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: The US has cleared the ground for Lockheed Martin to bid for the Indian Air Force’s requirement for 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) and for which the Request for Proposals (RFP) are to be issued shortly. The US aircraft maker currently manufactures two versions of F-16s. While Block 50-52 is being supplied to the US and European air forces, the Block 60 has been developed exclusively for the United Arab Emirates.
“The bid would incorporate IAF's specific requirements,” says Orville Prins, Vice-President (Business Development–India), Lockheed Martin. “We have been designing the fighters to suit individual airforces. We’ll know the IAF requirements under its MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) programme and go for a tailored design,” he says, adding, “The RFP will depend on the technical and commercial proposals, the degree of collaboration we can have with HAL and the government-level ties between India and the US.” The deal, once approved, will involve a transfer of technology and subsequent production of aircraft by HAL.
Says June Shrewsbury, vice-president, F-16 Program, Lockheed Martin, “The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the first operational fighter to employ fly-by-wire flight controls, relaxed static stability, high-G cockpit, bubble canopy, variable camber wings, blended wing-body design, modular construction, and integrated digital avionics. Its outstanding reliability and maintainability also translate into high readiness and sortie rates.”
Normally, the F-16 has the highest mission-capable rate of all US fighter aircraft. Sustained mission-capable rates above 90% are common for the F-16 with fully funded support. “This level of readiness ensures that peacetime training programmes are not limited by the availability of aircraft, and, in case of war, that sufficient aircraft are available to do the job,” she says, adding, “The F-16’s high availability and quick turnarounds yield high combat sortie surge rates — a major force multiplier that can be sustained for long periods.” With its night and adverse weather capabilities, the F-16 is able to fully use this surge capability.
The F-16 has undergone extensive evolutionary changes over its long production life. The F-16 Multinational Staged Improvement Program resulted in delivery of the first advanced F-16C/D model in 1984, the first Block 30 version with a choice of engines in 1986, the first Block 40 version with night attack capabilities in 1988, and the first Block 50 aircraft with a more powerful engine and other improvements in 1991. New capabilities have been added to older aircraft through retrofit efforts such as the F-16A/B Operational Capabilities...
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