"We have continually reset the clock on the F-16 over the years," says Don Jones, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics vice-president, F-16 programmes. "The Block 60 continues the process of keeping the F-16 at the leading edge."
For Lockheed Martin, the Block 60 is not so much the next F-16 as another F-16 to offer customers alongside the current Block 50 and the improved Block 50 Plus now under development. "Not every future customer will want a Block 60," says Jones. Whether an air force will want the Block 60 will depend on cost, fleet commonality and performance needs.
Since the first flight of the YF-16 in February 1974, 4,040 aircraft have been delivered to 19 countries: 1,736 F-16A/Bs plus more than 2,300 C/Ds. Lockheed Martin has a backlog of over 245 orders, including the UAE's 80 Block 60s, and is negotiating contracts for a further 84 aircraft - all Block 50 Plus F-16s. These will sustain production into 2009, and the company stills sees a market for another 500 aircraft. "I am optimistic we will not see an early end to this programme," says Jones.
How many of those future sales will be of the more-expensive Block 60 is not clear. "The F-16 wins most competitions on cost," says John Debusk, deputy F-16 programme director for products. "We have a 25-30% cost advantage over the competition, and when we lose that cost advantage we risk losing the competition." But while the ultimate market for the Block 60 may prove relatively small, its significance cannot be understated.
"The Block 60 is a really big step, and we see benefits in both directions," says Jones. "The Block 60 and steps beyond provide us with a new entry to the marketplace-[while] the developments it incorporates have application to improving the Block 50 selectively." The latter is already happening with the development of a common airframe structure and conformal fuel tanks for the Block 60 and Block 50 Plus.
Bridging fighter gap
Alongside improved versions of the Block 50, the Block 60 is expected to bridge the next 10 years until the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) becomes available to export customers.
"Even beyond that we think there are continued opportunities to sell the aircraft, particularly internationally," says Jones. Industry observers predict the fighter market will split after the JSF becomes available, based on releasability of the low-signature aircraft.
Development of the Block 60 is also generating subsystem technology which Lockheed Martin believes will be used to upgrade an available fleet of 2,000-3,000 F-16s. "We have to maintain the infrastructure, to feed the fleet," Jones says, acknowledging that upgrades are an increasingly important element of Lockheed Martin's fighter business.
"Independent of Block 60 sales, we consider the Block 60 programme very important because of the technology infusion it brings to other F-16 programmes and the JSF, [assuming we are selected]," he adds.
Source: Flight International
