March 23,
2008: Israel has halted training flights of its new F-16I fighters because
formaldehyde is leaking into the cockpit and making pilots nauseous.
Formaldehyde can also cause cancer after prolonged exposure. Israel has
demanded that the U.S. manufacturer of the F16 find and fix the problem. That
may be difficult. There have been no other incidents like this, and over 4,000
F-16s are in use by 24 countries. The problem may lie in modifications Israel
has made to the aircraft. That is being investigated as well, and the formaldehyde
is probably from some new component. Formaldehyde is often a component of the "new
car smell." While the aircraft will still be used for combat operations, the now
halted training flights are essential to maintain the superiority of Israeli
pilots.
The F-16I
is the most capable versions of the F-16. Israel has been receiving two new
F-16I fighter-bombers a month since early 2004, and will eventually receive 102
of them. Added to this will be another 125, as older F-16s are upgraded. This
will take three or four years, at least.
The F-16I
is a 24 ton, two seat fighter-bomber, and is probably the most capable F-16
model in service. It's basically a modified version of the F-16C/D Block 50/52,
equipped with a more advanced radar (the APG-68X) and the ability to carry
Israeli weapons like the Python 4 air-to-air missile and the Popeye 2
air-to-surface missile. Costing $45 million each, the F-16I has an excellent
navigation system, which allows it to fly on the deck (a few hundred feet from
the ground), without working the pilot to death. The aircraft can do this at
night or in any weather. The F-16I can carry enough fuel to hit targets 1,600
kilometers away (meaning Iran is within range). The aircraft uses the latest
short and long range air-to-air missiles, as well as smart bombs. Electronic
countermeasures are carried, as is a powerful computer system, which records
the details of each sortie in great detail. This is a big help for training.
The F-16I is basically optimized to deliver smart bombs anywhere, despite dense
air defenses. This further increases Israels military power versus its
neighbors.
