Lockheed Martin and Royal Bahraini Air Force celebrate delivery of Bahrain's first F-16 Block 70 fighter.

Bahraini, American and Lockheed Martin officials on March 10 celebrated the first F-16 Block 70 for the Royal Bahraini Air Force today at Lockheed Martin in Greenville, South Carolina. The Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique history with the F-16: it was the first F-16 operator in the Gulf Cooperation Council beginning in the early 1990s, and now is receiving the first F-16 Block 70.

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Bahraini, American and Lockheed Martin officials on March 10 celebrated the first F-16 Block 70 for the Royal Bahraini Air Force today at Lockheed Martin in Greenville, South Carolina  (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

"Today's ceremony represents the next generation of the powerful and proven legacy of the F-16, and demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed aircraft and its advanced 21st Century Security capabilities to the warfighter," said OJ Sanchez, vice president, Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program. "With the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th generation for the next generation for the Royal Bahraini Air Force and other partners and allies around the world."

This F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain and took its first flight on Jan. 24, 2023. From here, it will begin additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before arriving in Bahrain in 2024.

OJ Sanchez, vice president of Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program, said: "With the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th generation for the next generation for the Royal Bahraini Air Force and other partners and allies around the world." (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

Six countries have selected Block 70/72 aircraft. 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 finalized, the backlog will increase to 147.

"The F-16 celebrated today was built by our talented, committed workforce in Greenville," said Danya Trent, vice president of F-16 Programs and Greenville site leader. "We are proud to call Greenville the global home of the F-16 and look forward to continuing to produce jets serving missions around the world."

Bahraini Air Force's first F-16 Block 70 (Picture source: Lockheed Martin)

The F-16 Block 70 is an advanced variant of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, a multi-role fighter aircraft. Here are some technical data on the F-16 Block 70:

Dimensions

Length: 49 feet 5 inches (15.06 meters)
Wingspan: 32 feet 8 inches (9.96 meters)
Height: 16 feet (4.88 meters)
Wing area: 300 square feet (27.9 square meters)

Weight

* Empty weight: 18,900 pounds (8,573 kg)

* Maximum takeoff weight: 42,300 pounds (19,187 kg)

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2 (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h)
Range: 2,100 nautical miles (2,416 miles, 3,890 km)
Service ceiling: 50,000 feet (15,240 meters)
Rate of climb: 50,000 feet per minute (15,240 meters per minute)

Powerplant

One Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 or General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan engine, each producing up to 29,000 pounds (129 kN) of thrust with afterburner.

Armament

* One 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon
* Up to 17,000 pounds (7,700 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, bombs, and rockets.

Avionics and systems

* AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) with AESA technology
* Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS)
* Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS)
* Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF)
* Secure UHF/VHF communication radios
* GPS and Inertial Navigation System (INS)
* Electronic Warfare (EW) suite
* Digital flight control system
* The F-16 Block 70 has advanced features such as an updated cockpit with a larger, high-resolution display and advanced mission systems, improved radar and electronic warfare systems, and additional hardpoints for weapons.