Lockheed Martin F-16s will receive modified night-vision imaging systems (NVIS) under an innovative US Air Force contract awarded to Control Products.
Previous use of night-vision goggles (NVG) in the F-16 has been limited to air-to-air intercept missions, but the aircraft will now be able to conduct all combat missions. The NVIS cockpit-lighting kit provides NVG compatible lighting external to the instruments and controls in the cockpit. This method is easier to install and less expensive to undertake than breaking open each individual instrument and installing new NVG-compatible bulbs.
The exterior lighting includes a covert lighting mode and filtering to make the normal aircraft lights compatible with NVG.
An initial 160 F-16s will be modified under an $11 million contract which has been awarded to Control Products, with an additional 1,130 F-16C/Ds scheduled to be modified later.
The contract for the follow-on NVIS kits is scheduled to go to competitive bids early in 1998.
Source: Flight International
