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**31 May 2019 — EDIT:** upon further research, the Answer I originally provided isn’t fully accurate…see my corrections below in bold.See Chapter 30 (starting on page 453!) of the DODFMR regulations regarding uniform allowances.https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/Volume_07a.pdfAnd, 37 USC 416(a) regarding entitlement for Regular Component officers to the “Officer Additional Uniform Allowance.”37 U.S. Code § 416 - Uniform allowance: officers; additional allowances)And now back to the Original Answer…as amended!Upon the original appointment to warrant or commissioned officer rank, they only receive the $400 Officer Initial Uniform Allowance…which won’t even pay for a sword let alone the rest of their kit…But wait, there’s more! They may also qualify for the Officer Additional Uniform $200 allowance, for a grand total, usually for their entire career, of $600 in uniform allowances! This allowance only applies to officers commissioned or warranted (for W1’s) in:A reserve component (Army and Air Force Reserve, Army and Air Force National Guard, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, plus the law allows the allowance to be paid for officers appointed into the “Army or Air Force of the United States without component,” neither of which are currently in existence…the AUS was suspended in 1974 after the draft ended, and the AFUS only existed briefly in about 1948 or so, but the law covering the Officer Additional Uniform Allowance still provides for payment if those reserve components of the Army and/or Air Force are ever reactivated…), ORAn officer commissioned into the Regular Component through the provisions of the Senior ROTC program, using 10 USC 2106 or 10 USC 2107 authority for the appointment.(Notice this means that the only Regular Component commissioned or warrant officers who are entitled to the Officer Additional Uniform Allowance, as provided in paragraph 3003 of the DODFMR and 10 USC 416, are those commissioned via the ROTC program…and no others.)Many enlisted get this much ($600) every year in their Career Clothing Replacement Allowance…Any reserve commissioned or warrant officer who is:recalled to Federal active service of at least 90 consecutive days or more (which would normally be the case for any “mobilization orders”),after a break in active duty of at least 2 continuous years,is eligible for the $200 “Officer Additional Uniform Allowance.”There are some specific limitations, but the majority will qualify.(Notice the Federal “reserve component” is comprised of the following categories:Ready Reserve —Selected Reserve — organized units and certain individual reservists,The Inactive National Guard remains a part of the Selected Reserve, and is not to be considered with the Inactive Status List of the Standby Reserve as described below…although the ING and the ISL are very similar).“Technicians” employed as dual-status civilian employees and Selected Reservists (in either the Army/Air Force Reserve or National Guard) remain in the SelRes through their reserve affiliation.Individual Ready Reserve — individual trained and untrained manpower,Full-Time Support (FTS) — reservists who serve on extended orders to active duty under authority of 10 USC 12310.Standby Reserve —Active Status List — may participate in reserve activities but cannot be paid (retirement points only), and maintain their military affiliation without break in longevity, may be promoted, etc. They are difficult to access for mobilization.Inactive Status List — maintain military affiliation, but are generally unable to participate in any reserve activities…these are potential mobilization assets but are very difficult to access.Retired Reserve — only those reservists who retire under any provision of law (for longevity as a “non-regular,” i.e., a “normal reserve retirement”; with 20+ years of active duty with a “regular” retirement; or for a disability/medical retirement), who are transferred to the Retired List of the Reserve Component…which is formally known as the reserve category “Retired Reserve.”No members of the Regular Component are transferred to the Retired Reserve upon retirement — they remain members of the Regular Component on the Retired List thereof. (Although it is possible and very rarely is actually done for a Regular retiree to voluntarily request a transfer to the Ready Reserve [NOT the Retired Reserve] so they may participate as a reservist even though they are already retired from the Regular Component.)All members of the National Guard who retire are transferred to the Retired Reserve of the Army Reserve, although they may also be listed on the rolls of their State’s retired militia, if their State has such (some do [like Virginia], some don’t).(there is in US law and in actual existence in several of the States a Naval Militia, which is the functional maritime equivalent of the National Guard, and in those half-dozen or so States that operate one today, it is so treated…an officer appointed to the Federally-recognized Naval Militia by one of the States would…I would argue…also qualify for this entitlement if they were ordered to Federal active duty for a period of more than 90 days…something that is not very likely but is possible…))Any retired Regular Component officer, who was commissioned from the Senior ROTC program via 10 USC 2106 or 10 USC 2107, would qualify if they were recalled to active Federal service of 90 days or more.This is because all members, including commissioned and warrant officers, of the Regular Component, when retired, remain members of the Regular Component, except they are transferred from the “Active Duty List” to the “Retired List” of the Regular Component, which each armed force is required to maintain by law.Thus, a retired Regular commissioned officer originally sourced through the Senior ROTC program, would retain their eligibility for the Officer Additional Uniform Allowance if recalled from retirement…but no other retired officers on the Retired List of the Regular Component would qualify.So, to answer the Question, where the “retired US Army officer” is not specifically designated as either a retired Regular or a retired Reservist, would that officer be eligible for the $200 Officer Additional Uniform Allowance?First, if the retired officer was from any reserve component, the Answer would be: YES…in most cases, if they hadn’t served on Federal active duty orders for more than 90 consecutive days in the last 2 calendar years.Second, if the retired officer was on the Retired List of the Regular Component, and was NOT commissioned through the Senior ROTC program: NO, under no circumstances.Third, if the retired officer was on the Retired List of the Regular Component, and WAS commissioned through the Senior ROTC program: YES…under the same circumstances as any retired reserve officer.Concluding Thoughts:If received, the $200 Officer Additional Uniform Allowance represents the sum total the officer will receive (for uniform expenses) for the duration of their active duty orders and the next 2 years after leaving active duty, for any uniform expenses.Of course, the officer may use their one-time $200 windfall to buy lottery tickets or put it in the bank… It just appears in their paycheck.The reserve (or Regular commissioned through ROTC) retired-but-recalled-to-the-colors US Army commissioned or warrant officer won’t receive it until at least their first paycheck; many won’t get it at all and will have to argue with their HR about it. In the meantime, the officer pays for anything needed.

