Quotes About Life

 

 

Quotes About Life

 

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”
― Dr. Seuss

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.”
― Marilyn Monroe

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
― Maya Angelou

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
― Albert Einstein

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”
― John Lennon

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde

“It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not.”
― André Gide

“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
― Anaïs Nin

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
― Mark Twain

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.”
― Woody Allen

“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”
― Dr. Seuss

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
― Dr. Seuss, Happy Birthday to You!

“Everything you can imagine is real.”
― Pablo Picasso

“Reality continues to ruin my life.”
― Bill Watterson, The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
― Mark Twain

“Just when you think it can't get any worse, it can. And just when you think it can't get any better, it can.”
― Nicholas Sparks, At First Sight

“I'm the one that has to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life, the way I want to.”
― Jimi Hendrix

“If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
― Lewis Carroll

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy. If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
― E.B. White

“This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, somg go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babve, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up becuase if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.”
― Marilyn Monroe

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
― Anne Frank

“I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”
― Albert Einstein

“Who are you to judge the life I live?
I know I'm not perfect
-and I don't live to be-
but before you start pointing fingers...
make sure you hands are clean!”
― Bob Marley

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
Delicious Ambiguity.”
― Gilda Radner

“The one you love and the one who loves you are never, ever the same person.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.”
― Gustave Flaubert

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”
― John Greenleaf Whittier, Maud Muller - Pamphlet

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”
― Oscar Wilde

“Death ends a life, not a relationship.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
― Albert Einstein

“People aren't either wicked or noble. They're like chef's salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.”
― Lemony Snicket, The Grim Grotto

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
― Virginia Woolf

“But better to be hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.”
― Khaled Hosseini

“Where there is love there is life.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

“Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid.”
― John Wayne

“I don't know the question, but sex is definitely the answer.”
― Woody Allen

 

From : http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/life

Why Google Plus is about to change the Web as we know it

 

Takeaway: After a series of failed attempts at social networking, Google may have nailed it with Google+. See why and how it could have a major impact on the future of the Web.

This is the way Google always wanted social networking to work, and this time the company may have pulled it off.

Google’s previous social attempts have been unmitigated train wrecks, if we’re being completely honest. Open Social failed because Google couldn’t get Facebook and other social networks to buy into the idea of a shared social identity. Google Wave missed the target by not being useful enough to attract any users. Google Buzz freaked people out by naively overstepping its bounds on privacy.

So, when Google unveiled its latest social experiment last week — called Google+ — I was extremely skeptical. Still, Facebook is so malignant in terms of privacy and such a mess to use and configure that I was more than happy to give Google+ a try. I just expected that it would be a speed-dating relationship like most of my product reviews and destined to last no more than a few weeks at the most.

Damn, was I wrong. After almost a week, I fully expect this Google+ thing to turn into a long-term relationship. I mean, we’re not buying matching workout suits or anything yet, but this is definitely more than just a crush on the hot, new thing.

To start, Google+ is what Google calls a “field trial” — a fancy way to say that it’s still in beta. For now, it is open mostly to technology industry insiders and the press. Google reasoned that since reporters were going to be writing about Plus anyway, they might as well let them kick the tires. Wise move.

Vic Gundotra, Google’s SVP of Social and the head guy in charge of Plus, said, ”We chose the initial seed very carefully. We wanted a lot of diversity, so we have people that represent over 42 of the world’s languages… We’re trying to really test the product, make sure that we meet people’s privacy expectations, that the systems are working, [and] that we can scale. We’ll slowly grow that initial seed as we’re ready.”

The other Google executive running the Plus project, Bradley Horowitz, added, ”Field trial is the right term. That’s not a euphemism. There’s a lot of rough edges in there and a lot of learning we have to do. The feedback we got in the first 24 hours is tremendous.”

Even with its rough edges and without the masses of humanity having access to Google+, the core experience is pretty powerful, and it’s easy to see where Google is going with this.

As I wrote over the weekend while diving into Google+, the most attractive part is how easy it is to find, add, and organize your friends (I cited that as the main reason you won’t hate Google+). The friend issue is the heart of all social networks, although it’s so obvious that it’s often overlooked. In fact, Twitter still isn’t very good at it, Facebook is a little better, but both of them now look like neophytes compared to the way Google+ does it.

