Lockheed Martin’s new advanced F-16V Viper took to the skies on its initial flight from the company’s production facilities at Fort Worth, Texas, Oct. 16, the company announced. “This flight marks a historic milestone in the evolution of the F-16,” said Rod McLean, company F-16/F-22 integrated fighter group vice president, in a release. “The new F-16V configuration includes numerous enhancements designed to keep the F-16 at the forefront of international security … as the world’s foremost combat-proven fourth generation fighter aircraft,” he added. The sortie also marked the first flight of an F-16 equipped with Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. In addition to the AESA radar, the F-16V configuration adds modern mission computing and high capacity interface, a new center–cockpit display, and other advanced features. F-16V is available both as a new-build fighter, and as a retrofit to existing F-16s. Edwards AFB, Calif., is currently testing the APG-83 AESA to support Taiwan’s ongoing F-16 upgrade program.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