Oh Boy…. I am going to have to tackle this a bit at a time, because you could fill a book (or several) on the history and specs for the various versions of the F-16. So expect this answer to get updated and extended in the coming days… Anyway lets start at the beginning.The F-16 is a truly amazing aircraft. Over 4,500 have been built over the 4 decades it has been in service. If you count air frames inspired by and built under license that number jumps to over 5000.The F-16 was the fruit of many early fighter studies and development programs. These included efforts like The Advanced Day Fighter program and the F-X program, both in the 60’s to counter the performance of the new Mig-21s.Then in 1971 the Light Weight Fighter program was kicked off with the intent of providing a cheaper, lighter fighter to supplement the brand new fleet of F-15s coming on line.5 defense contractors submitted proposals for the LWF program; Boeing, Northrop, General Dynamics, Ling-Temco-Vought, and Lockheed.In the initial source selection, the Boeing Model 908-909 was considered the front runner, with the General Dynamics Model 401 rated a close runner up. Northrop’s submit was also considered strong, but the other two contractors were eliminated early on. As the concepts matured, the Boeing Model 908–909 was considered so similar to the General Dynamics model, that it was decided to down select between the two for a fly off with the Northrop model. General Dynamics model 401 was chosen over Boeing because it was perceived as having greater technology maturation potential (as one of the stated goals of the program was to mature new emerging technology).Concept Model LWF-401-16BThus the General Dynamics offering, re-designated the YF-16, flew off against the Northrop YF-17 as the two American entries into the LWF program (there were 2 foreign military entries as well).As you probably could have guessed, the YF-16 won the fly off. Fun fact, the YF-17 would go on to be developed into the F-18 aircraft for the navy. So they were both excellent aircraft.Thus the first variant of the F-16 was the…YF-16A.A single engine, single seat, light fighter aircraft. It was powered by an Pratt & Whitney F100 engine, right off the F-15 then in production.The US Air Force ordered 6 Full Scale Development aircraft. These where the first F-16s to be delivered to the Air Force, and consisted of 4 F-16As and 2 F-16Bs, and they started off the production line for Block 1 of the F-16.F-16 Block 194 Block 1 aircraft were produced. Block 1 consists of F-16A and B variants (Single and dual seat respectively). They were all powered by a PW100–200 engine rated at 14,670 lbf dry thrust and 23,830 lbf max. They had a sophisticated (for the time) avionics suit including a Westinghouse AN/APG-66 pulse-Doppler fire-control radar, Dalmo Victor AN/ALR-69 Radar Warning Receiver, Singer-Kearfott SKN-2400 Inertial Navigation System and a central air data computer system. Block 1 aircraft can be easily distinguished by the black colored radome ( a feature that would inspire many pilot complaints) and small horizontal control surfaces on the tail. Two features that were among the very first design changes and/or upgrades the F-16 would undergo.Bock 1 was followed byBlock 5No photo for Block 5. Why? Because they look almost identical! The only notable exterior difference between Block 1 and Block 5 is they painted the radome grey this time! There are a handful of internal differences however, including oil drain holes added to the tail, and some air-frame structure parts that were tweaked and/or consolidated for manufacturing and maintenance purposes. 197 Block 5 F-16s where built (Still A and B models). And on their heels cameBlock 10Block 10 provided some more substantial changes. The AN/APG-66 radar was updated and improved. Also between block 5 and 10 many internal components changed material from Titanium to Aluminum, and Aluminium honeycomb materials changed manufacturing and assembly processes from being epoxied sandwich structures to bolt on. Again though, from the outside Blocks 1–10 all looked pretty much the same. 312 Block 10 aircraft were produced, and most in service Block 1 and 5 aircraft would eventually be upgraded to Block 10 standards.Block 10 production ended in 1980, and gave birth to….Block 15Block 15 introduced some pretty significant changes to the F-16. First, Block 15 gives the Falcon a new tail (30% more area). Gone is that small horizontal control surface. Also provisions for new systems were added (such as strengthening of the air frame structure and wire routing). Block 15 also added 2 new hardpoints to the inlet (designation 5L and 5R).Block 15 was massive. It spanned 3 production lines across 14 years for 939 aircraft to 11 customers! Starting in 1987, Block 15 would have its own “Block within a Block” type upgrade which would be designated Block 15OCU (Operational Capability Upgrade). These would see the Block 15 aircraft get a new engine, the PW100–220 with significant reliability and performance improvements. It would also gain a suit of improvements already proven out on the F-15C/Ds to include a radar altimeter, Wide Angle Heads Up Display, AN/APX-101 IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) and AN/ALE-40 Chaff and flare dispenser. It also included the capability to utilize a slew of new weapons, including;AGM-119 Penguin Mk 3 Anti-Ship MissileAIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile)AGM-65 Maverick Air to Ground MissileBlock 15 and Block 20 ended the production of the F-16A/B variants in March of 1985. All totaled 674 F-16As and 121 F-16Bs were produced for the USAF. The remaining went to our allies and foreign military customers.You may have noted, I sort of glossed over Block 20. That is because Block 20 was just the designation used for Block 15OCU aircraft produced for Taiwan.Obviously we didn’t just stop making F-16s though. Oh no, we just tacked a new set of letters on the end and rolled on. Enter the F-16C/Ds (Not compact discs)F-16C/DBlock 25Pictured above: USAF Block 25E F-16C (84–1299, Photo taken during Operation Desert