BAHRAIN’S air warfare capability is set for a major boost as it becomes the first country in the world today to ceremoniously receive the F16 Block 70 advanced combat jet.
The two-seater aircraft is being supplied to the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF) by Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corporation.
It is part of a larger $1.12 billion deal signed in 2018, under which the security and aerospace company was contracted by the US government to manufacture 16 F-16 fighter jets for Bahrain.
The ceremony will be held today at Lockheed Martin’s Greenville, South Carolina site and attended by senior BDF officials as it marks a major milestone for the kingdom.
The GDN yesterday toured the defence giant’s site in Greenville as workers in different shifts were putting together key elements of the new jets that will be delivered in batches starting next year.
Bahrain will receive three F-16 Block 70 jets following a series of flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before finally being flown by US pilots to the kingdom next year.
The F-16 Block 70 is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain and took its maiden flight as part of its trial in January.
“Bahrain is the first in the world to receive the Block 70 and this is something to be really proud of, as it set the trend and paved the way for others (buyers),” said Lockheed Martin’s F-16 programmes and Greenville site lead vice president Danya Trent in a media briefing attended by the GDN.
“We have officially transferred the ownership of the first F16 Block 70 aircraft from Lockheed Martin and now it will go through a series of flight tests at the Edwards Air Force Base, and early next year we plan to have three airplanes delivered,” Ms Trent said.
“Between 2024 and 2025, as part of the rollout process, all of the airplanes will be over Bahrain.”
She added that the second aircraft, a one-seater for the RBAF, will be ready by mid-summer this year.
Overall, of the 16 jets Bahrain is set to receive, 10 are one-seaters and six are two-seaters.
Ms Trent said work started on the first advance jet in November 2019, but the pandemic led to push-backs and the company was now working to clear the backlog of orders for Bahrain and other countries.
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 finalised, the backlog will increase to 147.
Ms Trent added that Bahrain’s order for the fourth generation jets led to hundreds of job creations at the Greenville site as their employee numbers grew from around 500 to 1,300.
“The first holes were drilled in the airplane in 2019 and then the pandemic set in, following which things really came to a stop and we had impacts from the supply chain,” she said.
They continue to ramp up work and operate within the project cost per aircraft as part of the larger deal.
Asked about the tactical features of the new combat jet, Ms Trent said they could carry different types of weapons, which is an advanced radar feature similar to the fifth generation F-35 jets.
“We have also factored in weather conditions in the design, and it’s been tested for both hot and cold weather,” said Ms Trent, in response to the new jet operating in hot weather conditions in the Gulf.
In addition to flight training, Lockheed Martin will also provide F-16 maintenance training to fully support all aspects of the aircraft.
The GDN previously reported that Bahrain F-16 jets took part in the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve launched in 2014 along with more than 70 coalition partners against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria militant group.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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