U.S. Air Force wants a new brain for its older F-16s

The U.S. Air Force is seeking industry input for a Next-Generation Mission Compute system to replace the Modular Mission Computer used on F-16 Block 40/42 and 50/52 aircraft. The proposed architecture would separate safety-critical real-time functions from mission applications while using the service’s open-architecture Agile Mission Suite to simplify software updates and capability insertion. An industry day is scheduled at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on October 20–21, 2026, with all planned one-on-one meeting slots reportedly filled. The effort remains in market research and requirements development, with no production contract, supplier selection or fielding schedule yet announced.