Oklahoma Guard F-16s receive fifth-generation radars

Photo By Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle | F-16 Vipers from the 138th Fighter Wing participate in an elephant walk, June 4, 2021, at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Okla. The elephant walk was part of a large-scale readiness exercise that was conducted to test the wing's ability to rapidly deploy combat ready forces across the globe. (Oklahoma Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle)  

TULSA, OK, UNITED STATES

07.01.2022

Story by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Imwalle 

138th Fighter Wing

TULSA AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, OKLAHOMA – The 138th Fighter Wing is one of nine Air National Guard bases chosen to receive upgraded, fifth-generation radars for the F-16 Viper.
These upgrades are part of a project known as Post Block Integration Team, which is one of the largest modernization efforts in the history of the U.S. Air Force.
Maj. Richie Shuler, 125th Fighter Squadron chief of weapons and tactics, explained that the upgrades were a full component and software replacement which involved the removal of the old radar system that were replaced with an APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar. The new system has the ability to track more targets at longer ranges than the previous one.
“There is a very noticeable difference in how many targets we can track and the ranges,” said Shuler. “This makes it easier for us to make decisions because more range equals more time when we’re fighting.”
The upgrades began in 2017 when the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth $243 million to update the radars on the F-16. In total, 72 F-16s received the upgrade across the ANG, and according to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, hundreds more are slated to get a combined upgrade package in the coming years.
“The completion of these deliveries highlights Northrop Grumman’s continued commitment to rapidly fielding fifth-generation radar capability to the fleet to counter and defeat increasingly sophisticated threats to our nation and its allies,” said Mark Rossi, director of SABR programs for Northrop Grumman, in a company press release.
In addition to the installation of these radars, Tulsa’s fleet of F-16’s will be receiving multiple upgrades over the course of the next 10 years.
“Having these upgrades in our fleet will allow us to combat the emerging threat with more lethality than we have before,” Schuler said. “It will help maintain our relevance as a primary fighting platform against both air threats and ground threats, as a premier multi-role fighter. The F-16 is an extremely capable machine and having these new upgrades will give us longevity in any fight, for years to come.”

• Date Taken: 07.01.2022
• Date Posted: 07.01.2022 09:03
• Story ID: 424227
• Location: TULSA, OK, US