F-16AM TS-1608 / Photo: Grup 3 Tempur Koopsau

Indonesian Air Force Completes F-16A/B Fleet Upgrade

Yulian Ardiansyah - : Mar 3, 2026 - : 10:03 pm

The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara, TNI AU) has concluded its Falcon STAR and enhanced mid-life upgrade (eMLU) programme, after the tenth and final aircraft, F-16AM serial TS-1608, was formally returned to operational service on 2 March...

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The programme, which began in 2017, was carried out by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) under Lockheed Martin supervision at Skadron Teknik 042, Iswahyudi Air Force Base (AFB), Madiun, East Java. Structured as a hybrid of Direct Commercial Sales with Lockheed Martin and Foreign Military Sales with the United States government, all physical upgrade work was conducted in-country, making it one of the most extensive domestically executed aircraft modernisation programmes in Indonesia’s defence history.

Each of the ten F-16A/B Block 15 OCU airframes received structural reinforcement under the Falcon STAR element, extending their service life by 8,000 equivalent flight hours. The eMLU component delivered a comprehensive overhaul of both avionics and weapons systems. Most notably, the original AN/APG-66 radar was replaced by the AN/APG-68(V)9, a more capable unit able to simultaneously track and engage four aerial targets. The upgrade also brought integration of the AIM-120 AMRAAM beyond-visual-range missile and JDAM precision-guided munitions, alongside the Sniper advanced targeting pod, the LITENING pod, and the Bird Slicer identification friend-or-foe system. Upon completion, the upgraded single-seat and two-seat variants were redesignated F-16AM and F-16BM respectively, and repainted in a Pewter grey livery, replacing the earlier Tosca green camouflage scheme.

The first aircraft, TS-1610, completed its post-upgrade maiden flight on 18 February 2020, with its new livery formally unveiled the following April. The programme progressed steadily, with the fifth aircraft, TS-1605, completing its test flight on 18 August 2020, and seven airframes modernised by early 2023. The eighth, TS-1611, was handed over to Skadron Udara 3 on 20 May 2024, followed by the ninth, TS-1603, on 16 January 2025.

The final aircraft, TS-1608, completed its post-upgrade test flight over Madiun on 11 January 2026, after a notably longer upgrade period compared to its predecessors, attributed to the complexity of the work involved. It was formally returned to service with Skadron Udara 3 on 2 March 2026, completing the fleet upgrade.

All ten upgraded aircraft are assigned to Skadron Udara 3 at Iswahyudi AFB.

Indonesian-air-force-tni-au / F-16-fighting-falcon /

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