Warplanes: March 19, 2000

Archives

For the first time, the US will be selling a foreign country aircraft superior to the versions of the same airframe in service with US military forces. The UAE will buy 80 F-16C60s (i.e., Block 60) with overwing conformal fuel tanks (providing more range and less drag than American F-16s have with the external fuel tanks) and defensive electronics that will be the only ones flying designed to thwart Russian SA-10 and SA-12 anti-aircraft missiles. Total cost for the sale will be $6.4 billion. The electronically scanned radar in the F-16C60 will have a range of 70-80 miles against a 1m target; the current top US fighter (the F-15C) has a radar with a range of only 60 miles. Lockheed is trying to convince the US Air Force to buy some F-16C60s of its own, noting that the UAE has paid $1 billion toward the development cost.--Stephen V Cole

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close