New F-16 Block 70 Maiden Flight Announced

YouTube / The War Zone

New Year, New Me

Lockheed Martin just carried out the new F-16 Block 70’s maiden flight in South Carolina on January 24, 2023. Test pilots Dwayn Opella and Monelssa Balzhiser were airborne for almost an hour conducting various airworthiness checks and basic aircraft handling.

So far, six countries have pledged to order the Block 70 aircraft. This new upgrade is considered to be the most advanced version of the Vipers and features:

• Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System II
• APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar 
• AN/APX-126 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe
• Center Pedestal Display
• Embedded GPS/INS
• Full Night Vision Imaging System
• Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System
• And many more avionics upgrades

Bahrain is the first country to purchase the new variant, with Greece, Slovakia, and India also slated to get the latest F-16 upgrades. What do you think about this change?