Aero India: New 'F-16 variant' for Indian Air Force unveiled, dubbed F-21

The Week, India ^ | February 20, 2019

[sukhoi-30mki]

On Wednesday, US aerospace major Lockheed Martin revealed what appears to be a new variant of its venerable F-16 fighter, termed the F-21, for the Indian Air Force. A model of the F-21 was unveiled at the Aero India air show at Bengaluru, which commenced on Wednesday.

Lockheed Martin had pitched its F-16 for a contract to supply 114 fighters to the Indian Air Force in 2018. More than 4,500 F-16s have been built since the aircraft first took to the air in 1974. Previous variants of the F-16 had retained the type's name, suffixed with 'block numbers' to denote modernisation of systems or initials to denote user (e.g., F-16I of the Israeli Air Force).

Therefore, the unveiling of the F-21 designation appears intriguing. The F-16 had previously been criticised as being “too old” as it has been in service for four decades and has also been extensively used by Pakistan. The F-21 designation could help bolster Lockheed Martin's contention that it is offering India a new aircraft.

In a statement on the unveiling of the F-21, Vivek Lall, vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said the "The F-21 is different, inside and out.” The F-21 has been advertised as being an aircraft configured to the needs of the Indian Air Force. Lockheed Martin emphasised that the F-21 proposal offers significant 'Make in India' opportunities.

Lockheed Martin said the "unprecedented Make in India opportunity combines the strength of the world's largest defence contractor with India's premier industrial house to deliver a win-win for India and the US.”

[sukhoi-30mki]

A computer-generated image of two F-21s in Indian Air Force markings | Lockheed Martin YouTube channel

[txnativegop]

that a 40 year old airframe can still hold its own says wonders.

[Spktyr]

Yeah, it says, “Imagine how far we’d be if politics, bureaucracy and stupidity hadn’t killed off the successor craft.”

Keep in mind that this “holds its own” aircraft is going to be sold, including the instructions for all its technology, to India - it’s not considered sensitive or important at all any more. India is a country in several defensive joint ventures with Russia, and the F-16/F-21 is so high tech that we don’t care if the Russians get it.

[Secret Agent Man]

50 years.

[Huaynero]

Distinctly remember the wonder-awe-HUH!? of trying to get my head around “fly by wire”.
Thank You Colonel John Boyd.

[JudgemAll]

Old or not, that would be a punch in the guts of Chicoms.

Hopefully the communists in India will not be allowed to sabotage this deal as they have done in the past

[monkeyshine]

I thought they were going to buy a squadron of old, unfinished MiG fighters from Russia? Maybe they are doing both?

[ZOOKER]

Big wings, conformal fuel tanks, hard points everywhere. Hard to see the original F-16 with all that junk hanging on it. I'm guessing it won't break any speed records.

OTOH, proven design, low cost...

India must be in a pickle, this is the third post in as many days on possible buys.

One was for unfinished Soviet fighters, 30 years old and never flown.

Another was for a stealth fighter in development.

Now this idea.

Their current indigenous fighter never got all the bugs out and they're running out of usable aircraft (old MiG's)

[monkeyshine]

Yeah, ‘fly by wire’ actually means the opposite of what it sounds. It is not literally like a pulley system moving the ailerons and rudders etc by the pilots moving of the controls. Rather it means an electronic signal is sent via wire to trigger those parts to move in relation to the pilot input on the controls.

It is the older planes that used pulleys and manual hydraulics.

[Jewbacca]

That’s quite a payload. Someone got a little heavy handed with the photoshop

[Jewbacca]

For defense of homeland, where stealth is irrelevant, and you have support of ground and other radar, a tried and true bird with one reliable engine means more birds in the air faster.

It’s a winning strategy.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

India must be in a pickle, this is the third post in as many days on possible buys.

Now that I became aware of this topic, I keep seeing articles about how dysfunctional and constipated India's military procurement process is. I have to wonder if India's bureaucracy is even capable of completing a deal to obtain new fighters before most of its existing fleet is grounded. I remember reading about India's urgent need for fighter jets over a decade ago, and there's apparently no end in sight.

India Keeps Fighter Jet Makers Waiting. And Waiting. And Waiting.

[wetgundog]

afterburners smell like curry.

[rlmorel]

I like the smell of jet exhaust as it is...:)

Funny, anytime I get a whiff of jet exhaust, I get taken back in life:

To being a kid in Subic Bay, smelling it waft from the tarmac and runways at Cubi Point...

To when I was going to A School in Millington, TN for jet engines...

[sukhoi-30mki]

It’s really hard see how the ‘new’ designation is justified. Nearly all the improvements (multiple ejector racks, towed decoy and refuelling probe) have been tested/offered on the F-16. The only other structural change is the dorsal fuel tank behind the cockpit.

I’d argue the only game-changer for this aircraft is its industrial package.