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Since the F-35A will not be coming out for awhile does anyone here think it would be a good idea to stop gap by doing a small upgrade to the F-16C/Ds? The CFTs now fitted on new Greek, Israel and UAE F-16s can be back fitted on any F-16 Block 30 on with little work. The CFTs were built from the start to be put on those models. Does anyone think it would be a good idea to increase the range of the current Falcons in service?

To my knowledge in USAF service the F-16 is used as a striker and those CFTs would improve its range by a good margin.

A CFT equipped F-16 can carry 2 2000lb bombs, 4 AIM-120s and 3 fuel tanks for a over 800 mile mission radius which is very good to say the least.

The CFTs can be taken off on the ground like the ones on the F-15E for example so they are not permanent. So it would add to the range a lot for a minimum cost. Basically the cost of Lockheed over charging to put them on and to buy the tanks.

I don't think it'd be a bad thing to upgrade our frontline F-16s to the E/F standard with the CFTs.

They look good on paper, I'm not sure about on the jet, I've seen pictures, and those Vipers look wierd. Not to mention maintenance on those planes must be difficult. Unless there are cells in tose tanks, you'd have to take the whole left one off to remove the gun, unless they redid that, too.

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

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Evil is evil, no matter how small.

No they havent redesigned the gun area, you would have to remove the CFT to do any gun maint OR fuel maint under them.

"face it....perhaps your only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!"

One good reason to consider. Is the extra range worth the extra maintenance hours required? How many of those coutries that have the CFTs have tankers? That would be another. The extra maintenance compared to the fact that with tankers, we don't really need the extra gas. Of course, I don't know off hand the tanker capabilities of the coutries in question, so I'm probably shooting blanks. Do you have to take the CFTs off the F-15 to do gun maintenance? I think the things would pose a similar problem(blocking access panels), from watching the tech school classes. Uneducated ramblings. Don't take my word for any of it.

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

_________________
Evil is evil, no matter how small.

One of our crew chiefs was a crew chief at Langley and he said that they were forever removing CFT's for every conceivable type of maintenance.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

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YGBSM !

"How many of those coutries that have the CFTs have tankers?"

Israel does currently. Greece and the UAE will be getting them.

The CFTs would increase the range a lot a give them a big range deep into enemy air space. CFTs could take of work of the tanker fleet and enable to planes to do deep strikes into ay China.

a while ago, General Dynamics developed the F-16XL, a delta winged version with more range and I think, though dont quote me on it, superior speed performance as well. what ever happenned to it, and if you want extra range from the Falc, the XL sounds like a good idea, also, I think the XL had a bigger warload.

<i>what ever happenned to the F16 XL</i> its time for it to make a return I think

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The F-16XL lost out to the F-15E. The two F-16XLs were used by NASA for delta and laminar flow research clear into the 1990s. They are a little bit longer than standard F-16s. I believe a delta version of the F-16 was offered to Jordan before they settled on the conventional Block-60s with CFTs.

"Now that he had recognized himself as a dead man it became important to stay alive as long as possible."
George Orwell, 1984

well Ive been thinking, take F16XL, add an extra engine and wey hay, an aircraft that is instantly superior to the eurofighter!

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