The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin are opening a new production line of F-16s for foreign military sales at the company’s Greenville, S.C., facility.
According to the Air Force, the F-16 Block 70/72 fighter aircraft will be built at the facility. The first F-16s are expected to roll off the production line in 2022 and production on the contracts is expected to continue until 2026.
It may be recalled that the service recently awarded Lockheed Martin about US$14 billion in contracts to build 128 F-16s at the facility for foreign military partners that include Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Taiwan.
“There are 25 nations operating F-16s today, and they have a lot of expertise with the airframe,” said Col. Brian Pearson, integrated product team lead for F-16 foreign military sales, with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate .
“The line helps us meet the global demand that a number of nations have for [F-16] aircraft and gives us the additional capability to provide the aircraft to countries interested in purchasing it for the first time,” Pearson added.
The F-16 continues to be popular internationally, if the sales currently under review from other foreign military partners is an indication.
“Since the LM production line opened, AFSAC has seen an uptick of our partner nations requesting detailed information and requests for U.S. government sales,” Col. Anthony Walker, International Division senior materiel leader, said. “We are excited about the new workload and increased opportunity to deliver airpower capabilities that strengthen international partnerships and advance national security.”
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