Context :

Aims : IGR J16460+0849 is reported in the 3rd IBIS catalog with the shortest exposure of about 10 ks among all the detected sources , which makes it the most interesting target to be investigated with a deeper exposure .
The currently available data have increased to an exposure time of a few hundred ks .
This stimulates us to investigate the source again by using all the available data .

Methods : We analyze all available observations carried out by the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory ( INTEGRAL ) on the unidentified source IGR J16460+0849 .
The data were processed by using the latest version OSA 7.0 .
In addition we analyze also all the available Swift/XRT data on this source .

Results : We find that IGR J16460+0849 has a detection significance of \sim 4.4 \sigma in the 20-100 keV band during the observational period between March 2003 and September 2004 , when it was exposed by \sim 19 ks .
Thereafter the source was not detected anymore , despite an additional exposure of \sim 271 ks .
This suggests a flux variability on a timescale of years .
The spectral analysis shows that the IBIS/ISGRI data are well presented by a power-law shape , with a photon index obtained as 1.45 \pm 0.86 .
So far , the source has been detected consistently by IBIS/ISGRI in the subsequent observations and in the adjacent energy bands .
We have analyzed the Swift/XRT observations on IGR J16460+0849 as well , and found no source inside the IBIS/ISGRI error circle .
The non-detection during the Swift/XRT observation is consistent with the source having a variable nature .

Conclusions :