A U.S. Air Force F-16 at the Paris Air Show.
LE BOURGET—Lockheed Martin in mid-June rolled out the second F-16 from its new South Carolina production line as the facility looks to ramp up its pace.
The one-seat Block 70 F-16 for the Royal Bahraini Air Force was the second for the kingdom, following the delivery of the two-seat model in March.
Lockheed will increase its production pace over the next two to three years to an eventual pace of four F-16s per month, said Greg Ulmer, the company’s vice president for aeronautics. He spoke June 21 here in the company's chalet at the Paris Air Show.
Lockheed has a backlog of almost 130 more F-16s, with potential demand for another 150 over the next several years.
In addition to Bahrain, there are F-16s in production for Slovakia. The first delivery for Slovakia is expected before year's end. There are also pending orders for Bulgaria, Morocco and Taiwan, with requests from Jordan and an additional inquiry from Bulgaria in addition to the initial order.
Lockheed shut down its Fort Worth assembly line in 2017 and started the production line in Greenville, South Carolina, in April 2018. Work was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beyond new production, Lockheed Martin has global efforts underway for modifications to F-16s. Ulmer said there are modifications underway in Taiwan and Greece, with ongoing conversations with additional countries.
