Slovakia to buy 14 F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets

Lockheed Martin has beaten Saab for the contract to supply new fighter jets to Slovakia. The country will be buying 14 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft

Lockheed Martin has beaten Saab for the contract to supply new fighter jets to Slovakia. The country will be buying 14 F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft.

Slovakia’s Ministry of Defense says the package from the U.S. is cheaper compared to Sweden and the Americans were able to deliver the jets earlier.

According Lockheed Martin the Block 70/72 is the newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combining numerous capability and structural upgrades.

The F-16 Block 70/72 in fact combines capability upgrades, most notably the advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar with a new avionics architecture, and structural upgrades to extend the structural life of the aircraft by more than 50 percent beyond that of previous production F-16 aircraft. F-16 Block 70/72 software takes advantage of technologies not available when earlier Block F-16s were developed and produced. Operational capabilities are enhanced through an advanced datalink, targeting pod and weapons; precision GPS navigation and the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).

Photo credit: Lockheed Martin

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