It’s obvious the Air Force’s new F-35 needs all the help it can get. So Lockheed Martin has just unveiled an updated version of its F-16, the F-16V, which will make the proven fighter better interoperate with the F-35 and F-22.
Revealed at the Singapore Airshow yesterday, the F-16V obviously isn’t a complete redesign of the plane that’s been in service since 1978. Instead, its radar system, mission computers, and cockpit are all getting upgrades so the Falcon, as it’s known, will be able to provide a more substantial supporting role to modern fifth-generation fighters.
And while I assumed the V designation stood for ‘very old’, it’s actually short for Viper which is apparently what fighter pilots have been calling the plane since it first entered service. Now all Lockheed Martin needs to do is make the F-35 play nice with itself. [Lockheed Martin via Gizmag]