The friend feature on Google+ is called “Circles,” and it turns out to be an intuitive mashup of friending (from Facebook) and following (from Twitter). Circles are basically sets of friends that you can drag and drop into groups, mirroring your existing social circles — Family & Friends, Colleagues, Local Techies, etc. — rather than just the one big lump of friends you have on Facebook that can result in moments of “worlds colliding,” since you have to share all of your updates with all of your friends. On Google+, you can selectively send updates to different circles, and you can quickly click between the news streams of your different circles.

You can also make circles for people you don’t necessarily know but are interested in following their updates (e.g. Tech Journalists, Famous Engineers, Web Celebrities, etc.). This is where Google+ echoes Twitter, because people don’t have to follow you back in order for you to add them to one of your Circles. At that point, you’ll see all of their public updates, and most of these folks make the majority of their updates public in order to be seen by more people (it’s the whole social media narcissism meme, and it has already transplanted itself on Google Plus).

The real killer feature to Circles in Google+ is how easy it is to find and add friends. Everywhere you see a user’s name or avatar you can simply mouse over it, click “Add to Circles,” and then select which circle to add them to. On Twitter, it took me about three years to find about 200 really interesting people (mostly in technology and the media) worth following. It took me less than three days to find that many on Google Plus. Of course, most of them are the same people, so Google+ has the advantage of speed by letting us quickly re-coagulate our existing social graph on the new service.

I’m not predicting Google+ will replace Facebook and/or Twitter. This will definitely not be a zero sum game. Facebook has the most to lose from Google Plus, but it’s going to be years before Aunt Jenny and your plumber show up on Google+ the way they recently showed up on Facebook (and it’s possible they never will). All three of these social networks — Facebook, Google+, and Twitter — will still be going strong three years from now. People will gravitate to them for different reasons. They’ll go to Twitter for news and to cyber-stalk celebrities. They’ll go to Facebook for private networking, water cooler chats, and games.

So, where will that leave Google+?

I’m glad you asked, because that’s the real point here (sorry to bury the lede). To start, Google+ is mostly going to be made up of digital influencers — technology executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals, as well as social media mavens and technophiles in the press. Don’t underestimate the power of this broad group. It’s the same group that has catapulted Twitter and Foursquare into mainstream consciousness in recent years. A large percentage of this group is already in the “initial seed” of Google+ users, and they are the ones who have been raving about it for the past week. Look for a lot of them to decrease (but not eliminate) their Facebook usage and spend more time on Google Plus.

However, once you get past the technorati, then the story is going to get really interesting, because in the long run, Google+ is going to be less of a destination and more like the connective social tissue of the Web. I’m talking about social networking moving beyond a walled garden like Facebook or even a controlled ecosystem like Twitter.

Pieces of Google+ are likely to be decentralized with tentacles extending across the Web, the mobile Web, and various computer, smartphone, and tablet platforms. In some ways, Facebook and Twitter have started doing this already. They’ve put share buttons and boxes on external sites. They’ve launched client apps for multiple platforms. Facebook has even allowed sites to use the Facebook platform as their engine for user comments. However, the ultimate goal for Facebook and Twitter is to drive users back to their sites where they can be monetized.

Google has a different goal. It needs all of this social data about what people like, how they are socially related, what content they share the most, what context they share it in, and more in order to power its search engine and better organize the world’s information. That means Google’s social motivations have little to do with driving people back to plus.google.com. It’s ultimately about enhancing search and not allowing Facebook to hoard so much of the world’s social data.

That’s why Google has already submitted it’s iOS app to the Apple App Store. That’s why it is already talking about opening up Google+ Hangouts (group video chat) to other video services and clients. It’s why Google is putting little +1s all across the Web and in its search results (even though they aren’t very well connected to Google+ yet). In order to satisfy its appetite for social data, Google ultimately needs Google+ to be ubiquitous across virtually all platforms — both in terms of accessing the service from devices but even more so in terms of micro-connections to the service from third-party apps and sites.

Think of +1 integrated into mobile content apps, Q&A sites, blog comments, product reviews, music services like Pandora, etc. Now, imagine reading a product review, giving it +1, and then instantly seeing what all of the people in your “Tech Pros” circle have posted about that product — all without leaving the site you’re on. That’s where I see Google going with this, and that’s where this could permanently change social networking on the Web into a much more integrated experience. And if Google+ succeeds, it would likely force Facebook and Twitter to move in a similar direction.

