Bahrain could buy 19 F-16V fighter aircraft

POSSIBLE SALE OF 19 F-16V FIGHTER AIRCRAFT TO BAHRAIN APPROVED

By Dario Leone
Sep 15 2017
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Moreover 20 F-16 Block 40 aircraft already in service with Royal Bahraini Air Force will be upgraded to F-16V configuration

The Trump administration has given Bahrain the clearance to buy 19 new Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter aircraft for around $2.785 billion.

Transmittal No: 16-59 from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency also confirmed the upgrade of 20 F-16 Block 40 aircraft already in service with Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) to F-16V configuration. Bahrain would pay around $1.082 billion for the upgrade.

All jets would be powered by the F-110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan engine and equipped with Northrop Grumman APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

If the sale is confirmed, RBAF F-16Vs could be the first Vipers to be built in Greenville, South Carolina. As we have recently explained Lockheed Martin has decided to move the F-16 production line from Forth Worth, to Greenville to make more room for F-35 line in Texas. Because of the move about two years are required to start the F-16 production in South Carolina.

According to Lockheed Martin, having served with 28 customers around the world, the F-16 continues to prove itself as the world’s most successful, combat-proven multi-role fighter aircraft. Currently the F-16V, an option for both new production F-16s and F-16 upgrades, is the latest and most advanced F-16 on the market. The F-16V configuration includes numerous enhancements designed to keep the F-16 at the forefront of international security.

The F-16V provides advanced combat capabilities in a scalable and affordable package. The core of the F-16V configuration is the APG-83 AESA radar, a modern commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based avionics subsystem, a large-format, high-resolution display; and a high-volume, high-speed data bus. Operational capabilities are enhanced through a Link-16 Theater Data Link, Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, advanced weapons, precision GPS navigation, and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).

Photo credit: Lockheed Martin photo by Randy Crites

Source: Lockheed Martin


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Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

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