Storm. Specific Aircraft retired 05 December 2007)The F-16C/D variants (again single and dual seat configurations, respectively) began production with Block 25. First flight of the F-16C was in on June 19th of 1985 and delivered to the Air Force a month later. Production of the variant then kicked off in December of that year. The F-16C was the first fighter aircraft for the USAF to run into production delays driven by Software problems as opposed to production difficulties or hardware issues (Though it certainly wouldn’t be the last, See F-35). Block 25 started production off with the PW F100–200 engine, but eventually switched over to the F100–220.Block 25 introduced many more improvements over the previous F-16s, to include a new AN/APG-68(V) Radar which was considered a significant advancement over the previous APG-66. It boasted numerous air to air modes of operation including a range-while search function as well as uplook and velocity search, single target track, raid cluster resolution and track-while-scan capability for up to 10 targets. It added a BVR track and search capability, ECCM capability, longer range detection and sharper resolutions over its predecessor on the F-16A/Bs. It could also provide continuous illumination for AIM-7 Semi-active radar homing missiles, and air to ground target and tracking for both maritime, fixed and moving targets as well as ground mapping and ranging.Block 25 aircraft grew in weight, so they have tweaked airframe structure to grow the max takeoff weight from 37,500lbm of the Block 15s to 42,300lbm. Empty weight grew by almost exactly 1 ton (2003lbm). The added weight and slight outer mold line modifications (a small ‘island’ is added to the tail that was to house an ECM system that the Air Force never actually purchased) brought the max speed down from Mach 2.05 @40kft for block 15 to Mach 2.02 @40k feet for Block 25.The USAF received 244 Block 25 aircraft in total (209 Cs and 35Ds).IF it seems like Block 25 bucks the trend of aircraft production going up for each block…. well there is a reason for that. During the production of Block 25 there was much consternation going on between the USAF and one of its prime Vendors, PW. The Air Force had been having trouble with the F100 family of engines right from day one of entry into service on the F-15, and for the last decade or so had been going back and forth on how to handle the issue. This kicked off what was eventually referred to as “The Great Engine War” and directly lead to the next major change for the F-16 family of aircraft, and a new block designation….Block 30/32Yeah, look at that. One of these things is not like the others, right? Up until now, with the exception of Block 1 (Have to start some where) all the block designations have been in counts of 5. So why is Block 30 not just ‘Block 30’? Why a Block 30 and a Block 32?Because they have different engines, thats why! Not just different engines, but different FAMILIES of engines! One of those continues with the PW F100 family of engines, while the other introduced the brand new GE F110 family of engines. And oh boy, was that an ordeal to do. But that is a tale for a different question.Block 30/32 were the first F-16’s to include the common engine bay, which could accept either the PW F100 or the GE F110. Block 30 aircraft came equipped with the F110 engine, and an extra 5000lbf of max thrust. The Block 32 aircraft came with the ‘legacy’ engine option, PW F100. Initial Block 30 aircraft are what are now referred to as “small inlet” aircraft, as they used the same sized inlet as the Block 25s and 32s. Eventually the Block 30s would be built with a new, larger inlet to feed the more powerful F110 engine, which required more air flow to achieve its higher performance characteristics. Block 32 aircraft would keep the legacy inlet (called the “modular common air intake duct”). So although with the common engine bay, an F-16 from Block 30 or 32 could accept either engine, only block 30’s with their larger inlets could get the full benefits of the new F110 engine. You might ask, why not just put the larger air inlet on all the aircraft???? Well it might be counter intuitive, but the more powerful F110 could operate with the smaller air inlet and just leave some of its performance improvements on the table, but the F100 could NOT operate with the larger inlet.So, Block 30’s came with the GE F110–100 turbofan engines with max thrust of 28,984 lbf augmented. It also had a much higher time on wing and reliability metrics compared to the incumbent F100 engine.Block 32’s came with the same F100–220 engine as the Block 25s. Well, almost. The F100 engine did undergo a near constant improvement program throughout this time, aimed at fixing the reliability and maintainability issues the Air Force had identified. So it wasn’t EXACTLY the same, but the performance was.So what other improvements did the Block 30/32 bring? For starters, Block 3Xs were the first to incorporate radar treatments to the inlets to lower the RCS.In addition Block 3X aircraft starting in 1987 would get the full level IV multi-target capabilities for the AIM-120 missiles. This means the full potential of the AIM-120 would be unlocked for the F-16, as it was for the F-15 until then. This same year the F-16 would gain the ability to carry and launch the AGM-45 Shrike missile and AGM-88 HARM. It’s chaff and flare dispenser would was expanded with double the capacity.Other improvements included expanded memory for the on board computer systems, a Seek-Talk secure communication system, seal-bond fuel tanks, voice message unit and a crash survivable flight data recorder (black box).The most noticeable exterior difference (other than the new inlets or engines of course) was the relocation of the radar warning receiver antennas. These were moved to the leading edge flap from the main fuselage just aft of the radome on previous F-16 variants.Pictured: New location o RWR antennas, on wing as opposed to on the main fuselage.Earlier variants of the F-16 would get these new antenna as their RWR were upgraded, so you may see Block 25 F-16s with these “Beer Can” antenna as well.Block 3X aircraft were produced from January 1986 through 1989 totaling 733 aircraft with deliveries to 7 customers (including the US Air Force and US Navy).Block 30 aircraft would eventually get several additional upgrades, such as new inertial guidance systems, the AN/ALQ-213 electronic warfare suite, and upgrades to carry the LITENING targeting pod. The Inertial Navigation Unit would get changed out to a laser gyro system and then again upgraded to include embedded GPS and Inertial Nav hybrid system. This system would expand the F-16s arsenal yet again, giving it the ability to deploy the Joint Direct Attack Munition or JDAM.But these additional upgrades would be largely inspired by the improvements