Singapore’s upgraded F-16s now have an extra bite with the Rafael Python-5 air-to-air missile.


Singapore’s MINDEF confirmed to Shephard that the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) upgraded F-16s now have the ability to use Rafael’s Python-5 short-range air-to-air missile.

The revelation came as little surprise, as the RSAF was long rumoured to possess the preceding Python-4 since the early 2000s. However, no live or mock-up rounds have ever been seen.

Nonetheless, RSAF F-16C/Ds and the now retired F-5S/T have often been spotted with a captive air training missile resembling the Python-4. They feature AIM-9P-type fins but with a larger body diameter and different seeker head. The training missile has been seen on






https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warf...upgraded-f-16s/

This post has been edited by Labronee: Oct 25 2023, 08:39 PM

The Python-5[10] is currently the most capable air-to-air missile in Israel's inventory and one of the most advanced AAMs in the world[citation needed]. As a beyond-visual-range missile, it is capable of "lock-on after launch" (LOAL), and has full-sphere/all-direction (including rearward) attack ability. The missile features an advanced seeker which includes an electro-optical and imaging infrared homing seeker which scans the target area for hostile aircraft, then locks-on for terminal chase, and a complex design utilizing a total of eighteen aerodynamic surfaces.[7] The Python-5 was first used in combat during the 2006 Lebanon War, when it was used by F-16 Fighting Falcons to destroy two Iranian-made Ababil UAVs used by the Hezbollah.[1] On 13 May 2021, an Israeli F-16 shot down a Hamas operated Shehab suicide drone with a Python-5 air to air missile.[11][12][13][14]

Length: 310 cm (120 in)
Span: 64 cm (25 in)
Diameter: 16 cm (6.3 in)
Weight: 105 kg (231 lb)
Guidance: IR + electro-optical imaging
Warhead: 11 kg (24 lb)
Range: > 20 km (12 mi)
Speed: Mach 4



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(missile)

This post has been edited by Labronee: Oct 25 2023, 08:31 PM