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Egyptian Air Force F-16D
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Egypt chooses its engines. (Feb 1/10)

The Egyptian government wants to buy 24 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft, associated parts, weapons, and equipment to modernize its air force. The October 2009 request, made through the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to Congress, could be worth as much as $3.2 billion to Lockheed Martin and the other contractors involved.

The Egyptian Air Force is the 4th largest F-16 operator in the world, mustering about 195 aircraft of 220 ordered. Their overall fighter fleet is a mix of high-end F-16s and Mirage 2000s, low-end Chinese F-7s (MiG-21 copy) bought from the Chinese, a few F-4 Phantom II jets, and upgraded but very aged Soviet MiG-21s and French Mirage 5s. The formal request comes a few months after the Obama administration conveyed to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak its support for Egypt’s long-standing request to buy the Block 50/52 aircraft…

Contracts & Key Events

Singapore F-16D Block 52
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Egypt receives about $1.3 billion annually in military aid financing, per the terms of the 1976 Camp David Accords with Israel. The total value of this sale, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $3.2 Billion – but a DSCA request is only the first step toward a contract, and not a contract in and of itself. If Congress doesn’t block the sale within 30 days, and they did not, then the way is open for a negotiated contract and order.

Feb 1/10: Pratt & Whitney announces that the Egyptian Air Force has selected its PW-100-229 EEP (Engine Enhancement Package) engines, to power its next 24 F-16s. This decision recovers that market for Pratt & Whitney, creates a more favorable environment for F100 engine upgrades or refits among the EAF’s initial F-16 fleet, and ensures that issues with either F-16 engine type can only ground about half of Egypt’s fleet.

The EAF’s first 82 F-16s were F-16 A/B Block 15s and F-16 C/D Block 32s. All used earlier models of Pratt & Whitney’s F100 engine engines, which were reportedly retained in the 1996 upgrade program that brought the “Peace Vector I-II” F-16s to Block 40/42 equivalency. The Peace Vector III-VI deals from 1991-2001, however, delivered 138 F-16 C/D Block 40 fighters with GE’s higher thrust F110 engine. Those F110s are receiving upgrades through a separate Service Life Extension Plan.

Pratt & Whitney’s new F100-PW-229 EEP leverages technology developed for the F-22A Raptor’s F119, and the F-35 Lightning II’s F135 engine. Development was funded through the USAF, who wanted to meet engine targets for time on wing and cost of ownership, and improve safety and readiness. The F100-PW-229 EEP requires engine depot inspection every 10 years, instead of every 7. The manufacturer also claims up to a 30% cost reduction over the life the engine, and a 25% lower probability of in-flight shutdowns. Upgrades to existing F100-PW-229 engines can happen during normal scheduled maintenance visits, and Pratt & Whitney says that the USAF plans to do that for its fleet.

Also on Feb 1/10, Pratt & Whitney announces that it has begun delivering the first 25 production F100-PW-229-EEP engines to customers, supporting F-16 Block 52 deliveries to Pakistan, and the 2nd batch of F-15Ks for South Korea (the first batch used GE’s F110).

Oct 9/09: Egypt’s DSCA request [PDF] involves:

• 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50/52 Aircraft;
• 24 pairs of Conformal Fuel Tanks;
• 30 engines: 24 of Pratt & Whitney’s F100-PW-229 (selected), plus 6 engine spares of the same type. Competition was 24 of GE’s F110-GE-129 Increased Performance Engines (IPE);
• 30 Northrop Grumman APG-68v9s, the most advanced mechanically-scanned array radars for the F-16, and standard for these models. The request is for 24 installed radars, and 6 spares;
• 28 of General Dynamics’ M61 20mm Vulcan Cannons; 24 as aircraft equipment, plus 4 spares.
• 60 LAU-129/A Common Rail Launchers; they can be fitted to the outer wingtips, and can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-120 AMRAAM radar-guided missiles;
• 28 of BAE’s AN/APX-113 Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) Systems without Mode IV;

Egypt is also asking to buy:

• 28 defensive systems sets: either ITT’s AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Systems (AIDEWS); or Raytheon’s Advanced Countermeasures Electronic Systems (ACES) which includes the AN/ALQ-187 Electronic Warfare System and the AN/ALR-93 Radar Warning Receiver. Within CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, AIDEWS has been picked for Turkish, Omani, and Pakistani F-16s.
• 28 BAE Systems or Symetrics AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing Systems;
• 28 AN/ARC-238 Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGAR) radios without HAVE QUICK I/II;
• 28 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) with Standard Positioning Service commercial code only (as opposed to military m-code used by American F-16s);
• 12 surveillance and targeting pods: either Lockheed Martin’s AN/AAQ-33 SNIPER ATP, or Northrop Grumman’s AN/AAQ-28 LITENING. Despite Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, the LITENING’s Israeli origins make Lockheed an almost certain winner.
• 4 reconnaissance systems: either Lockheed Martin F-9120 Advanced Airborne Reconnaissance Systems (AARS), or Goodrich’s DB-110 Reconnaissance Pods;

Sniper ATP
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Accompanying services may include base construction services [emphasis DID’s], support equipment, software development/integration, tanker support, ferry services, Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD), repair and return, modification kits, spares and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and related U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support.

The principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, TX. Other involved firms may include:

• Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Dallas, TX
• Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training, and Support in Fort Worth, TX
• BAE Advanced Systems in Greenland, New York
• Boeing Corporation in Seattle, Washington
• Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St Louis, MO; Long Beach, CA; and San Diego, CA
• Raytheon Company in Lexington, MA and Goleta, CA
• Northrop-Grumman Electro-Optical Systems in Garland, Texas
• Northrop-Grumman Electronic Systems in Baltimore, MD
• United Technologies subsidiary Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, CT
• General Electric Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati, OH
• Goodrich ISR Systems in Danbury, CT
• L3 Communications in Arlington, TX
• ITT Defense Electronics and Services in McLean, Virginia
• Symetrics Industries in Melbourne, FL

EAF MiG-21F on display
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These F-16s could replace older F-16A/B Block 15 machines, but competing demands make that unlikely. Egypt’s F-4 Phantom II fleet suffers from low readiness levels, and the EAF’s aged Mirage 5s and Soviet-era MiG-21s are also strong candidates for replacement. The Mirage 5s own the air base at Birma/Tanta, SE of Alexandria; while MiG-21 bases include nearby Gabel al-Basur AB, and Assouan AB (Aswan) near the famous dam and Egypt’s southern border with Sudan. Additional military construction would likely be required in order to house F-16s at any of these bases, and construction is one of the items on the DSCA request list.

Egyptian sales often involve industrial offsets and local construction, but there are no known offset agreements in connection with this proposed sale. Some previous EAF F-16C/D aircraft sales have been manufactured in Turkey, under TAI’s partnership with Lockheed Martin.

Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Egypt involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, program management, and training over a period of 15 years.