Nevertheless, one big question here is how far will Google go with the open strategy? Can it avoid the temptation of giving Google+ pre-eminence to its internal platforms, such as Android, Chrome browser, Chrome OS, Gmail, and others? Will it build great apps and functionality for other platforms as well? For example, will it build a client for Windows Phone 7, even though Microsoft is its biggest rival in search? Will it work with Apple to make FaceTime (which has also promised open standards) compatible with Google+ Hangouts? Those are the kinds of litmus tests I’m going to be watching for.

Still, “Google+” is the perfect name for this, because it’s ultimately an add-on and a force-multiplier to the existing Google experience, especially its search engine but also to the broader Web in general. Google+ will be a social layer on top of the existing Web. At least that’s the vision. This time, Google might just pull it off.

By Jason Hiner

July 5, 2011, 3:32 PM PDT

Why Google+ will never back down on real names

 

Pete Cashmore says the fear of losing the identity wars to Facebook is too great for Google to back down.

Google's new social network, Google+, is shaping up to be a hit for the search engine giant.

And yet Google continues to court controversy with its real names policy, which asks users to represent themselves with their real names or risk having their accounts suspended.

Critics say the move is harmful to political activists, victims of harassment and numerous other groups for whom using a real name online might pose a safety risk.

So why is Google being so stubborn about this issue and risking bad PR for the sake of a minor technical change? Why not just allow usernames, as Twitter already does?

'Identity service'

The answer may lie in comments made over the weekend by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. During an interview in Edinburgh, Scotland, NPR's Andy Carvin asked Schmidt to justify Google's real-names policy.

"He replied by saying that G+ was build (sic) primarily as an identity service, so fundamentally, it depends on people using their real names if they're going to build future products that leverage that information," Carvin explained in a posting to Google+.

"Regarding people who are concerned about their safety, he said G+ is completely optional. No one is forcing you to use it. It's obvious for people at risk if they use their real names, they shouldn't use G+. Regarding countries like Iran and Syria, people there have no expectation of privacy anyway due to their government's own policies, which implies (to me, at least) that Schmidt thinks there's no point of even trying to have a service that allows pseudonyms."

In short: It's all about identity. More to the point: It's all about Facebook.

Facebook's 'online passport'

Facebook is the biggest "identity service" on the Web, and the company is already on track to building what amounts to an "online passport."

This passport is incredibly powerful: Due to Facebook's international nature, it's truly a global ID rather than a national one. And it provides something traditional IDs do not: A network of trusted friends.

It's this system -- Facebook Connect -- that allows any website or application to sign you in instantly without a lengthy sign-up form. Forget passwords. All you need is Facebook. What's more, Facebook's dominance of online identity could give it the lead in numerous industries.

Online advertising? Easy: Facebook's identity system could allow websites to serve you more personalized ads anywhere on the Web, with a high degree of certainty that your profile information is accurate.

Why Google+ will never back down on real names - CNN

Sony is back :) Sony Tablet S: starting at $499.99, arriving September

 

 

Sony's first tablet, now officially called the Tablet S, is set to hit stores in the middle of September at a price of $499.99.

The Tablet S will feature a 9.4-inch touchscreen, a unique wedge-like shape and run on Google's Android Honeycomb operating system -- which is also featured on competing Motorola Xoom and Samsung GalaxyTab 10.1 tablets.

The $500 price matches that of the entry-level, wi-fi-only, 16-gigabyte Apple iPad. And for that price, Sony's Tablet S will come with an iPad-matching 16 gigabytes of storage and wi-fi-only connections to the Internet. A 32-gigabyte model is set to be released as well at a cost of $599.99.

Both the 16-gigabyte and 32-gigabyte Tablet S units became available for pre-order on Wednesday with a listed release date of "on or about" Sept. 16.

The Tablet S was first given the code name of the Sony S1 in April when Sony debuted the device alongside a second tablet, the Sony S2. Well, the S2 has a new name too -- the Sony Tablet P.

But unlike the Tablet S, the Tablet P isn't arriving in September, but rather some not-yet-announced date later this year. It's also not yet available for pre-order and a price hasn't been disclosed either.

The Tablet P also features a look unlike any other tablet on the market, with dual screens and a clamshell-like ability to open and close on itself.