worked into the new Block 40/42 which entered service in 1988.Block 40/42So we’ve come a long way from the YF-16 at this point. We’ve changed engines (actually we’ve had several at this point), we’ve added weapons (like, a lot of weapons) and we have stuffed new electronics, radar, ECW, ECM, and C3 systems into our “Light Weight” “Day Fighter”. I think it is about time we drop the whole “day” portion of that title? Enter the BLock 40/42, or what is often referred to as the “Night Falcon”. Why? Because this F-16 included the AN/AAQ-13 LANTIRN targeting system.Pictured: F-16C with its brand new LANTIRN navigation and targeting pods.The Block 40/42s LANTIRN navigation pods gave it all day, all weather attack capability. They also included a new holographic HUD system, integrated GPS, new APG-68(V) radar (with significantly improved maintenance and reliability metrics), automatic terrain following system and new digital flight controls.The Block 4Xs also included a new positive pressure breathing system for the pilots, intended to improve high G performance. A new enhanced gun sight was also included.To accommodate all the new fancy hardware, the airframe once again was updated with particular attention paid to strengthening the undercarriage legs, which were also extended to provide additional clearance for those new targeting pods. The landing gear was also re-designed with larger tires and relocated lights. The increased air frame strength also allowed the F-16 to increase its 9G max weight by almost a ton, meaning it could hit its max turn rates while carrying more weapons or fuel than it could previously.Max take off weight grows once again to 42,300 lbm.The capability increase in the Block 40 was so extreme, the Air Force requested a new letter designation for Block 40s to be F-16Gs but the Congress would not approve a “New” aircraft designation for political reasons.Block 4Xs were produced from 1989 through the 90s with a total of 615 being built. IN the 90’s they would get several additional upgrade, such as the Sure Strike system which included night vision capability and an improved data modem. These features would come standard on the Block 50/52 aircraft, so why don’t we dive into them there….Block 50/52This is the big one. This is what the Air Force is currently flying, and it rolled in improvements to just about every system on the aircraft. Like the Block 40s, the performance and mission capabilities expanded to such a degree it easily could have warranted a new aircraft designation. However, Block 50/52s are still F-16C/Ds, even though they are far and away different from the Block 25s that share the designation.First up, the Block 5Xs once again get new engines! The Block 50s get the new GE F110–129s and the 52s got the new PW F100–229s. These engines are both lighter and more powerful than their previous variants, with substantial improvements to maintenance and reliability metrics. Both engines are rated to a max augmented thrust of 29,000 lbf.But honestly, even though the engines provide increased thrust, better fuel efficiency, and better logistics they are really just the tip of the iceberg. As said, just about everything on the aircraft got touched during this Block roll out.The Navigation system uses the Honeywell H-423 Ring Laser Gyro (mentioned as an upgrade to a previous block), with an integrated GPS receiver.It also included a Data Transfer Cartridge system with an amazing (at the time) 128KB capacity! This is laughable now, but for the early 90s this was huge.AN/ALR-56M Advanced RWR system improved on the legacy system substantially, as did the AN/ALE-47 countermeasure system.The Cockpit included night vision provisions.The radar gets yet another substantial upgrade to the AN/APG-68 V(5) radar which yet again extended range and resolution and came with new on board processors and programmable signal processing capability. All these new fancy avionics allowed it to employ new weapons in new ways. It could use the JDAM munitions, and the AM-154A/B Joint Stand Off Weapon. It was also the first F-16 to use the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile.Block 5Xs also included the HARM avionics/Launcher Interface Computer and AN/ASQ-13 HARM targeting system for use with AGM-88 HARM II. This allowed the HARM to operate in a fully autonomous targeting and launch mode. This capability added the Suppression of Enemy Air Defense roll to the mission profile of the F-16. This means the F-16, carrying two HARM missiles, can just fly into an enemy air defense zone and wait to be tracked/targeted. It’s missile will launch at the probing radar and the F-16 bugs out.The F-16 would have another “block within a block” upgrade later in the Block 50 production run, with the Block 50 Plus variant which would add special provisions for employment of JDAM in adverse weather. Also a passive missile warning system, terrain-referenced navigation, and provisions for two 600 gal conformal fuel tanks.Pictured: Block 50+ sporting conformal fuel tanks.BLock 50 plus also included a new on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS), AN/APX-113 Advanced IFF system, helmet mounted cueing system, ASPIS internal ECM suit, and upgraded APG-68 V9 radar with advanced processing capabilities to resist jamming. The new version radar enables a 30% increase in detection range, double the tracked targets in SA mode (Search-while-track mode), improved tracking performance, and overall 5x increase in processing speed and 10x increase in on board memory.Over 1000 Block 50/52 aircraft have been produced. This is, to date, the last version that has been purchased by the USAF. However, it is not the last version of the F-16 produced…F-16E/FBlock 60Pictured: Block 60 F-16 delivered to the United Arab EmiratesAh the Block 60. Take all the potential of the Block 50s and their long list of follow on upgrades and custom tweaks for different services and roll them up into this beauty. The Block 60 F-16 has but one customer right now, and that is the UAE. Block 60 gets yet another new engine, the F110–132. This is the most powerful engine to be fitted into any F-16 variant so far, with a max augmented thrust of 32,000lbf. The development of this engine variant was funded by the UAE itself, and can not be sold to any other foreign military without approval or payment to the UAE (with the exception of the USAF). Notice there is not Block 62, because their is no PW engine offering for the F-16E/F.The Block 60s include those conformal fuel tanks again, but also have added wing fuel tanks and another belly mounted conformal fuel tank. All that fuel paired with the most efficient engine available on an F-16 give the Block 60’s the longest legs of the group while still carrying an impressive mix of weapons. Block 60s have the greatest range and highest max take off weight, a porky 