F-16 News

Breaking Defense • Bartosz Głowacki

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V

Poland has signed a $3.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters to the F-16V Block 70/72 configuration, enhancing sensors, avionics and interoperability with F-35s. The mid-life upgrade aligns with Warsaw’s goal of boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2026.

2025-08-14T08:33:53.040164-07:00

Reuters

Poland commits $3.8 billion to upgrade 48 F-16s to F-16V Block 72

2025-08-13T06:36:20.599844-07:00

The War Zone

US Delivers Boneyard F-16s to Ukraine for Spare Parts

2025-05-01T09:09:20.298350-07:00

Bloomberg

Thai F-16s Launch Cross-Border Strikes on Cambodian Positions Near Disputed Temple

2025-07-24T03:03:50.663204-07:00

F-16 News Timeline

Air & Space Forces Mag

Investigation: Engine stall from hardware failure caused Jan. 31, 2024 USAF F-16 crash into Yellow Sea Investigators concluded that an engine stall caused by a hardware failure led to the U.S. Air Force F-16's crash into the Yellow Sea on Jan. 31, 2024. The report attributes the mishap to a sudden in-flight loss of thrust and identifies mechanical fault(s) as the proximate cause.

2025-08-27T14:55:53.089144-07:00

Investigation: Engine stall from hardware failure caused Jan. 31, 2024 USAF F-16 crash into Yellow Sea

aerospaceglobalnews.com

Boeing converts retired F-16s into QF-16 'Zombie Vipers' for USAF live‑fire training Boeing is converting retired F‑16s into QF‑16 “Zombie Vipers”—remotely piloted target aircraft used for USAF live‑fire and weapons testing. The jets are refurbished and modified into reusable aerial targets, and the Air Force has placed additional orders to expand adversary and weapons-testing capacity.

2025-08-24T06:14:35.973217-07:00

Boeing converts retired F-16s into QF-16 'Zombie Vipers' for USAF live‑fire training

Breaking Defense

Red 6 wins contract to field ATARS helmet-mounted augmented-reality system for F-16 live-flight training Red 6 has won a contract to field its ATARS helmet-mounted augmented-reality system on F-16s, projecting virtual adversaries—including enemy jets—into pilots’ cockpits for live-flight dogfight simulations and mission rehearsals without dedicated aggressor aircraft, reducing adversary sorties and scaling training capacity.

2025-08-22T11:05:28.370564-07:00

Red 6 wins contract to field ATARS helmet-mounted augmented-reality system for F-16 live-flight training

Air & Space Forces Mag

NORAD scrambles F-16s to intercept Russian Il-20 in Alaska ADIZ — second transit in two days On Aug. 20, NORAD said U.S. Air Force F-16s intercepted and tracked a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 COOT conducting signals‑intelligence operations inside the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone. NORAD said it was the second Russian surveillance flight through the ADIZ in two days.

2025-08-21T12:14:50.405398-07:00

NORAD scrambles F-16s to intercept Russian Il-20 in Alaska ADIZ — second transit in two days

AeroTime

Textron’s ATAC wins $7.82M CACS task order to provide F-16 chase and assurance flights for FMS training Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), part of Textron Systems, has been awarded an initial Combat Air Forces Contracted Air Services (CACS) task order worth $7.82 million to provide contractor-owned F-16 chase and assurance flights supporting Foreign Military Sales pilot training, with performance up to 27 months in Greenville.

2025-08-19T02:00:15.542795-07:00

Textron’s ATAC wins $7.82M CACS task order to provide F-16 chase and assurance flights for FMS training

tectonicdefense.com

Red 6 Lands USAF F-16 Augmented Reality Training Deal Red 6 has secured a U.S. Air Force contract to integrate its ATARS (Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System) into F-16 Fighting Falcons, enabling pilots to conduct live-flight dogfight simulations and mission rehearsals without dedicated adversary aircraft.

2025-08-15T06:02:33.660921-07:00

Red 6 Lands USAF F-16 Augmented Reality Training Deal

Breaking Defense

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V Poland has signed a $3.8 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters to the F-16V Block 70/72 configuration, enhancing sensors, avionics and interoperability with F-35s. The mid-life upgrade aligns with Warsaw’s goal of boosting defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2026.

2025-08-14T08:33:53.040164-07:00

Poland Signs $3.8 B Deal with Lockheed to Upgrade 48 F-16C/Ds to F-16V

Reuters

Poland commits $3.8 billion to upgrade 48 F-16s to F-16V Block 72 Poland has signed a $3.8 billion contract to modernize its fleet of 48 F-16C/D Block 52+ fighters to the F-16V Block 72 Viper standard. The upgrade will enhance NATO interoperability, ensure compatibility with F-35 operations and strengthen Warsaw’s deterrence against potential Russian threats while bolstering local industry.

2025-08-13T06:36:20.599844-07:00

Poland commits $3.8 billion to upgrade 48 F-16s to F-16V Block 72