The two touchscreens are 5.5-inch displays and the Tablet P will run on both wi-fi networks and AT&T's 4G network.

Both the Tablet S and Tablet P will be equipped with front and rear cameras for video and photo taking.

Sony Tablet S: starting at $499.99, arriving September - latimes.com

SKYNET : SyNAPSE, IBM envisage le cerveau gravé sur du Silicium

 

IBM a conçu deux CPU qui sont structurés comme un cerveau humain même s’ils sont encore loin d’en avoir les capacités (pour le moment). Ces deux puces s’inscrivent dans cadre du projet SyNAPSE ( Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics). Celui-ci pourrait bien être à l’origine d’une nouvelle ère dans l’informatique. Non, il ne s’agit pas de science-fiction.
Il s’agit de deux puces expérimentales. Une architecture imitant celle du cerveau permettrait de développer l’informatique cognitive. La machine qui embarquera un tel CPU pourrait traiter l’information à la manière d’un cerveau humain, ce qui lui permettrait d’apprendre et de conclure. Elle serait aussi plus efficace que les actuels ordinateurs : consommation plus faible et encombrement réduit.
On pense bien entendu à HAL dans 2001, l’odyssée de l’espace.
Chacune des deux puces expérimentales est gravée en 45nm et dispose de 256 neurones. L’une dispose de 262,144 synapses qui sont programmables. La deuxième puce possède 65,536 synapses ayant la capacité d’apprendre. Dans un ordinateur, les interconnexions sont fixes ; le CPU est tel qu’il a été gravé alors qu’avec ce nouveau type de CPU, les connexions peuvent évoluer soit par apprentissage, soit par programmation (on a les deux cas ici avec ces deux puces expérimentales).
A l’avenir, IBM envisage de créer des CPU avec des dizaines de millions de neurones et des trillions (un trillion est un milliard de milliards) de synapses. L’ensemble consommerait un kilowatt et occuperait un volume de deux litres. Un cerveau possède toutefois 10^11 (100 milliards) de neurones et 1000 synapses par neurone.
De tels ordinateurs seraient capable de résoudre des opérations sur lesquelles les ordinateurs actuels bloquent. La puissance de calcul phénoménale qu’ils développeraient leur permettraient de traiter des millions d’informations et de prédire très précisément la météo et des catastrophes naturelles par exemple.
Mais le plus incroyable, c’est peut-être la capacité qu’auraient ces ordinateurs à ne plus être dépendants d’un informaticien puisqu’ils auraient la faculté d’apprendre par eux-mêmes et de tirer des conclusions.
Le Super-ordinateur Watson de Big Blue, s’il n’embarque pas ce type de CPU, avait déjà laissé entrevoir un tel comportement cognitif.

Moroccan F-16s Atlas falcons Arrival At Benguerir Air Base

The Atlas Falcon

The Beginning :

Moroccan F16 : F-16D Flies In Fort Worth

Morocco, the twenty-fifth nation to operate the F-16, ordered twenty-four Block 52 aircraft in 2009. The two-tone light brown scheme with gray underside is unique to the Moroccan Air Force.

 

 

Training in US

Royal Moroccan Air Force Maj. Mouloud Chihani performs a preflight check on an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Tucson International Airport, Ariz., before a training mission July 7, 2010. Major Chihani and three other Moroccan pilots are the first F-16 pilots in their air force and will lead the way to establish a new squadron of F-16s when they return home in July 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jack Braden)

 

 

Departure to Morocco

First Four Lockheed Martin F-16s Produced For Morocco Depart On Ferry Flight

FORT WORTH, Texas, August 1st,

2011 -- The first four of 24 new Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] advanced Block 52 F-16s produced for the Royal Moroccan Air Force have left the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, en route to Morocco. An arrival ceremony will be held in Morocco later this week.

Arrival

Lockheed Martin Delivers Morocco’s First Advanced F-16s

MARRAKECH, Morocco, August 4th, 2011 -- The Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) unveiled the first four of 24 Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-16 aircraft in a ceremony today at Ben Guerrir Air Base in Morocco. Senior representatives from the Moroccan and U.S. governments and air forces were present for the historic event.