46,000 lbm, and yet still able to make Mach 2.02 at 40,000ft.It also sports the AN/ASQ-28 internal Forward Looking Infra Red system, providing it all the advanced targeting capabilities one could want without the drag and performance penalties of slinging a targeting pod on the wings.Block 60 also sports the most advanced electronic counter measure system to be found on an F-16, the AN/APG-80 "Agile Beam Radar" system, electronic warfare management system, fiber optic data bus, and modular mission computer system (with architecture designed for future growth potential).Keeping all that hardware safe is the ALQ-165 electronic countermeasures system, a high power jamming system originally under development by the USAF and US Navy.The cockpit also got a substantial face lift with new color displays and helmet interfaces.And the best, and most forward thinking part of the Block 60 is that the designs were all made with “future proofing” in mind. That is they moved towards more open architecture/modular design approaches to enable less painful upgrades and implementations in the areas of weapon systems, avionics, and engines.80 Block 60s have been produced for the UAE.But wait… Theres More! Lockheed Martin just can’t leave the F-16 alone, they insist it still has more to give!F-16VBlock 70Here’s the thing, there was a proposed Block 70 already. It was a LM offering to India for a new advanced variant of the F-16. However, they lost that competition. Yet LM has not given up. They have developed, and even flown (in 2015) the latest and greatest F-16 yet! (Just not in service). Could this be the next production run of the F-16? Could it be an F-16V Block 70? What would it look like!? Luckily, Lockheed Martin can tell us exactly what they have in mind, and why we would be fools not to buy them by the gross! (paraphrasing of course)Pictured: The F-16V, courtesy of Lockheed Martin CorporationAs you can see, the F-16V would keep all that sweet sweet fuel the Block 60s added. Also, it would be capable of carrying any weapon in the Air Force inventory that can currently be slapped on to an F-16, F-15, F-35 or F-22.But that is not all, it would also follow in the history of every major F-16 upgrade and give us a substantial leap in Radar capability.F-16V would carry the APG-83 AESA radar giving it radar performance in the same league (if not the same performance) as an F-35. Which is honestly saying something.Also taking a page out of the F-35 book, pilot situational awareness would be enhanced with a slew of new cockpit displays and integrated sensors. What Lockheed has dubbed “Enhanced Battle space Awareness” this new cockpit display system would pull in data from the very fancy, and much higher capability radar system as well as the on board targeting systems and optionally external mounted targeting pods, to give the pilot a “complete picture” of the battle space. In short, it will integrate all the data sources it can and try to provide a “more than the sum of its parts” picture in line with the sensor fusion type systems of the F-22 and F-35. Honestly, its not a bad sales pitch. It’s the very best one could hope for out of a Gen 4 system.The F-16V would also include the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, and an active ground avoidance system.No new F-16 Block 70 aircraft have been built yet. But (there is always a but) in April of 2018 Greece ordered upgrade kits to bring 85 of their F-16C aircraft up to the Block 70 configuration. In addition Slovakia has announced (and the US Government has approved) the ordering of 14 Brand New F-16V block 70 aircraft. Delivery is expected to begin in 2022.One thing that should not be confused, the Block 70 aircraft will NOT have the Block 60 engine. They will keep the Block 50/52 engine options. I know, its sad, but apparently no one is up to paying the UAE for use of their F110–132 engines they paid to have developed.One can only hope that if the USAF does ever decide to purchase some Block 70s, we will be able to get a Block 7X with the better engine and more of the Block 60 improvements that have been left out. But to be honest, I don’t think we really need any new F-16s. If we were going to purchase new gen 4 aircraft, I’d rather see us buy the new F-15X variants. I mean, have you seen how many missiles those things can lug around?Sources:General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon - WikipediaF-16 VersionsLockheed Martin CorporationEDIT:Oh my, I almost forgot…. You asked about “ALL” variants…. Well that could get much much longer. See, in my previous answer I focused on all the production lots, or “Blocks” of the F-16. There have been countless other individual upgrades and or concept aircraft based on the F-16 that never made it into full production or active service.There was that time we fitted and F-16 with a 360 degree thrust vectoring nozzle…. (Which is absolutely awesome).Or the time we tried to stick a 30mm cannon onto the F-16 and call it an A-16 to replace the A-10 (yeah, that didn’t go so well). Fun fact, this was originally reserved as the designation ‘Block 60’, but it didn’t pan out. Turns out the F-16 air frame can’t take the heat (literally) of a big 30mm gun. Still, we converted 2 Block 15 F-16s into the concept to try out.Rather than let the concept die, in one of the many many MANY attempts the Air Force made to kill the A-10, we went ahead and mounted the 30 mm cannon to another 24 in a pod on the center line of the belly of the plane. They deployed during desert storm with the designation F/A-16. Spoiler Alert: They did not work well. They could not aim that beast of a cannon, being so far of from the aircraft center line even if it was lined up on the belly. It was just too much gun for the F-16, and they were eventually converted back to their F-16A/B configuration. Sorry Air Force, got to keep that A-10 for a couple decades more (at least).There have been plenty more. Israel likes to make modifications to their jets for custom weapons and avionics. Japan has made their own version under license, as have other allies. But for all that, you’ll have to go to google or dig through the sources above….EDIT Again…So it has been over a year since I looked at this answer, obviously my updates never came, but it didn’t get much attention so I feel justified. But since I looked at it today I figured I mine as well add another odd ball F-16 on here. I present to you the F-16 DSI Demonstrator.Your eyes are just fine, that is a very different, sort of goofy looking maw on the front of this Falcon.This is actually a Block 30 F-16 with its original supersonic inlet removed, and a demonstrator for what would become the F-35s diverterless supersonic inlet slapped on. It flew on December 11th 1996 and proved out the diverterless inlet concept by flying at mach 2 with this gaping maw and not sacrificing any of the F-16s handling characteristics. It actually ended up demonstrating some improved sub sonic performance. F-35, this is your daddy.

