At Lockheed Martin’s headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, the unveiling ceremony for the world’s first F-16 Block 70, which will be for the Royal Bahrain Air Force, took place today.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique history with the F-16. It was the first F-16 operator in the Gulf Cooperation Council in the early 1990s, and now receives 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 is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain, which made its maiden flight on January 24, 2023. From there, it will begin additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before arriving in Bahrain in 2024.
Delivery Official ✅ Meet The Falcon of the Future!
The first Royal Bahraini Air Force F-16 was celebrated today at a ceremony in Greenville, South Carolina. With the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th generation for the next generation for allies around the world. pic.twitter.com/0PmIQPunG9
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) March 10, 2023
Six countries have selected Block 70/72 aircraft. In addition to the current official portfolio of 127 aircraft to be built at Greenville, Jordan signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for 12 aircraft. Bulgaria also signed an LOA for eight additional Block 70/72 aircraft for its fleet. Once finalized, the order book will total 147 units..
“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”.