This is Morocco’s first experience with the F-16 so the package being provided by the U.S. government is comprehensive. Morocco will acquire a Block 52 configuration of the F-16C/D aircraft tailored to meet the specific requirements of the RMAF. The sale includes the aircraft, mission equipment and a support package provided by Lockheed Martin and other U.S. and international contractors. The new aircraft will supplement the RMAF’s existing fleet of fighter aircraft and will contribute to the upgrade and modernization of the RMAF.

“The delivery of these aircraft places Morocco among the very elite group of air forces of the world who operate the advanced multirole F-16,” said Ralph D. Heath, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics business area.

Moroccan F16 Block 52 details & history

The Block 50/52 is the current production version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It features the Improved Performance Engines, either the F110-GE-129 for the Block 50 or the F100-PW-229 for the block 52. The F100-PW-229 is lighter and more powerful than earlier F100s, and had been flying at Edwards AFB since mid-1990 in test ship #81-0816. Both engines are rated at 29,000lbs of thrust (129kN).

This version first appeared in late 1990. It was unofficially designated F-16CJ/DJ for the same reason as the Block 40/42 unofficial designation. The first Block 50/52 F-16 rolled out of the Fort Worth facility on October 31, 1991 (#90-0801). Production of this version is still ongoing and will be expanded well beyond 2005 with the latest aircraft delivered to Greece and Israel.

Structure & Avionics

The standard avionics fit for the Block 50 includes:

• Honeywell H-423 Ring Laser Gyro Inertial Navigation System (RLG INS) for rapid in-flight alignment;
• GPS receiver;
• Data Transfer Cartridge with a larger capacity (128KB) to accommodate the planned avionics growth;
• Improved Data Modem for faster data transmission;
• AN/ALR-56M advanced RWR;
• AN/ALE-47 threat adaptive countermeasure system;
• digital terrain system data transfer cartridge;
• cockpit compatible with night vision systems;
• advanced IFF interrogator;
• Upgraded Programmable Display Generator (UPDG);
• MIL-STD-1760 data bus for programming new-generation PGMs;
• Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) for increased situational awareness and tactical flexibility on all missions.

The Block 50/52 also carries the Westinghouse AN/APG-68 V(5) radar, which offers longer range detection against air targets and higher reliability. The radar has a programmable signal processor that employs very high-speed integrated circuit (VHSIC) technology. The latest batches of Block 50/52 carry the same radar, but versions V(7) and V(8), which offer even greater performance envelopes. The VHF/FM antenna is now incorporated into the leading edge of the vertical fin and has an extended operating distance. The cockpit also includes 2 monochrome MFD's (soon to be replaced by the MLU's color displays) and a FOV HUD.

The Block 50's have the capability to fire the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the new AGM-65G Maverick missile and the PGU-28/B 20mm cannon round. The Block 50/52 is capable of carrying the new JDAM munition, the AGM-154A/B JSOW and is the first F-16 version to integrate the AGM-84 Harpoon antishipping missile. The AGM-137 TSSAM stand-off attack missile was also foreseen in its weaponry, but subsequently cancelled. The aircraft can launch the Harpoon in line-of-sight, bearing-only, and range/bearing modes. The addition of the Harpoon gives the F-16 a significant standoff range anti-shipping capability, especially when combined with optional 600-gallon fuel tanks.

The first Block 50 F-16 was delivered to the USAF in November of 1991. Over 300 have been delivered by early 1997, to four different customers. New production Block 50/52 aircraft ordered after 1996 also include selected features from the MLU program: color multifunction displays, a three-channel video tape recorder, and the modular mission computer.

Modifications & Upgrades

Wild Weasel

F-16CJ Block 52D #91415 aircraft from USAFE's 52nd FW operate as Wild Weasels. This specimen's equiped with wingtip Amraams, Sidewinders on stations 2 and 8, and AGM-88 HARM (starboard) and Shrike (port) anti-radiation missiles. Note the AN/ASQ-213 Harm Targeting System pod on the starboard intake station. (USAF photo)

The F-16CJ/DJ Block 50D/52D have the HARM avionics/Launcher Interface Computer (ALIC) resulting in a full autonomous employment capability of the HARM missile. This capability adds the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) mission to the already extensive list of missions the F-16 is capable to perform.

