The Indonesian Air Force Has Successfully Upgraded Its F-16 Fighter Aircraft To Be More Sophisticated

F-16 fighter aircraft upgraded by the Indonesian Air Force (Doc. Dispen AU)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian National Army (TNI) Air Force (AU) has successfully improved the performance of the F-16 A / B Block 15 fighter aircraft to become more sophisticated. The results of the fighter aircraft update have also been tested directly by Lockheed Martin.

The first test flight of the fighter aircraft operated by the Indonesian Air Force was carried out at the 3rd Air Squadron Apron Iswahjudi Air Force Base, Madiun, East Java, on Tuesday, February 18 yesterday. Testing of the fighter aircraft was handled by Dwayne "Pro" Opella pilot of the F-16 aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, United States.

"With the flight of the TS-1610 aircraft, it has become a proof of achievement, that the nation's children are also capable of independently upgrading Indonesia's fighter aircraft," said Air Force Chief of Staff (KSAU) Marshal TNI Yuyu Sutisna in a written statement, Wednesday, February 19. .

👮‍♂️Falcon Star & eMLU, innovation of #TNIAU and PT.DI, successfully upgraded the F-16 A / B TS-1610 fighter aircraft equivalent to a new aircraft. # Tniau # swabhuanapaksa # Jauhdilangitneardihati pic.twitter.com/zWI5FfurLI

- Indonesian Air Force (@_TNIAU) February 19, 2020

Yuyu said the F-16 fighter aircraft was successfully updated in the Enhanced Mid-Life Update (EMLU) - The Falcon Structural Augmentation Rodmap (Falcon STAR) program carried out by the Indonesian Air Force assisted by PT Dirgantara Indonesia.

This F-16 fighter aircraft upgrade includes parts of the jet fuselage, avionics system, as well as the armanen system of the multi-role fighter type aircraft. Through the supervision of Lockheed Martin, the Indonesian Air Force replaced several components with more sophisticated tools and increased the life of the aircraft to 8,000 actual flying hours.

"We must be proud that the Indonesian nation has been able to upgrade the F-16 aircraft to be more sophisticated, equivalent to the newest aircraft, which is capable of carrying long-range missile weapons, equipped with the latest radar and avionics," he added.

Not only one F-16 A / B Block 15 fighter aircraft will be upgraded by the TNI. Nine similar fighter jets will also be updated in the future.

"I am optimistic that this first success, coupled with the constructive input from Lockheed Martin, will pave the way in accelerating the upgrade process for the other nine F-16 A / B aircraft," he concluded.