Singapore Air Show 2010: Elbit prepares to flight-test new F-16 display system

Elbit Systems has developed and will shortly flight-test a high-resolution multifunctional cockpit display system that can be easily and cheaply retrofitted to all existing models of legacy Lockheed Martin F-16 combat aircraft.

Speaking at the Singapore Air Show on 2 February, Sagi Peleg, senior director of business development and marketing for Elbit, told Jane's that the 'plug and play' system should be ready to fly aboard a testbed F-16 "within the next couple of months", although he declined to say where this test might take place, citing confidentiality issues.

The upgrade involves replacing the aircraft's 4x4 inch (10x10 cm) centre instrument console (located between the pilot's legs) with a colour multifunctional display (MFD) unit measuring 6x8 inches.

With this new display the pilot can now summon up a number of different page layers (such as basic flight instruments, radar imagery and moving map display) at the touch of a button. The larger size of the screen also means that, for the first time, the F-16 pilot can take full advantage of the increased resolution of the sensors and systems in service today.

The new display system is driven by a standard PC, which is unique for an aircraft. The problem with PCs is that they are prone to 'crashing' and so are not deemed a suitable platform with which to operate flight-critical aircraft systems such as the avionics and flight displays.