Boeing says its subcontractor EADS has started a series of system enhancements on the first of 17 NATO AWACS aircraft. The upgrades are part of a $1.32 billion mid-term modernization program. (The US Air Force AWACS E-3 aircraft already are undergoing a similar upgrade. DR 9/14/05). EADS is working on the NATO birds in Manching, Germany. Boeing says the first aircraft should be done by November, with the entire fleet completed in 2008.
With upgrades, F-16s can serve as a numbers-builder in the combat air forces until the 2040s, and it’s not necessary to launch its successor yet, program officials said at an industry conference. “We anticipate hundreds of F-16s in active service for decades to come,” meaning into the 2040s, Col. Tim…