F16 ADF

Why isn’t it in service anymore?F-16 ADF
Air Defense Fighter

ADF-16 Fighting Falcon Six Pack [N/A,USAF]
In October 1986, the USAF announced that operational Block 15 F-16A/B aircraft would be converted to air defense fighters for the Air National Guard, and would take over the fighter interception mission, providing the primary defense of North America against bombers and cruise missiles.

F-16s ADF can be identified by the searchlight, tail fin bulges, and bird slicers antenna’s. Since the ADF testbed is a Bravo, it doesn’t have the bulges, and the spotlight is on the port side. For some reason, it hasn’t received the bird slicers, so luckily this one has ADF painted on its tail. (USAF Photo)
The first F-16A ADF conversion was completed in February 1989, while a contract was placed for kits to update and modify a total of 270 F-16A/Bs at the Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah. The Block 15 airframes used for the ADF program were all meant to be upgraded to Block 15OCU standard, and both programs ran in conjunction. Aircraft entering the Ogden ALC for ADF upgrade also received the Block 15OCU avionics installation. The net result is that all ADF aircraft are Block 15OCU airframes. The last ADF left Ogden in 1992.
Modifications included Bendix King (now Allied Signal) AN/ARC-200HF/SSB radios with Have Quick II Secure Speech Module and the Teledyne/E Systems Mk.XII Advanced IFF system (APX-109). The APG-66 radar was modified (designated APG-66A) to provide look down/shoot-down capability, enhanced small target detection, and CW (Continuous Wave) illumination for AIM-7 guidance.
A 150,000 candlepower night identification spotlight was installed on the port side of the nose (below and in front of the cockpit) to aid in the identification of nighttime intruders. The aircraft were equipped to carry 600 (US) gallon (2,271 liter) external drop tanks, and to carry 6 BVR missiles such as the AIM-7 Sparrow or AIM-120 AMRAAM.

The bird slicers are obvious on this F-16A ADF lining up on a tanker (USAF Photo)
The ADF aircraft can be distinguished from “standard” F-16A/Bs by several external identifying features, such as long and thin horizontal bulges on the base of the vertical tail, plus a set of four blade antenna, nicknamed “bird-slicer”, carried just forward of the canopy (as part of the IFF system).
The bulges are caused by the relocation of the Bendix-King AN/ARC-200 high frequency single-sideband radio to the leading edge of the fin. This in turn caused the horizontal stabilizer actuators, which were installed one over the other, to be relocated to either side of the tail fin. The bulges were installed to provide sufficient room for these actuators. Note that, since the Bravo-model ADF’s do not have the advanced IFF and Bendix HF radio, they also don’t have the bulges.
The F-16A/Bs which will be delivered to Jordan at the end of 1997, will probable be ex-AMARC F-16 ADFs.