F-16V for Bulgaria?
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Lockheed Martin has offered to sell its F-16V to the Bulgarian government. A representative from the company announced the offer at the Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel in Sofia on Sep. 18.
James Robins, Lockheed Martin’s senior manager, announced that his company is ready to offer to the Bulgarian Government spare parts, simulators and service till the end of the life cycle of the aircraft.
Noteworthy as we have already reported the F-16V has already been selected by Slovakia which will be buying 14 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft.
According Lockheed Martin the F-16V Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combining numerous capability and structural upgrades.
The F-16 Block 70/72 in fact combines capability upgrades, most notably the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture, and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the aircraft by more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft. F-16 Block 70/72 software takes advantage of technologies not available when earlier Block F-16s were developed and produced. Operational capabilities are enhanced through an advanced datalink, targeting pod and weapons; precision GPS navigation and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).
The Block 70/72 has an industry-leading extended structural life to 12,000 hours – more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft. That means a highly reliable, readily maintainable jet of at least 40 years of service life for most air forces, with no expected extended structural repairs throughout that entire lifetime. The conformal fuel tanks provide increased fuel and added range, without sacrificing the aerodynamic performance of the jet, along with an improved performance engine.
Photo credit: Lockheed Martin
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
