The Indonesian Air Force Base is to unveiled its fleets of recently upgraded General Dynamics F-16 A/B aircraft announced by an official facebook fanpage on 20 February. Indonesian Air Force Base (AFB) Iswahjudi in Magetan, East Java is running the project Enhanced Mid-Life Update (EMLU) – The Falcon Structural Augmentation Rodmap (Falcon STAR). Activities to extend the life and increase in aircraft avionics system of the F-16 A / B Block 15 weight level was held in a hangar 42nd Engineering Squadron Iswahjudi AFB. The work was started in September 2017 and the process of upgrading four aircraft F-16 A/B Block 15 is still run by the technicians of the Air Force and PT Dirgantara Indonesia. Indonesia received a single allotment of 8 F-16A and 4 F-16Bs.
The technicians, do some work to upgrade the fighter jets who join Air Squadron 3 Iswahjudi AFB since the late 1989’s. Work done in between maintenance, install a removable , removal of panels and aircraft components. The execution was scheduled for up to 24 months or two years.
Upgrade one of four F-16 A/B is scheduled to be completed in June and July. Flight test will also be conducted. While the renewal of nine other similar aircraft continue to run until a few years into the future. The age of the aircraft will fly over a length of 15, 20 even 25 years. It’s Falcon STAR because it will be installed a computer system as a tool to counter aircraft flew age
The General Dynamics F-16 A/B avionics system are updated through EMLU-Falcon STAR project, such as the installation Missile Beyond Visual Range (BVR), which has a range of over 30 kilometers. In addition, the AMRAAM to release air to air missiles with the distance run of 60 nautical miles or about 110 kilometers. Also, Fire Control Radar and JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitio) which is equipped with a laser guidance bomb. For the procurement of spare parts, there are two types of contracts in EMLU-Falcon STAR project. First use the mechanism alias partners Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Government to Government. After carrying out this (EMLU-Falcon STAR) plane was able to use the new weapons that Indonesian Air Force F-16C/D Block 32+ (locally promoted as Block 52ID) already have.
The Indonesian Air Force operates a mix of F-16A/B Block 15 OCU and F-16C/D Block 32+. Two F-16 A/B’s were lost in accidents leaving the fleet with only ten F-16 A/B Block 15s . From 2000 to 2005 the US imposed an arms embargo on Indonesia which resulted in the F-16 squadron being grounded due to a lack of spare parts. The US lifted the arms embargo in 2005 and the US has since delivered 24 refurbished F-16 fighters to add to nine older models. The total estimated cost was $750 million, and that included an upgrade to near Block 52 standard. Indonesian Air Force will purchase 32 F-16V Block 70/72 in 2020-2024 for MEF (Minimum Essential Force) Phase III program.
