Lockheed Martin recently awarded GE Aviation a multi-million-dollar contract to upgrade the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force’s F-16 data transfer system, the US company said on March 22, 2018.

A United Arab Emirates F-16E Desert Falcon, block 60, flies over Southern Arizona Aug. 11 before heading to the country's first Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
(Courtesy photo)

The contract involves a redesign of the system and an aircraft retrofit that will extend the life of this capability for the UAE Air Force’s F-16 fleet.Lockheed Martin recently awarded GE Aviation a multi-million-dollar contract to upgrade the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force’s F-16 data transfer system. The contract involves a redesign of the system and an aircraft retrofit that will extend the life of this capability for the UAE Air Force’s F-16 fleet.

“This development work, scheduled for the next several years, advances the data transfer product line to be ready for next generation applications,” said Alan Caslavka, president of Avionics Systems for GE Aviation.  

The data transfer system is an integral part of the Block 60 avionics suite that provides mission data to the aircraft, allowing the pilot to execute missions more efficiently.

The UAE Air Force operates a fleet of 78 Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 aircraft. The Block 60 brings together a host of systems on the leading edge of technology to deliver the capabilities necessary to meet modern defense requirements.