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| F-16 for Indonesia |
International Military - Through the Peace Bima Sena program in 1989, Indonesian Air Force F-16 A/B fighter jets began arriving to Indonesia. Unmitigated, the F-16 A/B fighter jets were immediately put into the 3rd Squadron of the Indonesian Air Force at Iswahjudi Air Base. With a current fleet of 34 F-16 Block 15 aircraft, the Indonesian Air Force currently uses the Lockheed Martin fighter jet made by the United States (US) as the main crusher for the defense of the Republic of Indonesia.
However, the Indonesian Air Force's F-16s have experienced a gloomy period where the United States (US) military embargo made it unable to operate optimally. 1995-2005, when the US embargo was lifted, the F-16s started flying again, even though technologically the A/B series was outdated.
In 2014, the US made a grant of 24 F-16 Block 52ID to Indonesia through the Peace Bima Sena II program. Allegedly this grant is to stem the influence of China as well as so that Indonesia is not too inclined to Beijing.
To get Indonesia closer to Washington, the US then offered the F-15 Eagle II fighter jet to the Indonesian Air Force. The US also offers the F-16 Viper as well as maintenance facilities and the Fighting Falcon upgrade can be provided to the Indonesian Air Force.
"So the US decided to provide eMLU facilities to Indonesia, this is a rare thing because not all F-16 operator countries have access to this facility.
Like Taiwan, where the enhanced Mid Life Upgrade program is only given to countries that the US considers important to maintain its interests in its territory, this eMLU facility can also raise the standard of the F-16 Block 15 to a minimum standard of Block 50/52," wrote @FMP as quoted by, Tuesday 24 August 2021.
But apparently the Indonesian Air Force refused to buy the F-16 Block 72 Viper. The reason is that with the eMLU facility, the Indonesian Air Force's F-16s can most likely be upgraded to the Viper variant. However, it is no secret that the F-35 and F-16, the duo of US fighter jets, are the world's prima donnas because of their very capable specifications.
Not only have good quality and are very effective in carrying out attacks, it turns out that the F-35 and F-16 are also claimed to be very safe warplanes in protecting the life of the pilot. Even when the pilot faints on a mission or suddenly loses consciousness, these two fighter jets will be able to return home safely.
Not just any auto pilot feature, Lockheed Martin has designed a technology called the Air-Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS). This technology is intentionally placed by Lockheed Martin in all F-16 Block 40 fighter jets and most F-35s to ensure pilot safety.
Because fighter jet pilots are very prone to experiencing excessive physical fatigue so that they may fall unconscious and become unconscious during the mission. Of course before flying the pilot has to do a health check, but anything can happen in the sky.
To minimize the risk of a collision or falling to the ground, the Air-Ground Collision Avoidance System was created. Launching from the National Interest, this is how AGCAS works in the F-16 and F-35. When a pilot loses consciousness, the fighter jet will usually lose its way and may dive downwards rapidly.
This AGCAS sensor can detect abnormal behavior in terms of navigation and speed, including when the fighter jet loses balance and falls down. When the nose of the aircraft approaches land, hills, mountains or other hazardous terrain, AGCAS allows the system to take over all the work of the pilot. Automatically, the aircraft will be controlled to return to an optimal altitude and avoid collisions.
Not only that, AGCAS can also auto-pilot so that the fighter jets return to headquarters. F-16 and F-35 fighter pilots can turn this feature on and off during a mission. When this feature is active, the pilot must have complete trust in the system because they will take over the navigation.
This feature is recognized by Lockheed Martin as one of the superior features in the F-16 and F-35 which makes it the safest fighter jet for pilot safety. During its use, AGCAS technology has helped save US Air Force fighter jet pilots for dozens of times.