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Like a snake oil vendor who is selling second hand used cars, the Lockheed representatives are busy trying to convince the Indians that they US will not upgrade the Pakistani F-16s to the Block 60 version being marketed as F-16IN Super Viper.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has ben flying Lockheed planes since 1963 and a long term relationship with the company. The PAF has been flying F-61s since 1982 and now has 54 F-16s all of which have been upgraded to Block 50 and Block 52 (a level below the untested Block 60).
Lockheed also sells (key word is sells) patches and kits which offer newer technologies on older versions of the planes. The nature of a commercial enterprise mandates the the company earn its living by selling parts, equipment and services. Commercial enterprises dont survive by not selling and withholding their products. There is nothing in the Lockheed-PAF contract that prohibits Lockheed from selling the Northrop Grummans APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar or other products that are compatible with the current F-16s that Pakistan owns.
Pakistan just upgraded all its F-16s. Another major upgrade will happen a few years.
Lockheed has upgraded all previous versions of Pakistani planes sold to Pakistan. Why would it not upgrade the planes to the next version? The sycophantic press was unable to ask the hard questions from the Lockheed salesman.
Of course when questioned about the deal with Pakistan, the Lockheed salesperson hedged, deferring all questions to the US Air Force.
American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin on Monday assured India that the F-16s being offered to it would be much more advanced than the fighters provided to Pakistan.
I can assure you, the Super Viper is much more advanced in all aspects than the F-16s being given to Pakistan, Lockheed Martins vice-president-Business Development (India) Orville Prins told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
The assurance comes in the wake of reports that India was concerned over U.S. supplying a new set of F-16s to Pakistan, a decision which could be a crucial geopolitical factor when the Indian Air Force (IAF) decides on the $10 billion Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, described as mother of all deals
The F-16IN Super Viper will be more advanced than the F-16 Block 60 that were delivered to the UAE recently. The fighter jets being given to Pakistan by the U.S. government are F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft, Mr. Prins said here.
However, the official said he would not discuss anything more about the companys dealings with Pakistan, except the fact that it was not the firm that was selling anything to any country, but was just partnering with the U.S. Air Force.
We dont sell, the U.S. government does. We only support the U.S. governments decisions, he said when queried about the U.S. military support to Pakistan in the form of a set of 18 new F-16 fighters.
In fact, Mr. Prins tried to defend the military sale of his companys fighter jets to Pakistan despite Indias protest, saying it was not just Lockheed Martin that was supplying to Islamabad, but all the six contenders in the MMRCA race were, either directly or indirectly.
Other bidders in the MMRCA deal were U.S. Boeing, French DAssault, Swedish Gripen, European consortium EADS, and Russian MiG.
The programme to deliver 18 F-16s to Pakistan, named as Peace Drive I, will raise the total number of F-16s ordered by Pakistan to 54.
The Peace Drive I order is for 12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds, all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine and these would be delivered by end of 2010.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had received its first F-16 in the Block 15 F-16A/B configuration in 1982, but it has been operating Lockheed Martin aircraft since 1963, when it received C-130B transport aircraft.
Block 50/52 is the eighth major modification block of the F-16. The Block 50/52 improvements more powerful engine, colour cockpit displays, new electronic warfare suite, advanced weapons and sensors are the direct result of combat experience.
The Block 60 F-16, supplied to UAE recently, has a host of new systems that keep the fighter on the leading edge of technology.
Conformal fuel tanks significantly extend the aircrafts range with new, more advanced flight controls and radar detection capabilities, all-new avionics giving the pilots more sensor data and improved situational awareness.
The F-16IN Super Viper, on the other hand, will share fifth generation technologies that are currently available on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor, both Lockheed Martin products.
The Super Viper could be described as the ultimate fourth generation fighter, tailored exclusively to meet or exceed all of Indias MMRCA requirements, Mr. Prins said.
The Super Viper would have Northrop Grummans APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, the only operational AESA in the international market today.
This revolutionary all-weather, precision targeting sensor has been exported by the United States government and is defending a sovereign nation today; no other MMRCA competitor can make that claim, he added.
The APG-80 AESA radar would provide outstanding situational awareness and detection; ultrahigh-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, fully interleaved modes of operations with automatic terrain following; and air-to-air tracking of multiple targets.
