Never one to sit on their laurels, Calibre Wings has officially gone on record to indicate plans for modelling the venerable F-16 Falcon. As you can see from the accompanying CAD diagram, plans initially call for modelling several of the more advanced F-16s, beginning with the Block 50/52 Plus which features bulbous Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT) attached to the center line of the aircraft. CFTs are external, pod-like fuel reservoirs that are attached to the upper surface of the F-16’s fuselage, with the tank’s lower surface conforming to the aircraft’s shape. Further, the Block 50/52 sports a dorsal spine compartment for electronics, the APG-68(V9) radar, an On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), and a JHMCS helmet.
According to research, “Poland took delivery of its first F-16C Block 52+ aircraft on September 15th, 2006. The “Poland Peace Sky program” includes 36 F-16Cs and 12 F-16Ds. All 48 aircraft were delivered in 2008. The Hellenic Air Force took delivery of its first F-16C Block 52+ aircraft on May 2nd, 2003. The Hellenic Air Force is the first Air Force in the world to operate this F-16 type. The total Greek order was 60 F-16C/D. The Israeli F-16I and its Singapore equivalent variant are based on the block 52+ aircraft. In March 2010, it was announced that the Egyptian Air Force would purchase 20 Block 52 aircraft (16 F-16Cs and 4 F-16Ds), the first of which arrived for testing in April 2012.” Therefore, its not clear which livery will be covered first and how many other variants will be included in their ambitious modelling program.
What makes this development so coincidental is that, according to The National Interest, earlier this month “the Slovak Republic has requested the sale of 14 advanced Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon fighters to replace its increasingly obsolete fleet of Soviet-built Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrums. The new jets would give the Slovak air force a huge boost in capability with the addition of advanced new sensors such as an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and other capabilities that are not found onboard the Cold War-era Fulcrums.”
“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Slovakia of F-16 Block 70/72 V configuration aircraft for an estimated cost of $2.91 billion,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. “The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on April 3, 2018.”
Of all of the operators of the F-16 — and there are indeed many — it would be interesting if this tiny, former East Block nation would be the first to add this advanced aircraft to their inventory and do so at a time when many nations are looking towards obtaining low observable stealth aircraft as a means of guaranteeing their safety should an air war erupt.