Lockheed Martin has received a $1.2 billion contract to provide upgrades on the Republic of Korea Air Force’s fleet of F-16s. The company will upgrade 134 South Korean fighters based on the F-16V configuration, commonly known as Vipers. New systems will include the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and an off-the-shelf avionics suite, as well as an improved pedestal display and data bus. The agreement is a foreign military sales contract originated by the Air Force, and work is scheduled to be completed by 2025.
Facing competition from fast-growing startups, Lockheed Martin is speeding up production of an “affordable, scalable” hypersonic glide body, dubbed the Next Generation Glide Body, the firm said in a June 24 release.