Including a “postponed” buy of 80 to Pakistan and 40 for Greece (the Greeks are rethinking their decision), Lockheed sees a firm future market for about 200 new F-16s—possibly many more. Working off the existing backlog will keep the line running at about 72 a year for two more years. At that point, the company plans to shrink to a steady 24 per year for as long as customers want them. Since dibs on most to-be-produced F-35 Joint Strike Fighters are set through the late 2010s, the F-16 could continue to sell for years to come. Besides that, more than 3,000 F-16s are in use worldwide today, and Lockheed expects a “healthy and viable” market for parts, overhauls, and upgrades for a long time. The F-16s now being delivered are expected to be in service another 25 years at least.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…
