A Sample Feature From Aviation News

Viper comes of age introduction of the F-16C/D Block 52+

Above: An F-16D-52+ from 340 Sqn based at Souda Bay visits Araxos during late 2007. The first Block 52+ advanced aircraft arrived here in early 2009. (Photos, Ian Harding, Chris Lofting and Richard Gennis)

The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) was the first global customer to combine the ‘big spine’ modification with conformal fuel tanks on the F-16 Block 52+. Ian Harding, Chris Lofting and Richard Gennis took an opportunity to get close to one of the world’s most capable fighters.

GREECE has been a member of Nato since 1952 and as one of its founders, has played a vital role in defending its southern flank for the last 57 years, reasons enough to acquire the latest fighters available. New procurement is needed primarily to maintain stability with Turkey. For many years, the HAF has been called upon to defend its territorial rights in the Aegean against this fellow Nato member, at odds with the status quo. As a consequence, new Lockheed Martin
F-16s along with others supplied to Turkey have been directed more against each other than against any external threat. This latest phase of fighter procurement ultimately serves a ‘dual’ role but most importantly for Greece, it is vital for securing and defending their territorial rights (see Aegean Stand-off feature, January 2008, pages 39-46).

The road to procurement
Procurement of the F-16 represents HAF’s most ambitious and progressive programme of fighter development during recent times, a type first ordered in 1985 through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. So far, 140 F-16s have been received under three stages of the now extensive Peace Xenia procurement programme. The first stage was accomplished between 1989 and 1990, when 40 F-16C/D Block 30 aircraft (34C and 6D versions) were delivered to Nos 330 and 346 Squadron at Nea Anghialos Air Base near Volos, 346 Sqn moving to Larissa in 1997 where it is now equipped with the Block 30 version. Satisfied with the aircraft, the Greek government placed an order for a further 40 F-16C/D Block 50s (32C and 8D versions) in 1992, delivered during 1997 and 1998 to Nos 341 and 347 Squadrons at Nea Anghialos. These Block 50s were equipped with new engines (General Electric F110-GE-129), LANTIRN (Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infra-red for Night) pods as well as a new weapons fit. This allowed the aircraft to operate in the air-to-ground role as well as in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) mission using AGM-88 HARM mssiles.

The road to the latest variant started in June 2000 with an order for 50 F-16C/D-52+ aircraft with an option for ten more exercised in September 2001 under Peace Xenia III. In many respects, the changes made to the aircraft to meet the HAF order were the most radical in the history of this fighter, which first entered production in 1976 and now serves with 25 air forces. The Greek order for this latest variant was completed in June 2005 and that December the government ordered a further 30 new Block 52+ F-16s (20 C and 10 D versions) with an option on ten, the first of which are scheduled to arrive at Araxos this Spring. All under Peace Xenia IV.

Above: Souda rocks to the sound of the Block 52! Captured powering down the runway and into the air past the White Mountains and the US facility on the other side of the base is a two-seat F-16 from 343 Sqn.

The 52+ in service
In less than five years, the HAF has established three dedicated Block 52+ squadrons plus their SMET (Sminos Metekpaidefsis ston Tipo) or Type Conversion Unit at Souda Bay. The first aircraft was delivered to 340 ‘Fox’ Squadron at Souda Bay in June 2003 and in October 2004 a second Souda Bay squadron, 343 ‘Star’, received its first aircraft, 337 ‘Ghost’ Sqn at Larisa receiving its first aircraft in May 2006. With the experience learned at Souda Bay they were declared fully operational in November 2007 when they passed their Nato TACEVAL (Tactical Evaluation). Unfortunately, one aircraft was lost, along with its pilot, during the final stages of the evaluation.
The next phase of this transition process is already underway with A-7 Corsair pilots from 335 Sqn at Araxos currently undertaking type conversion training at the Lockheed Martin Facility, Fort Worth, Texas, and at Souda Bay. 

In addition to the above, all three squadrons have QRA responsibilities. Two aircraft are on full 24/7 sector alert from their home base with up to two aircraft from each squadron regularly detached to islands acting as Forward Operating Locations (FOLs) for the Tactical Air Force Command Centre HQ at Larissa. The relevant FOLs here are Limnos and Crete (Kasteli Air Base) which are additionally served by the F-16s from Nea Anghialos and Larisa. The Aegean is a tense region and preparation is central to the HAF approach.

Located on the north-west corner of the island of Crete close to the historic town of Khania in the middle of the Akrotiri peninsula, Souda Bay is a relatively new base. It has developed dramatically since it converted from the LTV A-7 Corsair II at the start of the decade and the 52+ first arrived in June 2003. Its F-16 facilities now comprise two separate squadron/shelter areas located either end of its single runway 11/29, two maintenance hangers (Level 1 and 2 maintenance undertaken here for ‘all’ 52+ in service; Level 3 is undertaken at Hellenic Aircraft Industries factory at Tanagra), a specialist avionics unit, wash and paint facility plus a LANTIRN workshop.
The F-16 Block 52+ has significantly increased the potential of the Hellenic Air Force. The first initial F-16 Block 52+ advanced aircraft for Greece made its first test flight from Fort Worth on December 5, 2008, viewed as one of the most capable F-16 versions built to date.

