Block 60 till Singapore

[Maverix]

 
Singapore upgrades to Block 60
Posted by: Submit_News on Sep 12, 2003 - 08:30 PM


Singapore recently announced that it is going to upgrade its fleet of Block 52 F-16s, to Block 60 standards.

Singapore is also eyeing new Block 60's as a replacement for its ageing A-4SU Super Skyhawks.

The F-16 Block 60 avionics owe a great deal to the F-22 and Joint Strike Fighter. The new fighter has a completely new cockpit, with three 5 x 7 inch color displays. Behind the displays is a fiber-optic high-speed datalink, a new mission computer based on commercial technology, and a data transfer system using 30-gigabyte cartridges.

In action, the Block 60 displays share the "look and feel" of the F-22. Threats and friendlies, identified by the Northrop Grumman electronic warfare suite, by AWACS or other means, are distinguished by shape and color on the screens. A single button-push creates a "shoot list" on the right-hand attack display, assigning an AMRAAM to the closest targets.

Unlike the basic F-22, though, the Block 60 also creates a "bomb list" for air-to-ground targets or a "jam list" for electronic threats. The APG-80 radar has a variable resolution synthetic aperture radar (VRSAR) mode that allows the pilot to identify aimpoints within a target complex such as a SAM site. Again, single-switch angles allow the pilot to toggle between SAR, EW and infra-red displays.

The F-16 Block 60 is due to fly this year and the first aircraft will be delivered to the UAE in 2004.