The first Viper to roll off the Greenville line is also the first in the advanced Block 70 configuration, and set to take flight next year.
Lockheed Martin has now given us our full look at the first F-16 Viper fighter to roll off its production line in South Carolina. The jet, one of a batch of 16 the company is building for Bahrain, is also the first new-production F-16 in the Block 70/72 configuration and is expected to make its first flight early next year.In a statement to The War Zone, Lockheed Martin confirmed that the jet in question recently completed the final assembly and checkout (FACO) and paint phases of its production. It is now headed to the flight line ahead of its maiden flight.
In a post on LinkedIn yesterday, O.J. Sanchez, Integrated Fighter Group Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin, described the roll-out as an “outstanding accomplishment,” especially for the Greenville, South Carolina plant, and said “more to come and eyes forward!”In 2017, Lockheed Martin announced it was moving production of the F-16 from its main production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to a smaller plant in Greenville, South Carolina. This came amid a growing focus on the F-35, which is still produced at Fort Worth, and what appeared to be dwindling demand for the Viper. As The War Zone reported at the time, this appeared to be a smart move on many levels and one that could help save the F-16 production line from being shuttered altogether. Since then, interest in the advanced Block 70/72 variants of the F-16 has surged and translated into significant orders for those jets.
The Greenville line already has a backlog of 128 F-16s, including the 16 for Bahrain. Additional Vipers are under construction for Slovakia and Bulgaria, and others are on order for Taiwan and another unspecified country, according to Lockheed Martin. The company already predicts the backlog to grow to at least 136 with an expected contract for eight new jets for Jordan. The Bulgarian authorities have approved plans to purchase a second tranche of the fighters, too.
“The F-16 was here in Fort Worth, Texas, and it was moved over to Greenville, South Carolina to revive the F-16 for a lot of our foreign military partners that have purchased the newest block that we have coming out,” Balzhiser added. “So hopefully, you’ll see that jet or that aircraft fly. It’s been many years in the making, since we’ve moved the production line.”Altogether, the F-16 production line, which looks like it has a remarkably bright future ahead of it despite looking like it might be in its twilight just five years ago, appears set to see a number of historic ‘firsts’ early next year.
