The latest update to the F-16 Fighting Falcon took to the skies earlier this month in a successful test flight.
The F-16V "Viper" features a brand new radar system and the ability to detect stealth aircraft, Popular Mechanics reports. The new iteration employs Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar which provides increased threat detection and situational awareness. The 4th generation F-16V will also carry a SNIPER pod which will improve its air-to-ground and air-to-air targeting capabilities.
Northrop Grumman produced an instructional video on how to swap out the radar systems as well as shoot down multiple Russian SU-27s.
The update is designed to keep the F-16, which debuted in 1974, operational for several more decades. Currently there are more than 4,500 F-16s deployed throughout the world among U.S. forces and allied nations. It measures about 50 feet long with a wingspan of over 30 feet and can reach speeds over 1,500 miles per hour.
The F-16V is mainly intended for sale to allied nations as the United States Air Force currently plans to upgrade much of its F-16 fleet to F-35s in the coming years. However, many of the Air Force's F-16C aircraft could be converted to F-16Vs if the military decided to do so.
Lockheed Martin may be counting on the bargin price of upgrading F-16s over F-35 to convince the United States and its allies to take the plunge. "The F-35 is no one’s idea of a mass market fighter given its current price point," industry analyst Richard Aboulafia told Defense Media Network. "Even in the elite market of a maximum of a dozen countries, you’re seeing a lot of pushback against the F-35 because of price. The company [Lockheed Martin] is good at hedging its bets against F-35 and marketing major upgrades." Aboulafia estimated the cost of an F-16V is about half that of the F-35.