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The "CJ/DJ" designation is only semi-official (at best). Supposedly this originated when the USAF wanted Block 40/42 aircraft, aka "Night Falcons" with LANTIRN capability, to be designated as F-16Gs and Block 50/52s with HTS as F-16CJs.  According to the story, concern about ordering "new" types of Vipers was perceived as a threat to F-22 funding, thus the non-standard nomenclature.  In any case, while both the Block 40/42s and 50/52s have certain unique features and typically operated in squadrons with specialty roles, all USAF F-16Cs are multirole capable for a wide range of air-to-ground and air-to-air weaponry. Also note just FYI, the former CGs and CJs have more recently been updated to a (mostly?) common avionics standard known - again only semi-officially - as F-16CMs.

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9 hours ago, Raptor.777 said:

Can this aircraft do other missions other than SEAD with HARM missiles? Was thinking in the future to do my 1/32 scale academy F-16CJ block 50 with some CBU-105's with the BRU 57's holding 2 each of said CBU

Jeff

I was thinking this too, Ive got one of those kits and I have no idea what to build it as.

I think it comes with the AV, WW and WP tail code markings which Im not really interested in because Ive got a couple of the Italeri F-16DG/DJ kits which will probably end up wearing the AV markings and a Hasegawa F-16CJs that Ive got that will end up with the SP, SW and WW markings.

So what does that leave for the Academy kit that I havent already got planned but does tote the LANTIRN targetting pods.

 

Also on the second decal sheet included there is a decal at the top of the sheet labelled 37, its a circle a blue band on the top and a yellow band on the bottom but I cant seem to find its placement on the decal guide.
Can anybody help with this one.

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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While the CCIP upgrade that made the CG/DG & CJ/DJ a largely common avionics architecture known as CM/DM here are still differences in external carriage.  Specifically, the Block 40/42 can carry LANTIRN pods but not the HTS pod, and the Block 50/52 can carry HTS but not LANTIRN.  Note that both/all can carry the upgraded LIGHTNING & SNIPER pods on STA 5R, this is why early CJs had the HTS mount moved from 5R to 5L.

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29 minutes ago, habu2 said:

While the CCIP upgrade that made the CG/DG & CJ/DJ a largely common avionics architecture known as CM/DM here are still differences in external carriage.  Specifically, the Block 40/42 can carry LANTIRN pods but not the HTS pod, and the Block 50/52 can carry HTS but not LANTIRN.  Note that both/all can carry the upgraded LIGHTNING & SNIPER pods on STA 5R, this is why early CJs had the HTS mount moved from 5R to 5L.

Block 40/42 have been carrying HTS for a while, but they are using it more as a sensor for threat detection than for targeting HARMs. Block 50/52 still trains the SEAD/DEAD mission as their primary role with a secondary CAS mission.  Block 40/42 is still primarily CAS. I asked not long ago about LANTIRN NAV pods and was told they've pretty much been retired from the F-16 community for about 20 years.  The LANTIRN targeting pod if used at all is only for training and all combat is SNIPER or LITENING on any Block.

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On 3/9/2023 at 11:36 AM, Crash Test Dummy said:

Block 40/42 is still primarily CAS. 

Kunsan has two Blk 40 Viper squadrons. IIRC, the 35th have a SEAD mission and are often seen with SNIPER/LITENING pods in conjunction with HTS. 

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13 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

So if they had been designated correctly, what variant would the F-16 be up to now? The F-16E/F is the export variant, so would it have been F-16G/H and then F-16J/K?

 

Depends on how many "what-ifs" you consider. As @habu2 noted, if the XL variant had won over the Strike Eagle and entered production, that would have been the E/F - and holding that pair of designations open explains the Block 40 provisional series letter starting with G.  I've never seen anything definitive but always inferred the two-seaters would have gotten their own letters, hence:

F-16XL-1 = F-16E (later reused for Block 60 export single-seater)

F-16XL-2 = F-16F (later reused for Block 60 export two-seater)

F-16C Block 40/42 = F-16CG (provisionally F-16G)

F-16D Block 40/42 = F-16DG (provisionally F-16H)

F-16C Block 50/52 = F-16CJ (provisionally F-16J)

F-16D Block 50/52 = F-16DJ (provisionally F-16K)

 

Historically there are examples of both "skipped" series letters for proposed variants that never entered production, and re-used designations that were assigned to multiple variants (ususally only on paper, but not always - see USN "F-4G").  So an argument could be made for or against the Block 60 E/F variants technically deserving to be called L/M variants (with due respect to GD 😁).

 

There are also some non-standard designations in use that hypothetically deserved their own series letters:

 

The ADF program involved conversions of A & B airframes to Block 15 OCU standard for CONUS air defense duties. It could be argued those should have had a new suffix letter, but in practice (for their relatively limited US service) they were awkwardly known as F-16A ADF & F-16B ADF.

 

The latest Block 50/52 versions have also added features that would normally warrant a new series letter, but to date they are only referred to with cumbersome labels like "Block 52+".  (Being export-only there is a trend toward less strict adherence to the official nomenclature system, but it's supposed to apply to all US manufactured equipment).

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The 36FS 51FW PACAF flies block 40 in SEAD/DEAD role, carrying both the HTS pod and AGM-88 HARM missile, and using the block 40 in the full operational specter. They are the only SEAD/DEAD unit outside of the continental US (and Japan) that has this role.
The CCIP update to the C/D fleet allowed all to be brought up to effectively the same stanards, now refered to as CM/DM. The block 30/32 came from an earlier "stock" and was through the CUPID program brought up to similar level.  The A/B was captured in teh MLU program, which eventually was "merged" with CCIP in Tape 

 

As for the CG/DG and CJ/DJ designations, this came due to US congress considered that then-General Dynamics, later Lockheed Martine was trying to sell them the same plane twice, which they wouldn't accept. Hence, rather than continuing with what would have been F-16G/H and F-16J/K, they became CG/DG and CJ/DJ respectfully, despite having distinct mission sets from the start.  So the driver was political. 
 

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On 3/8/2023 at 9:46 PM, Raptor.777 said:

Can this aircraft do other missions other than SEAD with HARM missiles? Was thinking in the future to do my 1/32 scale academy F-16CJ block 50 with some CBU-105's with the BRU 57's holding 2 each of said CBU

Jeff

I was in the ANG for 20 years, 17 1/2 of that was on the A-10, the rest on 16's with the 177th. I forget the exact year but, from that point forward ALL F-16 units were required to be Air to Ground capable no matter what your mission was. Now with that being said, the Jersey guard NEVER flew bombs unless they went TDY somewhere for a exercise or just before the end of the fiscal year. They had to drop X amount of bombs, for that year, to stay qualified.

Steve

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20 hours ago, Niels said:

The 36FS 51FW PACAF flies block 40 in SEAD/DEAD role, carrying both the HTS pod and AGM-88 HARM missile, and using the block 40 in the full operational specter. They are the only SEAD/DEAD unit outside of the continental US (and Japan) that has this role.

Neils, see my reply above yours. The 35th "Pantons" also have the SEAD mission. So the 36th isn't the only.

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Hi Storm 
Checked my references and you're right, there is a unit in the 8FW that also has the SEAD/DEAD role - the 80FS. I haven't seen any of the 35FS with HTS pod though? 
 

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