What Couldn’t the F-4 Phantom Do?A tribute to McDonnell’s masterpiece fighter jet.In Vietnam, the U.S. Navy used the F-4 for ground attack. (US Navy via D. Sheley)First, they tried an F-104. “Not enough wing or thrust,” recalls Jack Petry, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. When NASA engineers were launching rockets at Florida’s Cape Canaveral in the 1960s, they needed pilots to fly close enough to film the missiles as they accelerated through Mach 1 at 35,000 feet. Petry was one of the chosen. And the preferred chase airplane was the McDonnell F-4 Phantom.“Those two J79 engines made all the difference,” says Petry. After a Mach 1.2 dive synched to the launch countdown, he “walked the [rocket’s] contrail” up to the intercept, tweaking closing speed and updating mission control while camera pods mounted under each wing shot film at 900 frames per second. Matching velocity with a Titan rocket for 90 extreme seconds, the Phantom powered through the missile’s thundering wash, then broke away as the rocket surged toward space. Of pacing a Titan II in a two-seat fighter, Petry says: “Absolutely beautiful. To see that massive thing in flight and be right there in the air with it—you can imagine the exhilaration.”For nearly four decades of service in the U.S. military, the Phantom performed every combat task thrown at it—almost every mission ever defined.“All we had to work with at the beginning was a gleam in the customer’s eye,” said James S. McDonnell of the Phantom’s inception. In 1954, the ambitious founder of McDonnell Aircraft personally delivered to the Pentagon preliminary sketches based on the U.S. Navy’s request for a twin-engine air superiority fighter. The Navy green-lighted McDonnell’s concept, as well as a competing offer from Chance-Vought that updated the F8U Crusader.Revetments at an air base in Da Nang sheltered F-4s from mortar and rockets. (National Museum of the USAF)In an area of McDonnell’s St. Louis, Missouri factory known as the advanced design cage—a cluster of three desks and a few drafting boards partitioned off with drywall topped with chicken wire—just four engineers worked on the airplane that would propel naval aviation into the future. As the engineers worked, the Navy clarified its concept of air superiority: The service wanted a two-seat, high-altitude interceptor to neutralize the threat Soviet bombers posed to America’s new fleet of Forrestal-class super-carriers. Now designated F4H-1, the project soon engulfed the entire resources of “McAir,” as the company was known. By 1962, F-4 program manager David Lewis would be company president.McDonnell’s and the Navy’s design philosophy assumed the next war, not the last. The F-4’s rear cockpit was there for a backseater to handle what was sure to be a heavy information load. For the air-to-air encounters of tomorrow, gunnery was supplanted by radar-guided missiles. Though not strictly solid state, the airframe was stuffed with state of the art: Westinghouse radar, Raytheon missile fire control, advanced navigation systems, and an analog air-data computer. A network of onboard sensors extended nose to tail.On the factory floor, integrating 30,000 electronic parts and 14 miles of wiring gave troubleshooters a fit—and job security. Cheek-by-jowl components generated clashing sources of electromagnetic energy. Voltage wandered wire to wire, producing crazy glitches: Gauges displayed 800 gallons when the fuel tanks were empty. Just how convoluted the glitches could get was demonstrated when baffling control losses were traced to a random match between the pitch of one test pilot’s voice in the headset mic and the particular resonance of a signal controlling autopilot activation.After the F-4 eliminated the F8U-3 in a competitive fly-off, George Spangenberg, an official in the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, declared: “The single-seat fighter era is dead.” Though its General Electric J79 engines advertised its arrival with a smoke trail visible 25 miles away—a Phantom calling card that would take two decades to engineer out—the first F-4 production models rolled off McDonnell’s assembly line with Mach 2 capability as standard equipment and a 1,000-hour warranty. Delivered to California’s Naval Air Station Miramar in December 1960 as a fleet defender purpose-built to intercept high-flying nuclear foes, the massively powered, technology-chocked F-4 seemed to herald the same break from 1950s orthodoxy as John F. Kennedy’s torch-has-been-passed inauguration speech, then only weeks away.Navy aviators of the early 1950s made do with jet aircraft hamstrung by the requirements for carrier landings. “I wouldn’t say I really aspired to fly the [McDonnell] F3H Demon,” says Guy Freeborn, a retired Navy commander, of the clunky subsonic he once had to eject from. “But then, one day, here was this beautiful new F-4 sitting right next to it.” Suddenly, carrier-based fliers like Freeborn—who would spend two Vietnam combat tours in the front seat of a Phantom—found themselves sole proprietors of the hottest fighter on Earth.The new jet took some getting used to. Getting F-4s to fly and fight required a team effort: a pilot up front and a radar intercept officer (RIO) behind. The ethos of the solitary hunter-killer, not to mention the ability to single-handedly grease precarious landings on pitching carrier decks, fostered a strong DIY culture among Navy fighter pilots. How to process the notion of a RIO (aka “guy in back,” aka “voice in the luggage compartment”), who wasn’t even a pilot, looking over your shoulder?Aerial combat in Vietnam had a clarifying effect on pilots’ attitudes toward RIOs. “I loved it,” says John Chesire, who flew 197 combat missions in the Phantom during two tours in Vietnam. “We split our duties, and he kept me out of trouble. Going into combat, the workload was so high that I really relied on the guy behind me.”Flying into combat without a shooting iron was another matter. “That was the biggest mistake on the F-4,” says Chesire. “Bullets are cheap and tend to go where you aim them. I needed a gun, and I really wished I had one.”