The F-16IN would be powered by the highest thrust engine in the competition, the General Electric F110-132A, with 32,000-pound thrust and incorporates latest technology, including full authority digital engine control, for maximum fuel efficiency and performance. The Hindu.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has ben flying Lockheed planes since 1963 and a long term relationship with the company. The PAF has been flying F-61s since 1982 and now has 54 F-16s all of which have been upgraded to Block 50 and Block 52 (a level below the untested Block 60).
Lockheed also sells (key word is sells) patches and kits which offer newer technologies on older versions of the planes. The nature of a commercial enterprise mandates the the company earn its living by selling parts, equipment and services. Commercial enterprises dont survive by not selling and withholding their products. There is nothing in the Lockheed-PAF contract that prohibits Lockheed from selling the Northrop Grummans APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar or other products that are compatible with the current F-16s that Pakistan owns.
Pakistan just upgraded all its F-16s. Another major upgrade will happen a few years.
Lockheed has upgraded all previous versions of Pakistani planes sold to Pakistan. Why would it not upgrade the planes to the next version? The sycophantic press was unable to ask the hard questions from the Lockheed salesman.
Of course when questioned about the deal with Pakistan, the Lockheed salesperson hedged, deferring all questions to the US Air Force.
American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin on Monday assured India that the F-16s being offered to it would be much more advanced than the fighters provided to Pakistan.
I can assure you, the Super Viper is much more advanced in all aspects than the F-16s being given to Pakistan, Lockheed Martins vice-president-Business Development (India) Orville Prins told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.
The assurance comes in the wake of reports that India was concerned over U.S. supplying a new set of F-16s to Pakistan, a decision which could be a crucial geopolitical factor when the Indian Air Force (IAF) decides on the $10 billion Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, described as mother of all deals
The F-16IN Super Viper will be more advanced than the F-16 Block 60 that were delivered to the UAE recently. The fighter jets being given to Pakistan by the U.S. government are F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft, Mr. Prins said here.
However, the official said he would not discuss anything more about the companys dealings with Pakistan, except the fact that it was not the firm that was selling anything to any country, but was just partnering with the U.S. Air Force.
We dont sell, the U.S. government does. We only support the U.S. governments decisions, he said when queried about the U.S. military support to Pakistan in the form of a set of 18 new F-16 fighters.
In fact, Mr. Prins tried to defend the military sale of his companys fighter jets to Pakistan despite Indias protest, saying it was not just Lockheed Martin that was supplying to Islamabad, but all the six contenders in the MMRCA race were, either directly or indirectly.
Other bidders in the MMRCA deal were U.S. Boeing, French DAssault, Swedish Gripen, European consortium EADS, and Russian MiG.
The programme to deliver 18 F-16s to Pakistan, named as Peace Drive I, will raise the total number of F-16s ordered by Pakistan to 54.
The Peace Drive I order is for 12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds, all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine and these would be delivered by end of 2010.
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had received its first F-16 in the Block 15 F-16A/B configuration in 1982, but it has been operating Lockheed Martin aircraft since 1963, when it received C-130B transport aircraft.
Block 50/52 is the eighth major modification block of the F-16. The Block 50/52 improvements more powerful engine, colour cockpit displays, new electronic warfare suite, advanced weapons and sensors are the direct result of combat experience.
The Block 60 F-16, supplied to UAE recently, has a host of new systems that keep the fighter on the leading edge of technology.
Conformal fuel tanks significantly extend the aircrafts range with new, more advanced flight controls and radar detection capabilities, all-new avionics giving the pilots more sensor data and improved situational awareness.
The F-16IN Super Viper, on the other hand, will share fifth generation technologies that are currently available on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor, both Lockheed Martin products.
The Super Viper could be described as the ultimate fourth generation fighter, tailored exclusively to meet or exceed all of Indias MMRCA requirements, Mr. Prins said.
The Super Viper would have Northrop Grummans APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, the only operational AESA in the international market today.
This revolutionary all-weather, precision targeting sensor has been exported by the United States government and is defending a sovereign nation today; no other MMRCA competitor can make that claim, he added.
The APG-80 AESA radar would provide outstanding situational awareness and detection; ultrahigh-resolution synthetic aperture radar mapping, fully interleaved modes of operations with automatic terrain following; and air-to-air tracking of multiple targets.
The F-16IN would be powered by the highest thrust engine in the competition, the General Electric F110-132A, with 32,000-pound thrust and incorporates latest technology, including full authority digital engine control, for maximum fuel efficiency and performance. The Hindu.
