The U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin has been awarded an incentive contract for F-16 aircraft production for Slovak Air Force, said the U.S. Department of Defense on Wednesday.
Lockheed has won a contract valued at as much as $799,9 million to build a batch of 14 F-16 Block 70 aircraft jets (12 single-seat and 2 two-seat models) for Slovak Air Force.
“Work will be performed at Greenville, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2024,” said in DoD.
The first four jets are scheduled to be delivered by 2022.
In December 2018, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said his country will pay over 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) for the aircraft. The deal also includes ammunition, the training of pilots and other personnel and logistics services.
The F-16 Block 70/72 is a newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration, combining numerous capability and structural upgrades developed by Lockheed Martin.
According to the company, the Block 70/72 builds on its thousands of predecessors and proven combat experience, while also bringing new technology to the forefront.
The F-16 Block 70/72 provides advanced combat capabilities in a scalable and affordable package. The core of the F-16 Block 70/72 configuration is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (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).