Rentaka - Rentaka Defence Portal

Attrition: Elderly F-16Ds Cracking Up

9/9/2014

U.S. Air Force grounded 82 F-16D jets after cracks were discovered in longerons which hold the cockpit in place. (Photo: USAF)

By: Stratergypage (www.stratergypage.com)

In August 2014 the U.S. Air Force grounded 82 F-16D jets after cracks were discovered in longerons (metal support beams inside the forward fuselage, which hold the cockpit in place). The D version of the F-16 is the two seater used for training. Some 16 percent of the 969 F-16s in the U.S. Air Force are the D model and these are all at least 24 years old with more than 5,500 hours in the air. The longeron design for the D model is different than that for the single seat models because the D model has a longer cockpit canopy. The air force is making repairs and replacements to put the grounded F-16Ds back in service.

Fix found for F-16 longeron cracks

9/9/2014

USAF found structural cracks in the canopy sill longerons between the front and rear pilot seats exclusively in the F-16D variant, of which 82 were eventually grounded. (Photo: USAF)

By: Dan Parsons (www.flightglobal.com)

The US Air Force and Lockheed Martin have identified a fix for fatigue cracks found in more than 80 of its two-seated F-16D fighter jets.

found exclusively in the F-16D variant, of which 82 were eventually groundedThe air force in August grounded a portion of the 969-aircraft fleet when an immediate time action compliance technical order (TCTO) found structural cracks in the canopy sill longerons between the front and rear pilot seats.

US Air Force Grounds 82 F-16Ds After Cracks Discovered

20/8/2014

More than half of the US Air Force's F-16D fleet has been grounded after cracks were discovered in a routine inspection. (Chad Bellay / Lockheed Martin)

By AARON MEHTA (http://www.defensenews.com)

WASHINGTON — The US Air Force has grounded over half of its F-16D Fighting Falcons, the service’s Air Combat Command (ACC) announced Tuesday.

The initial damage, described in a Pentagon release as “canopy sill longeron cracks found between the front and rear pilot seats,” was discovered after a routine post-flight inspection on one of the jets. The discovery of cracks led to a fleet-wide inspection order.

Of the 157 F-16Ds in the fleet, 82 were found to have cracks and have been ordered to stand down. The remaining 75 have been cleared to resume normal activities. The Air Force is working with Lockheed Martin engineers to discover the cause of the cracks and what repair options there are.

Pesawat F-16 C/D-52ID TNI AU Tiba Di Tanah Air

6/8/2014

Tiga pesawat F-16 C/D 52ID dari Anderson AFB Guam telah selamat mendarat di Lanud Iswahjudi Madiun pada 25 Julai 2014. (Foto: TNI-AU)

Oleh: Dispenau (tni-au.mil.id)

Penerbangan “Ferry” tiga pesawat F-16 C/D 52ID dari Anderson AFB Guam ke Lanud Iswahjudi Madiun telah mendarat dengan selamat pada pukul 11.25 WIB Jumat (25/7). Pesawat-pesawat tinggal landas dari Guam pada pukul 09.07 local time (pkl 06.07 WIB) dengan menempuh waktu 5 jam 16 menit dan melaksanakan empat kali pengisian bahan bakar di udara oleh pesawat Tanker KC-10 dari Yokota AFB Jepang. Flight F-16 ini terbang pada ketinggian 26.000 kaki didampingi pesawat tanker dan selama dua jam pertama “menyelam” dalam awan sehingga terpaksa mengisi bahan bakar dalam awan. memasuki wilayah udara Indonesia disambut ibu pertiwi dengan cuaca cukup cerah, dimana pengisian bahan bakar terakhir dilaksanakan diatas Pulau Halmahera, selanjutnya pesawat tanker KC-10 ikut sampai jarak 150 km dari Makassar, kemudian balik kanan kembali ke Guam.

Penerbang F-16 C/D 52ID TNI AU Menjalani Latihan Terbang Di Tucson

1/7/2014

Indonesia telah membeli sejumlah 24 buah pesawat pejuang F-16 C/D Block 25 terpakai dan dikenali sebagai F-16 C/D Block 52ID.

