US successfully conducts first flight test of F-16 Block 70 fighter jet

News, US January 31, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the first flight test of the F-16 Block 70 fighter jet at its Greenville, South Carolina site. Lockheed Martin said in a statement that the flight occurred on January 24 at 9:17 A.M. ET.

According to Lockheed Martin’s statement, test pilots Dwayne “Pro” Opella and Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser at the helm. “Total flight time was approximately 50 minutes and included airworthiness checks, such as engine, flight control, and fuel system checks, as well as basic aircraft handling,” the statement read.

Vice president of Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program, OJ Sanchez said that the “successful flight is a testament of the hard work, dedication, and commitment to our customers and their missions.”

Sanchez further added that “This milestone demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed aircraft and its advanced 21^st Century Security capabilities to the warfighter.”

The F-16 aircraft is a strategic and valuable choice for many countries seeking advanced fourth-generation fighter jet capabilities at affordable lifecycle costs. At present more than 3,000 F-16 jets are operating in 25 countries. The latest version of the aircraft, Block 70/72, offers “unparalleled capabilities and will be flown by at least five countries,” the Lockheed Martin statement highlighted.

So far, six countries have selected U.S. F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets. The F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 aircraft to be delivered to Bahrain. Bulgaria has also signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for an additional eight fighter jets for its fleet.

Last year in June, Jordan ordered eight new production F-16 Block 70 fighter jets after signing a letter of offer and acceptance with Lockheed Martin. Last week the country also signed an additional contract for four more jets. According to the statement released by the company, the selection of new production F-16 fighter jets extends the middle eastern country’s existing fleet of F-16s, “bringing advanced capabilities to the mission combined with affordable operating and lifecycle costs.”

*^{Artist’s impression of the F-16 Block 70 in Jordanian service. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

F-16 Vice President and Site Lead in Greenville, Danya Trent said, “Lockheed Martin is fully committed to delivering quality platforms for our customers’ critical missions, and I am so proud of our talented team in Greenville”.

“This is the culmination of significant development, design, digital engineering, supply chain, and production line advances to an already proven platform that will continue to deliver decades of service in support of customers’ national security,” Trent added.