“Everyone in RF-4s wished they had a gun on the aircraft,” says Jack Dailey, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and director of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.McDonnell’s earliest concept included interchangeable nose sections to readily convert a standard F-4 into the RF-4B, a camera-equipped reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft’s most photo-friendly asset, however, was speed. RF-4Bs flew alone and unarmed deep into unfriendly airspace. “Speed is life,” Phantom pilots liked to say.In the front seat of a Marine Corps photo-recon Phantom on more than 250 missions, Dailey was tasked to support Marines on the ground with film and infrared imagery. “We were trying to track movement of the Viet Cong coming down the Ho Chi Minh Trail,” he says. “They moved their trucks a lot at night. We could fly along a road and pop flash cartridges and catch them out in the open.”The recce pilots in RF-4s had good reason to wish for a gun: The focal length of the RF-4’s camera lens and the required photo coverage imposed a flight regime that didn’t include evasive action. “For photographic purposes, they wanted you flying straight and level at about 5,000 feet,” says Dailey. The predictable flight path and the absence of defensive weapons drew enemy calibers from anti-aircraft artillery down to small arms. “We got hosed down every day,” says Dailey. Often, ground forces simply used barrage fire—large groups firing rifles and other sidearms into the sky simultaneously. Dailey’s Phantom was nailed on nine occasions. A rifle round once penetrated the cockpit, narrowly missing him. Another time he landed with so much engine damage “you could see light shining through.”Naval aviators were rudely initiated into an F-4 idiosyncrasy: As airplane and deck parted company, the Phantom’s nose initially rose slowly. And with a bit of speed, the nose could over-rotate to a near-stall attitude if not controlled. “It got pretty wild,” says Chesire. “It was always lots of fun to watch new guys take off.”F-4 Close Air Support Combat Missions 1972I was fortunate to have been able to fly the F-4 Phantom II supersonic (mach 2+) fighter bomber for five years from 1971 – 1976. Although I joined to United States Air Force to avoid being drafted into the U.S. Army and going to Vietnam, fate ultimately sent me to Vietnam.During the summer and fall of 1972, I was a member of the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron flying combat missions over South Vietnam, North Vietnam and Laos. The 35th TFS was based at Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, but was on temporary duty (TDY) from Kunsan Air Base, Korea. We brought our F-4D models from Korea, but we also flew the F-4E models based at Korat. The primary difference between the D and E models was that the D model did not have a 20mm canon and the E model had a 20mm canon built into the nose.During the summer and fall of 1972, the 35th TFS had two primary missions:Strike escort missions as part of operation Linebacker I into Route Pack VI, the most heavily defended area in the history of aerial warfare. Each strike escort mission consisted of four 35th TFS F-4s flying in “fluid four” formation on the perimeter of the strike force (the Phantoms carrying bombs) as the strike force ingressed and egressed the target in the Route Pack VI area of North Vietnam. The strike escort F-4s were the second line of defense if enemy MiGs got past the MiG CAP (combat air patrol) F-4s. The job of the strike escort was to engage and destroy MiGs that threatened the strike force. If the MiGs got too close to the F-4 bombers, the bombers would be forced to jettison their bombs and take evasive action to avoid being shot down.Close air support missions primarily in the northern part (Military Region 1) of South Vietnam. These missions consisted of dropping bombs (usually Mark 82 500 pound general purpose bombs – slick, with fuse extenders and snake eye, but sometimes cluster bomb units “CBUs”) under the direction and control of a forward air controller. These missions were in defense of the good guys who were being attacked by Viet Cong or North Vietnamese army men.When I arrived at Korat in the summer of 1972, the 35th TFS was divided into two groups. One group, the older and more experienced guys, flew daily Operation Linebacker I missions into Route Pack VI and the other group flew close air support missions. Because I was a young, inexperienced and very green 1st Lt., I was assigned to the close air support missions. I did not mind too much because the Route Pack VI missions were much more dangerous.Although I did get to fly combat missions into Route Pack VI, most of the combat missions I flew were close air support missions at night in the northern part of South Vietnam or Laos. I usually flew two missions a night. After dropping all my bombs on the first target, my flight of two F-4s landed at DaNang Air Base, South Vietnam, to rearm and refuel. I then rendezvoused with another Forward Air Controller and dropped another load of bombs on the bad guys and returned to Korat.My typical bomb load was twelve Mark 82 500 pound general purpose bombs. It was common for six of the bombs to have fuse extenders. Every bomb had at least one fuse, which was the device that caused the bomb to detonate. A fuse extender was a three foot metal tube that screwed into the nose of the bomb with the fuse on the tip of the tube. The purpose of a fuse extender was to cause the bomb to detonate three feet above the ground for maximum blast effect against troops in the open. Each bomb had a nose and a tail fuse that was selected by the pilot before dropping the bomb. If a building or a structure was the target, the tail fuse was preferred because it would cause the bomb to detonate after the bomb first penetrated the structure so that the full force of the blast would occur inside the structure.A Normal Day at the Aerial OfficeMy normal work day consisted of waking in the late afternoon then showering, shaving and getting dressed in my nomex green fire retardant flight suit. I then rode the shuttle bus or hitched a ride to the Korat Air Base Officer’s Club for breakfast just before dark. After eating, I went to Fort Apache (scroll to the bottom of the page for two pictures of Fort Apache taken by Col. Grady Morris), the intelligence building on the flight line, to plan and brief my mission for the night.Mission briefings usually started two hours before take off. First, an intelligence officer briefed all the crews on recent events in the ground and air war and specific information about my target area. We also got a weather briefing. Next, the flight leader of each flight of two or four F-4s conducted individual briefings for his flight. Most of the night missions involved flights of two F-4s.During the briefing, we talked about the types of weapons delivery to be used to drop our ordnance, emergency air fields, search and rescue procedures, missing wingman procedures, rendezvousing with the forward air controller, and return to base (“RTB”) procedures. I usually had 10 – 30 minutes after the briefing to prepare to go to the airplane.This 10 – 30 minutes of inactive time was when I was most afraid because the idleness allowed me to think about what I was preparing to do — use a multi-million dollar supersonic flying machine to drop bombs on fellow human beings who were trying to kill me at the