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At the time that the F-16 was being developed, the Air Force
was also developing a significant variety of new weapons and
avionics systems, including missiles, infrared navigation and
targeting equipment, and advanced countermeasures. During 1978
and 1979, GENDYN and the Air Force jointly developed a plan for
the systematic, phased integration of new technologies into the
F-16. This plan was known as the Multinational Staged
Improvement Program or “MSIP”. MSIP was designed to be
implemented in three stages. The first phase involved the
redesign of the aircraft's structure, wiring, and cooling systems
to accommodate new navigation, targeting, and other systems. In
the second phase, GENDYN would introduce entirely new computers,
environmental control systems, pilot-vehicle interface systems,
and avionics systems, and would make other changes in
anticipation of various new weapons and sensors which were then
under development. In the final phase, GENDYN would introduce
the remaining new systems, as they became available.
MSIP was originally authorized under the first F-16
contract, the 0310 contract, and, after April 15, 1982, it was
continued under Contract 2038. MSIP was made part of a separate
contract, primarily to delineate it from the production contracts
(i.e., Contract 2034) and developmental work.
While the Air Force and GENDYN were planning the
technological evolution of the F-16, they were also exploring
ways to lower the future unit costs of the aircraft so as to make
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