First Upgraded F-16V Fighter For Greece Takes Flight
2021/01/21
After modernization, the aircraft is now an F-16V in Block 72 configuration, the “2” denoting its P&W powerplant. The key element of the modernization is the installation of the Northrop Grumman APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), a sensor with an active electronically scanned array (AESA). The cockpit has a new center pedestal display and is compatible with the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) II. Other improvements include a new mission computer, an automatic ground collision avoidance system, enhanced electronic warfare capabilities, Link 16 datalink, and an advanced identification friend or foe interrogator system.
U.S. Navy Suspends Freedom-Class LCS Deliveries Pending Gearbox Fix
2021/01/21
The Freedom-class has experienced a series of propulsion breakdowns related to its combining gears, and the Navy recently launched a fact-finding investigation with Lockheed and transmission builder RENK AG to get to the root of the problem. In a statement to defense media earlier this week, the Navy confirmed that the team has discovered a "material defect" with the gearbox's high speed clutch bearings. The Navy says that Lockheed will fix the issue, and it will not take delivery of any more Freedom-class LCS vessels until it is completed.