But if upgrades are too extensive or too costly, the next MR-X could be a "clean sheet" fighter design. Hinote said it's possible F-16s could fill the MR-X role. It is expected to join the service's inventory in the mid-2030s, according to the magazine. The Air Force will weigh what types of roles or mission sets make sense for the F-16 as a multirole fighter - including homeland defense - and whether the newer aircraft can be upgraded down the line, Hinote said in an interview with earlier this month.Īir Force Magazine reported that the service will introduce a program known as Multirole Fighter-X, or MR-X, later this decade. Clinton Hinote, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements. "The newer block that have been upgraded are going to fly for some time," said Lt. Following the retirement of the N models, the service acquired 14 F-16s originally slated for the Pakistani air force in the early 2000s, which it currently uses at its "Topgun" school at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.Īir Force officials have said the F-16 still has a place in its fleet for now, even as it reduces the number of types of fighter jets and attack aircraft it keeps. The Navy has accepted F-16s before, with 26 special F-16N versions - 22 single-seat and four two-seater aircraft - used between 19 for aggressor training. The service is weighing whether the F/A-XX will be manned, unmanned or partially autonomous, Navy officials have said. The service is moving to reduce its fighter force and focus on the Super Hornet the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F/A-18 follow-on aircraft, currently known as the F/A-XX, which defies traditional categorization as a single aircraft platform or technology - potentially using a fighter flying alongside artificial intelligence-enhanced drones.
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