First Bahraini F-16 Block 70s Make Ferry Flight To Bahrain
Lockheed Martin announced March 6 that three F-16 Block 70s built for the Royal Bahraini Air Force have departed for Bahrain from Lockheed’s Greenville, South Carolina, F-16 production facility.
According to Lockheed, the “ferry cell” is the first batch of F-16 Block 70s to be delivered to Bahrain. The first two Bahraini F-16s are currently conducting flight test missions with the US Air Force’s 416th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California. An additional 11 F-16 Block 70s, the remainder of the Bahraini order, are in various stages of production and testing.
Lockheed was contracted in 2018 to build 16 F-16 Block 70s for the Royal Bahraini Air Force, with the first aircraft ceremonially handed over to Bahrain in October 2023. Bahrain is the first member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to operate the F-16 Block 70, and the first GCC member to operate the F-16, with its first F-16s arriving in the island kingdom in 1990 and subsequently participating in Operation Desert Storm.
“With the introduction of the F-16 Block 70, we are witnessing a significant leap in fighter capabilities. The integration of this proven platform will allow the Royal Bahraini Air Force to safeguard its skies effectively and partner with allies worldwide,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin. “More than 3,100 F-16s are operational in 25 countries, demonstrating the F-16’s reputation as a highly reliable and versatile fighter.”
In addition to the Block 70’s standard APG-83 AESA radar, advanced avionics, and modernized cockpit, Bahrain’s Block 70s are equipped with conformal fuel tanks for extended range, an improved engine, and a strengthened internal structure that Lockheed says has a structural service life of 12,000 hours. Also equipped on the Bahraini Block 70s is the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance system (Auto GCAS in short), which Lockheed credits with saving 13 pilots across 12 jets since it was first implemented on an F-16 in late 2014.
Lockheed says it has a backlog of 133 F-16 Block 70s to be built for six countries, and anticipates to deliver between 19 and 21 F-16s this year using 1LMX advanced manufacturing and digital technologies at the Greenville plant. The company adds that it foresees potential opportunities for up to 300 additional jets worldwide.