POLISH F-16 FIGHTER COMING FOR TESTS.Byline: Daily News EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - The first Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. F-16 made for Poland is due to arrive at Edwards Air Force Base in April for testing. The fighter jet, the first of 48 ordered by the government of Poland, made its maiden flight March 14 from Lockheed Martin's assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. , and is planned for delivery to the Polish Air Force Polish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Siły Powietrzne RP). Until 1 July 2004 it was officially known as: Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej (literally: Air and Air Defence Forces, the name existing from 1990). later this year under a program called Peace Sky. After several additional check flights by pilots for the company and the U.S. Air Force, the F-16 is scheduled to be ferried to Edwards in April for more system-specific testing. ``The Poland Peace Sky program continues to progress right on schedule,'' said Irma Sippel, director of the program. ``First flight is a significant milestone and the first of several leading to the planned arrival of the aircraft in Poland later this year.'' Paul Hattendorf, a Lockheed Martin test pilot, made the first flight. He checked engine-throttle transients at various altitudes and made radar checks using a photo chase F-16 as a simulated target. He also made some other system checks, took the aircraft to supersonic speeds and performed high-G maneuvers during the flight, which lasted more than an hour. F-16 jets are on order or already in use by the armed forces of the the United States and 23 other countries. More than 4,300 F-16s have been produced since the 1970s. When delivered, the Polish F-16s will be the most advanced in NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. . Features include an AN/APG-68(V) 9 radar fire-control system and a Sniper Extended Range pod, which is a targeting feature - designed with an infrared pointer, laser, day TV, forward-looking infrared, laser spot tracker A device that locks on to the reflected energy from a laser-marked or designated target and defines the direction of the target relative to itself. Also called LST. and advanced algorithms. Additionally, the Polish pilots will wear a helmet-mounted cueing system used for directing precision guided munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. and off-bore-sight missiles. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The first Lockheed Martin F-16 built for Poland made its first flight in Texas and will be tested at Edwards Air Force Base. |
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