台灣下一代的主力戰機應具備的功能

3250分

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個人積分：3250分

文章編號：62277127

九月初就有相關的消息了：
http://insidedefense.com/daily-news/air-force-pursuing-limited-competition-f-16-aesa-radar-upgrade
Air Force pursuing 'limited competition' for F-16 AESA radar upgrade

可惜的是上面網頁必須要登錄為會員才能繼續閱讀後面的內容，幸好有人把文章內容轉貼到國外的討論區裡：
The Air Force confirmed this week it has initiated a limited-source competition to procure new advanced electronically scanned array radars for a portion of its F-16 fleet.

The service released a request for proposals Aug. 4 as well as a limited and classified justification and approval, according to Air Force spokesman Maj. Rob Leese. An RFP had been expected last spring.

"The competition is a limited competition under a limited and classified J&A," according to Leese, who said the service decided to restrict competition based on national security reasons and a limited number of suppliers.

The service last August submitted a $113 million reprogramming request to purchase 24 Northrop Grumman-built AESA radars to equip Air National Guard F-16s operating in U.S. Northern Command. The service had planned to utilize an existing contract on which Lockheed Martin would be the prime integrator with Northrop providing its APG-83 radar. Congress denied the request -- which would have provided the necessary funding to field the radars by 2017 -- and instead directed the service to hold a competition for the work.

It is unclear how many companies were targeted through the limited competition. A Raytheon spokesman confirmed the company would offer a proposal and a Northrop Grumman spokesman declined to comment.

Congress appropriated $40 million for the effort in fiscal year 2016 and called on the service to submit a report on its initial upgrade plans as well as its plans to expand the scope of the program and install the radars across its fleet. The FY-17 budget did not include funds for additional radars.

Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall told Congress in a June report that a fighter force structure study due this fall will inform the scope of the F-16 AESA radar upgrade, Inside Defense previously reported.

"If the Air Force decides to request this program as an FY-18 new start, initial fielding of radar upgrades would begin no earlier than FY-22, and the overall quantity will be balanced with the F-35A procurement and fielding plan," Kendall wrote in the report.

The acquisition strategy is expected to include options to field up to 300 radars on F-16 C/D aircraft.

5月號的Combat Aircraft Monthly雜誌也有提到美軍F-16升級安裝AESA雷達相關的消息，預計要換裝的數量也是52架。