F-21: The Super F-16 ‘Viper’ Fighter the U.S. Air Force Won’t Ever Fly

F-21: The Super F-16 ‘Viper’ Fighter the U.S. Air Force Won’t Ever Fly

Summary and Key Points: Lockheed Martin’s F-21 is a proposed India-tailored evolution of the F-16 Block 70/72, marketed as a “fourth-generation++” fighter with modern AESA radar, upgraded cockpit displays, sensor-fusion style avionics, and open-architecture systems. A central selling point is “Make in India” production through an industrial partnership tied to Tata, with spillover into the global F-16 supply chain. A 35th Fighter Squadron F-16 F…