Chilean Air Force to start modernization of its F-16 fighters

At the change of command ceremony of the Chilean Air Force (FACh), which took place this Saturday, November 5, and where its new commander-in-chief, Air General Hugo Rodriguez, took office, the institution announced its projects under development and future challenges.

In his farewell speech, General Arturo Merino pointed out that currently, the FACh is an institution that “has reached a balanced maturity, which has allowed it to have a positive impact on the development of our nation and to project itself into the future through new challenges, always to be useful to the higher interests of our homeland.

The Chilean Air Force is today an institution of almost 12,000 men and women, endowed with a force structure in accordance, in size and capabilities, to the requirements of defense, and which is capable of performing properly in the three domains in which it has to act: air, space, and cyberspace”.

PROJECTS: F-16 AND HERMES 900 MODERNIZATION

Regarding the projects under development, he informed that “in these four years, we have dedicated a great effort to ensure that the operational status of the force has the capabilities and levels of training and readiness required to fulfill our mission, which we have achieved and maintained even under the special conditions that the Covid-19 pandemic has imposed on us, an achievement that was possible thanks to the work and dedication of the military aviators who make up our Air Force”.

In this context, “the modernization and standardization of our F-16 material; acquisition and upgrade of C-130 material; acquisition of Gulfstream IV material to recover our aerial photogrammetry and critical patient evacuation capacity; the full implementation of satellite communications and precision landing to our Hermes 900 unmanned aircraft system; the beginning of the construction project of the new Pillan II aircraft, associated to a modern training system to be developed at national level by Enaer, stand out.

“Likewise, we have been able to replace the Boeing 707 Condor material with the incorporation of E-3D Sentry material to control our sovereign air space”.

VERSATILITY AND ASSISTANCE TO CITIZENS

In addition to the above, “today, we are committed to developing a National Satellite System, which as a pillar of the Chilean Space Program, allows the development of capabilities that fully respond to the strategic objectives of the National Defense.

“It also contains the necessary elements and factors to support in a concrete and transversal way the state and various actors of the national society, and to promote the development of technologies and knowledge through education, construction and exploitation of space devices, all under the concept of generating public and social value based on the multipurpose aerospace capabilities of the Chilean Air Force”.

“Our work and achievements have not been limited only to the field of defense; in this sense, we have understood the challenge imposed by the changes, transforming ourselves into a force with multipurpose capabilities, equipped with multifunctional personnel and a highly flexible and adaptable command and control system, allowing us to face requirements other than those of defense, for the benefit of society and the State of Chile, to which we owe ourselves as an institution”.

CHALLENGES: BETTER RPAS AND NEW SATELLITES

“In the short term, there are many challenges that the institution will have to face successfully, challenges that we have already started and that will demand the maximum of its capabilities and dedication.

“In the medium and long term, there are other challenges that they will have to face with determination, and that will keep them very busy, some of which I will allow myself to outline because of the implications they could have on the future of the institution.

“First of all, it is almost a fact that we will gradually move towards an Air Force that will incorporate more and more unmanned aircraft, with better performance than the current ones and capable of fulfilling an essential part of the missions assigned to us, dispensing with human aircrew in flight.

“These aircraft will be a fundamental part of the backbone of our force, and their use will have to be harmonized among the diversity of means, in perfect synchrony with the conditions of efficiency, economy, and risk”.

“On the other hand, in an environment increasingly dependent on electronic processors and the interconnection between them, cyber defense will continue to grow stronger, becoming a relevant and unbalancing factor in future operations.

“Therefore, the capabilities we have developed must continue to advance and consolidate to guarantee the use of the force in an environment that will be increasingly sensitive to operations and attacks through computer networks”.

“Similarly, strengthening aerospace power in its space aspect is and will continue to be a necessity for the country, therefore, contributing to the creation of a Space Agency and incorporating new satellites are the challenges that must be faced in the future, and for this, a joint vision is needed between the civilian and military worlds, which will allow us to advance as a country in research, development, knowledge, and innovation”.

“In the logistics area, we must continue with our planning and institutional policy regarding the modernization of weapons systems and equipment, given possible future scenarios, aiming at the best use of the resources at our disposal, tending to efficiency, optimization, and rationalization of resources, cost reduction, agility in management and simplification of processes”.

With information from InfoDefensa