Super Dynamics
Air-to-air combat capabilities of the F-16IN Super Viper make it the ultimate 4th Generation Fighter, providing proven air combat capability that the IAF can rely on

The Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) must be capable of many roles and missions, with a key role being air-to-air combat. It must be able to defend itself during a mission, or stand ready for an air-defence alert-launch. It must do more than dogfight in order to fill its valuable role; it must fight, win, refuel, rearm, and fight again!

In its RFP, the Indian Air Force has outlined the basics of the air-to-air combat capability required of the MMRCA, and they are formidable. The evolution of air combat and implications of fighter design on modern air combat capability are fully reflected in the RFP requirements, and the ongoing technical evaluation and upcoming field trials will show the F-16IN Super Viper is the fighter for the Indian Air Force.

For half a century, the naked eye found the enemy. Just after the Korean War the airborne radar began to assist in detecting aircraft. The newest breakthrough in airborne radar technology is the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA). The benefits of the AESA radar are truly revolutionary and the F-16IN Super Viper offers the only AESA delivered internationally today.

Underlining The Advantages
Along with longer-range detections, a large operating bandwidth, and interleave modes, there are other benefits of AESA radar. The antenna of the Super Viper AESA is a fixed plate that does not move. Gone are the stability limits of the actuators driving the mechanical antennas in other fighters. The fully integrated and optimised F-16IN AESA radar does not care if the Super Viper is manoeuvring; it continues searching, detecting, and providing high quality tracking throughout the fighter’s entire envelope. When properly integrated, the AESA radar can detect when a contact is manoeuvring and devote more time to tracking to prevent a loss of track.

The F-16IN AESA radar has high fidelity information on ownship velocities and a steady two-way stream of data between it and the mission computer resulting in superior performance in clutter, ECM, and manoeuvring target situations. It was inevitable that a counter to radar detection would ensue. Reduction in radar cross-section (RCS) is the countermeasure to radar detection. RCS reduced aircraft may not be detected by radar until they are very close, so close that other means of detection are more effective. At these short ranges the human eye still plays an important role, and so fighter size and engine smoke must also be reduced to counter detection by sight. The F-16IN Super Viper has a small visual cross section and a single, smokeless engine. With a small fighter, RCS reduction can be combined with reduced infrared and visual signatures, allowing manoeuvring past the normal visual scan of the enemy pilot’s eye to an unseen intercept, visual identification or offensive firing position. Nothing sends a message quite like pilots returning from airspace incursions with stories of your fighter Just appearing out of nowhere!

Through the Korean War era, the primary weapon of the air combat fighter was the gun employed in a dogfight. With the advent of self-guiding air-to-air missile, many thought dogfighting was obsolete. History has shown first detection and firing of beyond-visual-range missiles is one factor in air combat victory but it is not a guarantee that dogfighting will not ensue. So the gun persists to this day as an element of dog fighting. But is that paradigm changing? The supermanoeuvrable, short range air-to-air missile, aimed by the pilot’s eye, is becoming reliable enough that it might replace the time-proven gun.

Only recently have technological advances provided the solutions needed to make the helmet mounted cueing system required for the employment of these new all-aspect short-range missiles comfortable, accurate and reliable. The F-16IN Super Viper pilot uses the Helmet Mounted Cueing System, which is lightweight, comfortable, and multirole capable. It is worn on F-16 missions lasting more than 8 hours, and has withstood the punishment of the ready room.

Integrated Mission Planning Data
In the days of the open cockpit, seeing and communicating with wingmen and knowing front line locations were part of air combat. The F-16IN Super Viper embodies the ultimate in the evolution of communication and situational awareness using automatic establishment of all available data links and automatic data correlation. Mission planning data are fully integrated with real time onboard and offboard data for fusion on the tactical situation awareness displays.

While dogfighting is less common in modern air combat, the need for the performance remains. Whether launching on an air-defence alert, repositioning during a patrol, or manoeuvring for an intercept, fighter performance is a must. The F-16IN Super Viper has the agility that the F-16 made famous, and that all others try to emulate. Even when carrying air-to-air weapons, conformal fuel tanks, and an empty centerline fuel tank, the F- 16IN still has a 9 g capability. The F-16IN has something even more—the fuel to support sustained high speed operations. The F-16IN provides sustained supersonic speeds in level flight needed to cross long distances for a time-critical intercept.