Top: Having completed a simulated COMAO display at the Tanagra air show on September 13, 2008, pilots from Nos 340 and 343 Sqns at Souda Bay reflect on the day’s work.

The Viper’s bite!
Greece was the first country to order and combine the dorsal spine modification found on the two-seat D version of the 52+, housing all its additional avionics, with conformal fuel tanks (CFTs). Initial concerns over the power and serviceability of the Pratt and Whitney F100-PW229 engine were short lived; serviceability is estimated at between 80-90%, and there were concerns about how the aircraft would handle with two CFTs attached. In fact, most HAF pilots prefer this format, as confirmed by Captain (P) Sifis Anastasakis, an experienced 52+ Instructor Pilot (IP) with 340 Squadron at Souda Bay: ‘The CFTs produce no drag on the aircraft and there is no big difference in its handling characteristics at all. Handling in the air is almost excellent… and like many of the pilots, my choice would be to fly with them attached as the aircraft is extremely stable even when containing their full load of 3,000gal plus weapons. While the extra weight of a full load requires an additional 400 to 500ft runway plus ten to 12 miles per hour extra speed getting airborne, the obvious benefit of the CFTs are that mission range and duration is increased substantially which is more critical for 340 Squadron especially in its air-to-ground mission mode’.

In fact, if the two larger 600gal wing tanks (as opposed to the smaller 370gal tanks) plus its 300gal belly-mounted tank are attached, the HAF has an aircraft with an effective radius at low altitude of around 750 miles, which could conceivably patrol Greek airspace and undertake missions with a full payload for close on three hours unaided. The only issue with the CFTs appears to be a logistical one concerning the length of time taken to attach and remove them, a consideration for maintenance staff when avionics work is scheduled. This consideration obviously has no impact on mission planning. Another obvious visual external difference with the HAF 52+ is the special metallic paintwork called ‘Haveglass 2’ which absorbs/scatters some radiation and helps to reduce the aircraft’s radar signature. This paint has the texture of fine-grain sandpaper and is very difficult to clean.

Other features which stand out on the  F-16D-52+ are its ‘big spine’ modification which houses additional avionics, internal chaff and flare dispensers in its ASPIS electronic countermeasures suite and its Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68 Version 9 radar, which has many plaudits. Version 9 has enhanced detection range of up to 30% as well as the ability to track single and multiple targets in both air-to-air and air-to-ground modes. Add to this a missionised back seat in the two-seater, which in itself is not new to the HAF, plus a Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) used by pilots to aim weapons and sensors. Lt Col (P) Panagiotis Georgakopoulos, the Commanding Officer of 343 Squadron at Souda Bay and an F-16 pilot with over 2200 sorties commented, ‘There is no doubt that to take full advantage of the 52+ you have to be an excellent pilot. It is a big jump up from the Block 30 and although a smaller jump from the Block 50 aircraft, you need experience to cope with all the technical inputs you have to process and use. Our pilots gain this experience here within the SMET and the squadrons. In terms of the technical inputs, the radar is excellent and enables us to accurately deliver precision weapons autonomously in all weathers to different targets. Its range of detection for targets is very impressive and improves our BVR capability. Multi-function displays and night vision capability in the cockpit also give our pilots a lot of information on multiple targets in a battle scenario which we regularly practice. JHMCS helps the pilot greatly in this scenario as it enables them to aim sensors and weapons wherever they are looking while ‘heads-up’ without having to look at the cockpit during air-to-air combat which is always tense’.

Having been invited to attend one of the squadron’s extensive post COMAOs (Composite Air Operations) de-briefing sessions, it was clear why the aircraft is so highly regarded and also why Lt Col (P) Panagiotis Georgakopoulos was correct in his proclamation that pilots need to be good to get the most out of the 52+. One senior pilot told us that ‘complex missions are down to people at the end of the day’. This message was reinforced by Lt Col (P) Apostolos Chortis, CO of 337 Squadron at Larissa when talking about the JHMCS unit. ‘Disorientation is a major consideration with units like this, which we take very seriously. The JHMCS is a great unit, all our pilots love the system but you need experience to use it. Pilots must learn to move their head rather than their eyes to target and deploy weapons. All the information is in the right eye. Pilots have to process a great deal of information from many sources: data link, the helmet and, in the future, Night Vision Goggles or ‘NVGs’. Our IPs start the learning process and our students only fly with JHMCS in advanced mode when we are 100% happy with their skill levels’.

The 52+ has mutli-role capability as an air-to-air interceptor, air-to-ground role and for SEAD. A fourth potential role which may develop later is as a reconnaissance platform using the Goodrich Corporation’s DB-110 airborne reconnaissance system. Backing this up on the munitions front is an advanced weapons fit which includes AGM-65 Maverick, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) and the IRIS-T (Infra Red Search-Track) high off-boresight missile which will ultimately replace the Sidewinder. In addition, the new 52+ to be delivered under the Peace Xenia IV programme will have provision for the adverse weather delivery of JDAM.

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Above: The distinctive slim fuselage of the F-16C/D is violated by the combined dorsal spine with additional avionics and conformal fuel tanks, which can add 3,000lb of fuel to the two-seat F-16D. Equipped with two HARM missiles, this Block 52+ passes a line of T-33s at Souda Bay.

For the rest of this article please see the May 2009 issue.