Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper
| F-16V Viper F-16V C/D Block 70/72 F-16 PoBIT | |
|---|---|
| Royal Bahraini Air Force F-16 Block 70 lands at Edwards Air Force Base | |
| General information | |
| Type | Multirole fighter |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Production plant of the Lockheed Martin in Greenville, South Carolina |
| Designer | Lockheed Martin |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | See users |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2019-present (serial production) |
| First flight | 2015 |
| In service | 2023-present |
| Predecessors | F-16 Fighting Falcon |
The Lockheed Martin F-16V Viper is a family of new and upgraded single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft developed from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Improvements over the F-16 include the APG-83 AESA radar, upgraded avionics with a modern mission computer, enhanced cockpit displays, and electronic warfare suites such as the AN/ALQ-254(V)1 Viper Shield. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft delivers fifth-generation fighter radar capabilities by leveraging hardware and software commonality with F-22 and F-35 AESA radars while extending service life and interoperability with stealth platforms. Initially introduced to support export customers like Taiwan and Greece through both new production and retrofit options, the Viper configuration continues to be fielded and modernized by Lockheed Martin and international partners. In United States Air Force inventory, the F-16 C/D Post Block Integration Team (PoBIT) modernization program is equivalent.