The Aviation Magazine No. 54 January-February 2018

Early in 2009 the IDF decided to start with the upgrade of the F‐16C/D fleet to ‘Barak 2020’ standard. Up‐ grades give almost the same level of avionics equipment as that of the latest F‐16I block 52+ ‘Sufa’ in s ervice. The modernization came through after a long test period with the new upgrade suite being installed on a test F‐16D ‘Brakeet’ ("Thunderbolt"). The upgrades boost interoperability and facilitate integration of new weap‐ ons packages between its fleet of approximately 124 F‐16C/D's and 101 F‐16I's. Under ‘Peace Marble II’, the IDF was supplied with 75 F‐16C/D's (block 30), the first F‐16C which arrived in October 1987 and the first F‐ 16D was received on December 21, 1987. Following the cancellation of the locally designed ‘ Lavi’ fighter project in May of 1988, a follow‐on order was placed under ‘Peace Marble III’ agreement for 60 F‐16C/D block 40 aircraft (30 F‐16C's, 30 F‐16D's), plus an option for another 15 aircraft. The first of these jets arriving back in August 1991. With the 2020 upgrade programme the F‐16C/D ‘Barak’ is expected to remain in service till around 2030. Currently the IDF is the largest operator of the F‐16 besides the US Air Force. The F‐15 ‘Baz’ platform has been in service since the mid‐1970s. Currently about twenty‐five F‐15 ‘Baz’ of various versions (A/B/C/D) are in use with the IDF. Next to the ‘Baz’ the F‐15I ‘Ra’am’, which is a version of the F‐15E Strike Eagle developed especially for Israel, is in service. Israel received the first of its initial order of two single seat F‐15As and two, two seat F‐15Bs in 1976 under the Peace Fox foreign military sales program. These aircraft were largely used as test, training and evaluation planes so that the Israeli Air Force could prepare for its full order to arrive. Another 19 F‐15As and two F‐15Bs were delivered by 1978, entering active service with 133 Squadron at Tel Nof airbase. During the early 1980s, the IAF received the improved F‐15C/D Baz. Eighteen F‐15Cs and eight F‐15Ds were delivered during the 1982‐1983 timeframe. These new jets were more capable than their predecessors in al‐ most every respect, although their airframe remained visually nearly identical to the older A/B models. These F‐15C/Ds were in no way replacements for the IAF’s older A/B models, instead they were meant to augment the battle proven ‘Baz’. Over the years the ‘Baz’ fleet has been upgraded to local requirements. Installed have been GPS guided weaponry (JDAM) which allows to work as pinpoint, all weather, fixed target strikers without having to rely on optically guided weaponry. The ‘Baz’ can also still work as standoff weapons. In ad‐ dition, the Baz’s speed, range and stability made it an ideal platform for tactical reconnaissance. As the ‘Baz’ has similar range as the ‘Ra’am and ‘Sufa’ it can work as a forward deployed networking and command and control node, absorbing the battle picture via data‐link from fighters within its line of sight and then send this information up to a satellite, which then beams it back down to Israeli commanders hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. This can also go in the opposite direction, with new orders, alerts of pop‐up air defenses, and other updates being sent from behind friendly lines or from orbiting strategic intelligence aircraft to the F‐15B/D ‘Baz’. From here, the ‘Baz’ can disperse this information to the rest of the non‐satellite communications equipped strike package. This high bandwidth satellite communications modification can be seen on F‐15B/Ds packing a large bulbous satellite communications dome just behind the environmental cooling system vent, located on the jet’s forward spine. During 8 November two F‐35Is ‘Adir’ were delivered to Nevatim Air Base. The two aircraft will join the seven fighters that landed in Israel over the past year and are the latest addition to the 140th Squadron (‘Golden Eagle’). With nine ‘Adir’ aircraft in Israel, the platform will soon undergo an initial fitness inspection. The first two ‘Adir’ landed in Israel about a year ago, and seven additional aircraft have arrived. Throughout the past year the fighter underwent a series of tests and experiments in which the IAF learned to operate the new platform such as live munition fire and aerial refueling. During December 2017 the squadron will undergo a fitness inspection in which the F‐35I capabilities and readiness will be validated. Upon the completion of the inspection, the ‘Adir’ will become operational. It is expected the F‐35I will participate in the next edition of Blue Flag. Participants Blue Flag 2017 Type Mirage 2000D F‐16C/D F‐16C/D F‐16C/D # 5 Country France Air Base Nancy 5 4 6 Unit EC 01.003/ EC 02.003 6ELT 335 Mira 31FW/ 510th FS Poland Greece USAFE Poznan Araxos Aviano (IT) EF2000 Tornado IDS/ECR C‐130J 6 5 TLG73 6 Stormo Germany Italy Laage Ghedi 1 India ‐ F‐16C/D 6 Garud Com‐ mandos 101 squadron Israel Hatzor F‐16C 5 115 squadron Israel Ovda F‐16I 6 107 squadron Israel Hatzerim F‐15A/C 9 133 squadron/ 106 squadron Israel Tel Nof F‐15D 5 133 squadron Israel Tel Nof

The Aviation Magazine No. 54 January-February 2018 | Page 64