same time I was trying to kill them. It was during this time I always went to the bathroom at the insistence of my nervous bowels.My Flying GearAbout fifteen minutes before station time (the time designated to depart Fort Apache for the flight line and my airplane) I dressed for aerial combat. I put my wallet, money and all personal affects in my locker. The only identification I carried when I flew combat missions was my Geneva convention card and my US Department of Defense military ID card.The G SuitWhile flying the F-4, I wore a G suit or technically I suppose it was an “anti-G suit” because its purpose was to allow me to withstand Gs when turning hard in the F-4. The normal force of gravity we all experience is called “one G” or one gravity force. When a fighter turns hard, it can cause the airplane and its occupants to experience multiple gravity forces. During normal combat maneuvers, the F-4 frequently “pulled” 4 or 5 positive Gs. Five Gs means that the pilot’s body weights five times its weight. Moving while pulling 4 or 5 Gs is difficult, especially turning the head around to check the five or seven o’clock positions. While pulling Gs, I sometimes had to use my arm to push my head backwards so I could look behind the airplane.The purpose of the G suit is to help fighter pilots pull more Gs before they gray out (lose peripheral vision) or black out (become unconscious). The G suit looks like an ugly weird set of pants and is worn over the flight suit. It zips on around each leg and the abdomen. The G suit has air bladders over the stomach, around the thighs and the calves of each leg. It also has a hose that plugs into an outlet in the cockpit. When the G forces increase, the airplane pumps air into the bladders in the G suit. More Gs means more air pumped into the suit. When the Gs decrease the air pressure in the G suit decreases until there is no air pressure in the G suit when the G force equals one. The G suit increases a pilot’s ability to withstand G forces because it constricts the lower half of the body and makes it more difficult for blood to flow from the upper body to the lower body. The result is that it takes more G forces to push blood from the brain thus giving the pilot the ability to withstand greater G forces before graying or blacking out.My G suit was also a place to store items that otherwise could not be carried in the cramped cockpit of the F-4. My G suit had a pocket on the inner thigh in which I carried a USAF issued switchblade knife tied to a lanyard that was secured to the G suit. One end of the knife was always open because it was a special hook shaped blade the sole purpose of which was to cut four parachute lines to make the parachute more maneuverable. I also had a large jungle knife in a sheath with a sharpening stone attached to my G suit. I made sure I had several strips of gray USAF tape on the thigh area of my G suit. I used the tape to cover instrument lights that were too bright when I flew at night.The Survival VestNext I donned my survival vest made of light-weight nylon material. It contained the following survival gear: two two-way radios, 50 rounds of .38 caliber ammunition, compass, tourniquet, first aid kit, two smoke flares (to make a lot of colored smoke) and several pen gun flares (to be fired into the sky). When I flew, I also wore a parachute harness into which the parachute straps contained in the ejection seat connected. The parachute harness had two under arm life preserver units (lpus) to be inflated if I ejected over water and three hundred feet of nylon line in a pack on the back of the harness. Because much of Southeast Asia was covered by thick jungles with trees over 200 feet high, the nylon line in the parachute harness would allow me to slowly lower myself to the ground if I ejected and my parachute got stick in the trees.I took special care to check the two radios I carried in my survival vest. I made sure each radio worked properly and that the batteries were fully charged. I also put two extra radio batteries in my anti-G suit pocket along with two plastic bottles of ice. If I were shot down, the only way I would be rescued would have been to make contact with US forces on one of the three radios I carried (two in my survival vest and one in the survival kit in my ejection seat).The last thing I did after putting on my survival vest, anti-G suit and parachute harness was to check out my Smith & Wesson .38 caliber Combat Masterpiece revolver from the survival gear people. I then grabbed six .38 caliber bullets from the big tin of bullets and loaded my little pea shooter and inserted it into the holster strapped to my leg. Although I had an additional 50 rounds of bullets in two bandoliers on my survival vest, the weapon was no match for an enemy soldier with an AK-47, but it might be useful for self defense against tigers and cobra snakes than inhabited the jungles of Southeast Asia.Arriving at the AirplaneAn hour before take off a USAF step van took us to the airplanes. The first thing I did was put my gear in the cockpit and do the Preflight Checks that consisted of:Before Exterior Inspection CheckExterior Inspection CheckBefore Entering Cockpit CheckCockpit Interior CheckBefore Electrical Power CheckAfter Electrical Power CheckChecking the OrdnanceDuring the Exterior Inspection Check, I inspected each ordnance item. I made sure the ordnance was securely fastened to the airplane and that each fuse had a safety wire in it. The fuses had little propellers on their tips. The bombs were not armed (ready to explode) unless they had a fuse and the fuse was active. Before a fuse could become active, the propeller on the fuse had to spin in the wind fast enough to cause the fuse to become active. The purpose for the fuse, the propellers and the arming of the fuse was to prevent a bomb from colliding with another bomb when released and detonating under the airplane or from simply detonating spontaneously when released.Before bomb release, the propellers on the fuses could not spin in the wind because they had a safety wire inserted in the propeller that prevented the propeller from spinning. When the bomb was released, the safety wire remained attached to the airplane and pulled free from the propeller. With the safety wire removed, the little propeller spun in the wind and armed the fuse. Once armed, the bomb would detonate when the fuse was “jostled.”My airplane usually carried three AIM-7 Sparrow radar guided missiles and one ALQ-119 jamming pod in the four missile bays on the bottom of the fuselage. There were no MiGs in the South Vietnam airspace so the AIM-7s were not needed. Although there were a few SA-2 Guideline surface to air missiles (“SAMs”) in the northern part of South Vietnam during the NVA’s Easter 1972 offensive, I do not recall one being fired at me outside of North Vietnam.Follow space