U.S. Air Force Seeks F-16 Fighter Jet Computing Upgrade to Sustain Combat Role Alongside F-35 and F-22

The U.S. Air Force is consulting industry on a Next-Generation Mission Compute upgrade for F-16 Block 40/42 and 50/52 aircraft, seeking more adaptable processing capacity for modern sensors and networked operations. The proposed replacement for the legacy Modular Mission Computer would emphasize modular open-system interfaces and separation of safety-critical functions from mission applications. Officials held industry discussions in October 2026 after issuing a sources-sought notice in May; no production contract, unit quantity or delivery timetable has been announced. The effort sits within the broader F-16 Post Block Integration Team modernization program but has not been funded as a separate fleetwide acquisition.