The Sultanate of Oman accepted the first of its second order of Lockheed Martin F-16.

The Sultanate of Oman accepted the first of its second order of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons in a ceremony April 3 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility. The fighter aircraft will ferry to Oman later this year.

In 2002, the Sultanate of Oman became the 23rd member of the F-16 family and now joins the 15 other countries which have ordered additional F-16 jets for their air defense. The new F-16s will add to the Oman Air Force's existing fleet of F-16s used to defend Oman's borders.

"Our partnership with Oman is a proud one," said Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "Working together, we are not only producing new F-16s, but also upgrading their existing F-16 fleet to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman with a common advanced F-16 capability configuration."

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 115,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.