The United States has approved Jordan's request for the latest version of the F-16 fighter. Yesterday, January 6, the portal defensenews.com He reported that the US State Department approved the request of the Jordanian Defense Ministry for aircraft and ammunition.
The cost of 12 F-16C and 4 F-16D modifications of Block 70 (F-16V) with a set of spare parts, additional equipment, ammunition and services is estimated at $4.21 billion. However, this amount and the final delivery package may change during further negotiations before signing the contract.
F-16 fighters of the Jordanian Air Force
Image source: f-16.net
Jordan has three squadrons of obsolete F-16 fighter jets in service. These aircraft were purchased in the period from 1997 to 2017 already supported from the USA, Belgium and the Netherlands. If the contract is signed, Jordan will become the sixth customer of the newly built F-16V after Bahrain, Morocco, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Taiwan. In addition, Turkey has requested F-16V fighters.
Lockheed Martin Corporation claims that today the F-16 Viper (Block 70) is the most high-tech fighter of the fourth generation. The main innovation of the F-16V was the AESA radar system. The manufacturer has equipped the aircraft with the latest APG-83 SABR installation with an active phased array antenna. The new radar makes it possible to detect targets much earlier than the systems of the previous generation. The aircraft is also equipped with a new dashboard and an improved flight task management system. In addition, the performance of the on-board computer has been increased in the new fighter, a radar combat system and an automatic collision avoidance system have been installed in case of loss of consciousness by the pilot.
