GREENVILLE, S.C., March 10,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bahraini, American and
Lockheed Martin officials today celebrated the first F-16 Block 70
for the Royal Bahraini Air Force today at Lockheed Martin [NYSE:
LMT] in Greenville, South
Carolina.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique history with the F-16:
It was the first F-16 operator in the Gulf Cooperation Council
beginning in the early 1990s, and now is receiving the first F-16
Block 70.
"Today's ceremony represents the next generation of the powerful
and proven legacy of the F-16, and demonstrates Lockheed Martin's
commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed
aircraft and its advanced 21st Century Security
capabilities to the warfighter," said OJ Sanchez, vice president,
Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program. "With
the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th
generation for the next generation for the Royal Bahraini Air Force
and other partners and allies around the world."
This F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain, and took its first flight on
Jan. 24, 2023. From here, it will
begin additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before
arriving in Bahrain in 2024.
Six countries have selected Block 70/72 aircraft. In addition to
the current official backlog of 127 jets to-date to be built in
Greenville, Jordan has signed a Letter of Offer and
Acceptance (LOA) for 12 jets and Lockheed Martin has received a
contract to begin its long-lead activities. Bulgaria has also signed an LOA for an
additional eight jets for its fleet. Once these are finalized, the
backlog will increase to 147.
"The F-16 celebrated today was built by our talented, committed
workforce in Greenville," said
Danya Trent, vice president, F-16
Programs and Greenville site
leader. "We are proud to call Greenville the global home of the F-16 and
look forward to continuing to produce jets serving missions around
the world."
Additional photos from the event are available for download
here, and a video of the aircraft's reveal is available for
download here.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin
Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs
approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged
in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Please follow @LMNews on Twitter for the latest
announcements and news across the corporation.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics