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Date
State
South Carolina
Category
ANG
Type Draft
Change Item
State Association First Name
Lawrence
State Association Last Name
Crowson
Resolution No.
4
Item No
New
Fiscal Year
2015
State Association Email
State Association Phone Number
8036478317
Proposal Statement
Provide funding for modernization of F16CM (block 40/42/50/52) in order to provide all weather precision targeting capability and enable F16 CM aircraft to survive agCainst 5th Generation threats. The F-16 will not be able to perform Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD) in a contested environment nor integrate with F-35 tactically without avionics upgrades.
Recommendation Information
USAF expects to fly F-16 CM Blocks 40-52 until 2035+. The primary mission requirement for the F-16 during this timeframe is Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD/DEAD). In order to accomplish this mission in an all-weather environment and survive future threats, the F-16 fleet must have upgraded airframes and tactical capabilities. Behind Defensive Counter Air, SEAD/DEAD, which allows strikers to destroy targets, is arguably the most important mission. F-16 CM is the most capable SEAD/DEAD aircraft in USAF or USN. The F-35 will not arrive in sufficient numbers or capabilities until 2023+ and will be unable to accomplish SEAD/DEAD alone. The high possibility of further slips and/or cuts in final numbers along with the high demand for other mission sets will result in the F35 being unable to dedicate to SEAD/DEAD. In addition, the F-35 is optimized for DEAD, not SEAD. F-16 SEAD support will still be required to support other aircraft. The F-16 does not have sufficient avionics capabilities to allow it to fly and accomplish SEAD/DEAD until 2035+. USAF has identified this problem and developed remedies however solutions are not fully funded. Airframe upgrades are addressed via SLEP (service life extension program). 300 F-16s are currently funded for SLEP with the Block 50/52 prioritized due to SEAD/DEAD. Tactical capability deficiencies are addressed through CAPES (combat avionics programmed extension suite). This upgrade counters adversary capability growth over the past decade. F-16's cannot attack or defend against modern threats in its current configuration. The radar is unable to detect/target adversary aircraft employing Electronic Warfare (EW) commonly used by China, India, Russia and exports are growing. Electronic Protection Suite is unable to defend against air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles. Sensors have limited ability to locate/strike/ID surface-to-air missile sites. Current ability requires clear weather and close range which is unsurvivable. CAPES addresses these issues via upgraded hardware & software. The AESA (Advanced Electronically Scanned Array) radar with advanced off/def EW capabilities, all weather, long range geolocation and Combat ID. The CDU (center display unit) which will fuse sensor data and allow full usage of sensor capes. The ALQ-213 EW system will provide increased survivability by integrating sensors and systems. $70M has already been spent on hardware/software integration and testing has begun. The technology has been developed and is near off the shelf.
