Many people in the F-16 community have heard of two of the largest F-16 structural update programs, (1) Falcon Up and (2) Falcon Star. These programs were designed by Lockheed Martin to extend the service life of F-16s. Back in 2005, InterConnect Wiring asked about increasing the service life for F-16 wiring. There was no such program so InterConnect created one which is now called Falcon Wire.
Prior to 2003, the primary insulation used on F-16 wiring harnesses was Kapton insulation. F-16s are now made with TKT insulation. After many years of use, Kapton insulation becomes old and brittle and can lead to wet or dry arcing. Arcing can lead to intermittent or catastrophic failures. The only solution for this potential problem is to replace the wiring harnesses with new wiring harnesses. The Falcon Wire program was designed and implemented to solve this issue.
Falcon Wire was designed to replace the 35 most troublesome wiring harnesses in the F-16. Most of these wiring harnesses are installed in the landing gear area and the mid and aft fuselage section. The Falcon Wire Program has been installed on 3 squadrons of F-16s throughout the years. It has been successful each time and has helped reduce intermittent failures and increased the reliability of the F-16.
To see a laboratory report of wiring harnesses removed from two F-16s as part of the Falcon Wire program refer to our F-16 Harnesses Laboratory Report. This report shows photos of nicks found in the wiring harnesses of an F-16 as well as the condition of the Kapton insulation. For more information about Falcon Wire please contact us.
