The Block 70/72 has an industry-leading extended structural life to 12,000 hours - more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft. That means a highly reliable, readily maintainable jet of at least 40 years of service life for most air forces, with no expected extended structural repairs throughout that entire lifetime. The conformal fuel tanks provide increased fuel and added range, without sacrificing the aerodynamic performance of the jet, along with an improved performance engine.
Integrated Supply Chain Partnerships
The F-16 has more than 600 suppliers around the world. As an example, the US18E Ejection Seat from Martin-Baker introduces 5th Generation escape performance to the F-16. The seat includes Neck Protection Device & Head Support Panel with an IGQ6000 larger diameter parachute, as well as a modular design for easier maintenance and lower lifecycle cost. Learn more