Last Saturday’s transit of the Taiwan Strait by the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Mustin was followed 24 hours later by passage of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier Shandong through the same waters, signalling a heightened level of symbolic navigation of the contentious sea-way. In both cases, fighter aircraft from China and Taiwan monitored the transits.

The Republic of China Air Force (RoCAF) reportedly dispatched eight military aircraft in addition to several ships to monitor the Shandong. Logic would suggest that at least some of these were Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs, the RoCAF’s most numerous fighter. Soon they’ll have company.

In a move not welcomed by China, Taiwan received approval from the U.S. government in August to buy of 66 new-build F-16s in a $62 billion, 10-year deal that would see deliveries begin some time after 2022.

The arrival of six squadrons-worth of advanced versions of the veteran fourth-generation fighter complicates any move by Chinese aircraft across the Strait and dovetails with Taiwan’s existing $5.3 billion Phoenix Rising Project to upgrade its 144-strong F-16A/B fleet to F-16V configuration by 2023.

F-16V is a generic designation for Lockheed’s advanced version of the Fighting Falcon, known in military/industry-speak as the Block 70/72. While the RoCAF declined to provide details on its upgrade configuration and new-build F-16s, a look at the “window sticker” of the Block 70/72 provides a worthwhile impression of what the Taiwanese are getting.

V Equals Versatile

The Block 70/72 has been selected by five nations - Taiwan, Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Morocco - to date, putting a 128-unit backlog into Lockheed’s order book. Production is underway at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina, plant with the first new jets slated to come off the line in 2022 according J.R. McDonald, vice president of business development for Lockheed’s Integrated Fighter Group.

The new-build aircraft will add to a total production of 4,588 F-16s for U.S. and foreign air forces. Lockheed boasts of certifying more than 3,300 carriage and release configurations for greater than 180 weapon and store types for the fleet.

According to press reports, Taiwan is getting the Block 70 F-16. The chief distinction between the Block 70 and 72 is the engine. The former get General Electric’s GE -1.9% F110-GE-132 which makes a maximum 32,500 pounds (144.5 kN) of thrust while the latter are equipped with Pratt & Whitney’s F100-PW-229 with 29,160 pounds (129.7 kN) of thrust.

For Taiwan, the Block 70’s air-to-air configuration and weapons will be of greatest interest. RoCAF F-16A/Bs reportedly carry AIM-9 Sidewinders and long-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs. A stockpile of approximately 300 of the latter (about 2 per F-16) are currently in storage, raising questions about which and how many air-to-air missiles Taiwan is acquiring to accompany the fighter purchase.

Given the naval activity around Taiwan in the South China and Philippine Seas as well as in the Strait, the RoCAF may be interested in Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) but it hasn’t yet indicated a multirole mission for the F-16V.

The Block 70/72’s origins date back to 2012 and Lockheed’s read on demand in the global fighter market for F-16 upgrades. An advanced scanned-array radar (AESA)-equipped version of the airplane with a new mission computer, engine and safety systems like the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System appeared well positioned to meet requirements to refresh existing F-16 fleets and replace ageing-out third generation fighters.

“That was such a good configuration it was obvious that we should go to new production builds that closely matched the Viper upgrade,” McDonald says.

Northrop Grumman’s NOC -0.4% APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is one of the pillars of the V configuration with what the company says are “unprecedented target area detail and digital map displays that can be tailored with slew and zoom features.” Detection and tracking range information is speculative but reports suggest a maximum theoretical range of 230 miles, ample for cross-Strait reconnaissance/advanced warning.

The radar is essentially a scaled-down version of the APG-81 that flies in the F-35, indicating some degree of electronic warfare capability and cooperative potential with American systems.

Less well recognized are structural updates to Block 70/72s which extend their service life from 8000 hours to 12,000 hours, a 50% increase. The resulting airplane is slightly heavier according to Lockheed but it retains the same 48,000 pound Maximum Gross Take-off Weight as previous F-16 versions.

Given the intercept missions that RoCAF F-16s will focus on and the local geography, range isn’t a huge issue. But the Block 70’s ability to tote 600, 370, and 300 gallon external fuel tanks as well as conformal tanks which add another 3,000 pounds of gas, should offer on-station persistence and the faster response of airborne fighters.

Taiwan likely views the miniaturized infrared search and track (IRST) sensor with embedded processor that Lockheed recently debuted for the Block 70/72 as essential equipment. Indeed, the Legion-Embedded System (ES) pod has been ordered by an undisclosed Block 70/72 customer and is available for delivery starting in 2023.

Its tracking and detection data will flow through the F-16V’s MMC-7000 modular mission computer which performs central processing for the airplane’s store management system and display generation for its head-up display. A higher speed internal data network automatically allows it to perform a range of procedural functions independently, freeing up pilot focus and workload.

A large new central pedestal display presents the pilot with highly configurable information mixes as do two available helmet mounted cueing systems, Thales’ Scorpion and Elbit Systems’ JMHCS II. Lockheed is offering customers a completely digital advanced cockpit with big 4-inch x 4-inch multifunction displays but it’s unknown whether the RoCAF is a taker.

Connectivity is a point of emphasis and the advanced F-16’s Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS), a 4-channel radio that runs the complex Link 16 waveform and up to three additional communication protocols, could offer cooperative engagement capability with the ROC’s naval and land platforms.

“There are a number of other different radios on the airplane as well,” McDonald adds.

Lockheed won’t comment on pricing but asserts that no other fighter platform integrates non-U.S. weapons systems more readily than the F-16V, giving foreign governments industrial as well as capability options.

“There are countries selling cheaper airplanes but the question is what is the capability you’re after?” McDonald says.

All of these capabilities would be handy for an Air Force that will find itself in a tough corner should the People’s Republic one day decide that force is the only way to integrate Taiwan into its “one-China” vision.

If naval traffic in the Strait is an indication, that day may be closer than we’d like.