Lockheed Martin unveils 'new' F-21, says fighter configured for IAF

US aerospace giant's jet is a slightly improved F-16 Block 60, an aircraft already in service.

US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has unveiled a “new” fighter, dubbed the F-21, which it intends to offer India, instead of the F-16, in the global contest to sell the Indian Air Force (IAF) 114 fighters.

Launched on Wednesday, the first day of Aero India 2018 in Bengaluru, the F-21 has the tagline “The F-21: Different—Inside and Out”. But in almost every respect—engine, basic airframe and most avionics—it is a slightly improved F-16 Block 60, an aircraft already in service.

In rebranding the F-16 into the F-21, Lockheed Martin appears to have accepted what many have warned it for years: