Lockheed Martin Celebrates Maiden Voyage of the Revolutionary F-16 Block 70
Lockheed Martin has proudly revealed the successful inaugural flight of the F-16 Block 70 at its facility in Greenville, South Carolina.
The flight took place on January 24 at 9:17 a.m. ET, with Lockheed Martin test pilots Dwayne “Pro” Opella and Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser in command. The total duration of the flight was around 50 minutes, encompassing airworthiness evaluations, which included engine, flight control, and fuel system assessments, along with fundamental aircraft maneuvering.
“Today’s fruitful flight is a testament to the effort, dedication, and commitment to our clients and their missions,” stated OJ Sanchez, vice president of the Integrated Fighter Group, which encompasses the F-16 program. “This achievement illustrates Lockheed Martin’s dedication to enhancing this program and delivering this vital aircraft along with its advanced 21st Century Security features to the warfighter.”
This F-16 Block 70 aircraft marks the first of 16 jets set to be delivered to Bahrain. Six nations have opted for the Block 70/72 aircraft. In addition to the current official backlog of 128 jets to be manufactured in Greenville, Jordan last year entered into a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for eight jets and recently signed another LOA for four more. Lockheed Martin has secured a contract to initiate Jordan’s long-lead activities. Bulgaria has also agreed to an LOA for eight additional jets for its fleet. Once these agreements are concluded, the backlog will rise to 148 jets.
“Lockheed Martin is wholly devoted to providing high-quality platforms for our clients’ essential missions, and I take great pride in our skilled team in Greenville,” remarked Danya Trent, F-16 Vice President and Site Lead in Greenville. “This represents the culmination of extensive development, design, digital engineering, supply chain, and production advancements to an already proven platform that will continue to offer decades of service in support of our customers’ national defense.”