The aircraft features full integration for the advanced AGM-88 HARM II and Shrike anti-radiation missiles, a Lockheed Martin Pave Penny laser ranger pod and the Texas Instruments (now Raytheon) AN/ASQ-213 HTS (HARM Targeting System). The pod is mounted on the starboard intake hardpoint and contains a super-sensitive receiver that detects, classifies, and ranges threats and passes the information to the HARM and to the cockpit displays. With the targeting system, the F-16CJ/DJ has full autonomous HARM capability. The HTS pod can be omitted however - in that case, RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft support the F-16 in sorting and prioritizing targets in dense threat environments.

Two HARM missiles are normally carried on a typical SEAD mission, however, 4-missiles loads are currently being test-flown at Eglin AFB.

Deliveries of the Block 50D/52D began in May 1993. All but the earliest Block 50 models have been upgraded to Block 50D standard.

Block 50/52 Plus

One of the latest HAF, F-16C Block 52, #501, taxiing. (LMTAS photo)

The Block 50/52 Plus is a version which has special provisions for the adverse weather delivery of the Boeing JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition). The update includes an add-on tail unit containing a synthetic aperture radar, providing guidance to 1,000lbs Mk.83, 2,000lbs Mk.84 and the 2,000lbs BLU-109 warhead. Other features include passive missile warning, terrain-referenced navigation, and provisions for the 600 US gal (2,271 litre) external fuel tanks and conformal fuel tanks.

Other features of the aircraft include an on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS), the AN/APX-113 advanced electronic interrogator/transponder IFF system, helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS), ASPIS internal electronic countermeasures suite (full provisions), the Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 radar, which is the latest version of the F-16C/D radar. This radar features significant improvements in detection range, resolution, growth potential, and supportability. Furthermore, application of advanced processing techniques enhances the radar's ability to operate in dense electromagnetic environments and resist jamming better than all previous models.

The V(9) version of the AN/APG-68 radar provides both improved air-to-air capabilities and air-to-ground capabilities. These include:

• 30 percent increase in detection range;
• Improvements in false alarm rate and mutual interference;
• Four versus two tracked targets in the Situation Awareness mode (a search-while-track mode);
• Larger search volume and improved track performance in Track While Scan mode;
• Improved track performance in Single Target Track mode;
• Two-foot resolution in new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode, which allows autonomous delivery of precision, all-weather, standoff weapons;
• Increased detection range in Sea Surveillance mode;
• Improved target detection and map quality in Ground Moving Target Indication mode.

In general, this radar offers a 5X increase in processing speed and 10X increase in memory compared to the current AN/APG-68 radar and provides large growth potential.

The first production V(9) radar, which was delivered in April 2002, will be installed in the first Greece Block 52+ F-16. Also the new Israeli F-16s will be equiped with it.

The latest Israeli F-16 block 52 will furthermore be equiped with a video data link and Conformal Fuel Tanks manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), advanced avionics and a helmet-mounted display manufactured by Elbit, an advanced electronic warfare suite manufactured by Elisra and advanced weapons and sensors manufactured by Rafael. This makes these aircraft are becoming more and more an Israeli domestic product.

Production

Production of the block 50/52 totals 813 airframes up to now. Manufacturing started in 1991 and is still ongoing. Block 50 aircraft were delivered to the USAF, Turkey, Greece and Chile, whilst Block 52 aircraft were delivered to the USAF, South Korea, Singapore, Greece, Poland and Israel. Of the total number of Block 50/52, still 260 are waiting delivery to the customer (July 2003).

Specifications (standard Block 50/52)

Engine: One Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan, rated at 17,000 lb.s.t. dry and 28,500 lb.s.t. with afterburning or one General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan, rated at 17,155 lb.s.t. dry and 28,984 lb.s.t. with afterburning.

Performance: Maximum short-endurance speed: Mach 2.05 (1353 mph) at 40,000 feet. Maximum sustained speed Mach 1.89 (1247 mph) at 40,000 feet. Tactical radius (hi-lo-hi interdiction on internal fuel with six 500-lb bombs) 360 miles. Maximum ferry range 2450 miles with maximum external fuel (excluding 600gal. tanks or CFT's) .

Dimensions: wingspan 31 feet 0 inches, length 49 feet 4 inches, height 16 feet 8 1/2 inches, wing area 300 square feet.

Weights: 18,238 pounds empty, 26,463 pounds normal loaded (air-to-air mission), 42,300 pounds maximum takeoff.

Sources : Lockheed martin press, release, F16-net, flickers pic.

Compiled by YASSINE