The Israeli government is going to sale 40 F-16A/B which
were recently retired. At the moment there are no details about the selected
aircraft. Israel acquired a total of 125 F-16A/B; 75 were new and 50 from US
stocks. The latter were transferred in the 90s after the Gulf War in exchange
for Israel’s restraint. Most of them had ¼ of its flying hours’ left.
Israel considered replacing these aircraft in the 1990s, but
it was found to expensive. The aircraft were modernised to the ACE variant (Avionics
Capabilities Enhacement). According to the designers, it provided 80% of the
Block 40 capabilities at 1/8 of the cost.
The main modification was the integration of a IAI/Elta
EL/M-2032 radar and a Lahav datalink. The cockpit received an El-Op HUD and
Dash helmet. An Elisra SPS-1000 RWR and ASPS EW kit were installed. The
aircraft could also use a Elta EI/L-8222 pod.
Some countries will definitely be interested (Argentina,
Croatia…). The type is in widespread service, which eases the maintenance. The
life can be extended up to 8,000 hours, even more.
References:
- Air War on the Edge: A History of the Israel Air Force and
it's Aircraft Since 1947, by B. Norton Midland Publishing (2004)
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