Lockheed
Martin was awarded a contract valued up
to $1.85 billion by the U.S. Government to initiate the upgrade of 145 Block 20
F-16A/B aircraft for the Republic of China (RoC). This retrofit program will
include the addition of an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar,
embedded global positioning, as well as upgrades to the electronic warfare and
other avionics systems of Taiwan’s F-16s.
Lockheed
Martin has a proven track record of upgrading more than 1,000 existing F-16s
for a combination of the U.S. Air Force and international customers. Most
recently, Lockheed Martin was named the prime integrator to upgrade the USAF
F-16 fleet. Both new upgrade programs will be based on the F-16V configuration
announced by Lockheed Martin earlier this year.
“Lockheed
Martin looks forward to a continued partnership with the Republic of China in
upgrading their F-16s,” said Jeff Babione, vice president and general manager
of the F-16/F-22 Integrated Fighter Group. “Based on elements of the F-16V
configuration, Taiwan’s air force will receive the most advanced F-16 upgrades.
This program reinforces the strong value proposition associated with
commonality between the USAF F-16 program and the worldwide F-16 user
community.”
The F-16
is the choice of 26 nations. More than 4,500 aircraft have been delivered
worldwide from assembly lines in five countries. The F-16 program has been
characterized by unprecedented international cooperation among governments, air
forces and aerospace industries. Major upgrades to all F-16 versions are being
incorporated to keep the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraft’s
long service life.
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