Oleh: TNI-AU (tni-au.mil.id)

Enam Penerbang F-16 TNI AU dari Sakdron Udara 3 telah tiba di Tucson Arizona untuk mengikuti latihan konversi menjadi instruktur penerbang pesawat tempur F-16 C/D Block 52ID dalam Proyek “Peace Bima Sena II”. Mereka adalah Komandan Skadron Letkol.Pnb.Firman “Foxhound” Dwi cahyono (40 th), Mayor.Pnb.Anjar “Beagle” Legowo (38 th), Mayor Pnb.Bambang “Bramble” Apriyanto (34 th), Kapt. Pnb Pandu “Hornet”Eka Prayoga (31 th), Kapt. Pnb.Anwar “Weasel” Sovie (30 th) dan Kapt. Pnb.Bambang “Sphynx” Yudhistira (30 th). Para penerbang kebanggaan TNI AU ini tiba diTucson International Airport pada tanggal 25 Juli 2014 pukul 14.05 siang setelah menempuh perjalanan selama 28 jam dari Jakarta- Hongkong-Seattle dan Tucson. Para penerbang akan menjalani Latihan “Differential Training” F-16 C/D di Tucson Arizona tanggal 30 Juni-11 Juli 2014. Selanjutnya setelah mengikuti penyerahan tiga pesawat ke pemerintah Indonesia maka pada tanggal 15 Juli dua penerbang akan ikut terbang “Ferry” dari Hill AFB, Utah – Eilsen AFB Alaska- Andersen AFB Guam dan langsung menuju Lanud Iswahyudi Madiun. Selama perjalanan akan dilaksanakan beberapa kali “air refueling” atau pengisian bahan bakar di udara. Ketiga pesawat direncanakan akan mendarat di Madiun pada tanggal 20 Juli 2014 pukul 11.00 siang. Para penerbang akan melanjutan latihan terbangnya di Lanud Iswahyudi Madiun.

F-16 Upgrade Contenders Dogfight in Singapore

13/2/2014

Taiwan present a huge market for F-16 upgrading. ROCAF currently operates 150 F-16A/B acquired in 1992. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

By: Chris Pocock (www.ainonline.com)

The war of words between the system integrators and radar houses that are chasing the F-16 upgrade market intensified here this week. With 3,500 Fighting Falcons still flying, at least one-third of which might be upgraded, the stakes are high. Here in Singapore, BAE Systems Inc. and Raytheon are hoping that the local Ministry of Defence will entertain their rival proposals for a contract that could be worth almost $2.5 billion, and consider them above the solution offered by Lockheed Martin (LM) and Northrop Grumman (NG).

Asian States Close In on Fighter Deals

10/2/2014

An F-35B lands at USMC Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Singapore has the option of going ahead with F-35 procurement should CAPES is cancelled. (Photo: USMC)

By: Wendell Minnick (www.defensenews.com)
As regional powers gather at the Singapore Airshow this week, two issues will be at the forefront: upgrading their F-16s and/or buying F-35s.

Arms Makers Try To Cash In As Asian Disputes Escalate

10/2/2014

RSAF Black Knights captivates audiences with their stunning moves (Photo: Ainonline/ Mark Wagner)

By: Agense France-Presse (www.afp.com)

Asia’s top aerospace and defense show opens Tuesday in Singapore, with major global arms makers seeking to cash in on rising military spending in China and elsewhere as territorial disputes escalate in the region.

Indonesian Air Force Draws Up Shopping List

9/2/2014

A U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle flies next to a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet over the Nevada Test and Training Range. There are speculation that TNI-AU might replace their F-5 Tiger II fleet with ex-USAF F-15s. (Photo: USAF)

By: Alan Warnes (www.ainonline.com)

Boasting one of the fastest growing economies in the world is allowing Indonesia to invest much-needed funds in its military. After years of stagnation caused by the 1997 financial crisis, leading to most of Indonesia’s military acquisition programs being cancelled, the situation deteriorated further when the U.S.imposed an arms embargo in 1999 that lasted until 2005.

Unfunded F-16 Upgrades Put Jet's Combat Value in Doubt. Taiwan, Singapore Were Banking on Now-defunded Program

3/2/2014

An F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. (Photo: USAF)

By: Wendell Minnick and Aaron Mehta (www.defensenews.com)

As officials in Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) were busying themselves for Chinese New Year celebrations last week, they received potentially devastating news for the Pacific nation’s air defense plans.

The US Air Force plans to defund the combat avionics programmed extension suite (CAPES) program, as budget constraints could force the service to move remaining money from CAPES to the F-16 service-life extension program (SLEP), according to sources.