A contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 80 advanced Block 60 Lockheed Martin F-16s may be delayed by a move to change the aircraft's electronic warfare system, says a US industry official.
The programme had been stalled by difficult government-to-government negotiations over the releasability of software source code for the radar and electronic warfare system.
"To the best of our knowledge, radar releasability is no longer a problem," says Dr James Roche, president of Northrop Grumman's electronic sensors and systems sector, which would supply the Block 60's active-array radar. "The issue now is the EW system. The UAE wants to have a recompetition."
Lockheed Martin refuses to comment.
Northrop Grumman is not involved with the EW system, but Roche says the UAE is unhappy with the current offering and wants to recompete that part of the contract. Details of the baseline EW system in the UAE Block 60 have never been released.
Despite Roche's comments, industry sources say the issue of radar releasability has yet to be resolved to the full satisfaction of the UAE, which will fund development of the advanced derivative of the F-16's APG-68 radar as part of the Block 60 deal.
Sources say development costs for the Block 60 have risen as the programme has taken shape, adding weight to the UAE's demands for access to source code.
Source: Flight International
