Game-Changing Capability Augmentation
Raytheon announced on 16 December that the USAF has selected it to develop and manufacture the Modular Mission Computer Upgrade (MMCU) for the F-16 FALCON fourth-generation fighter fleet. The system offers more than twice the current processing power and 40 times current memory capacity, equipping F-16 pilots with aircraft computing power close to that of fifth-generation aircraft.
“The new mission computer is a game changer for the F-16,” said Josh Cobbs, programme manager, Electronic Warfare Systems for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. “The brain of the F-16, this mission computer can process more information faster, allowing the pilot to put weapons on targets with greater reliability.”
Based on commercial technology, Raytheon’s MMCU combines multi-core processing and cyber security with next generation high-speed computing and high-speed data networks. It serves as the foundation for potential new advanced sensors and capabilities for the USAF F-16, including next generation weapon systems.
“The F-16 remains the backbone of the global allied fighting force, and the mission computer will deliver capabilities to combat emerging threats alongside fifth-generation fighters well into the future,” Travis Slocumb, vice president of Electronic Warfare Systems for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, concluded.
