Lockheed Martin To Upgrade 145 F-16A/B Aircraft For Taiwan

Lockheed Martin has won a $1.85 billion contract from the U.S government to upgrade the avionics of 145 Taiwanese Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B aircraft. "This retrofit program will include the addition of active electronically scanned array [AESA] radar, embedded global positioning, as well as upgrades to the electronic warfare and other avionics systems of Taiwan's F-16s," said Lockheed in a statement. The contenders to provide the radar upgrade are the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar and Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar. In 2012, the U.S and Taiwan signed an agreement where the USAF would provide avionics and radar upgrade options for Taiwan’s aging F-16 fleet. Under this agreement, the US will provide AESA radars, structural upgrades, improved avionics and expanded electronic warfare suites. The avionics and AESA upgrades come under separate contracts. In August, South Korea's Defence Acquisition Procurement Agency announced that it had selected BAE Systems to upgrade the avionics of 134 F-16 C/D aircraft, but that it would not decide on an AESA radar supplier until 2013.