Introducing South Carolina’s Inaugural F-16 Viper: The World’s First Radar-Wave Blocking Stealth Aircraft
The first Viper to roll off the Greenville line is also the first in the advanced Block 70 configuration and is set to take flight next year.
Lockheed Martin has now provided a comprehensive look at the first F-16 Viper fighter to roll off its production line in South Carolina. This jet, part of a batch of 16 being built for Bahrain, also marks the debut of the new-production F-16 in the Block 70/72 configuration and is scheduled for its maiden flight early next year.
In a statement to The War Zone, Lockheed Martin confirmed that this particular aircraft has recently completed its final assembly and checkout (FACO) as well as the painting phases of its production. It is now poised to join the flight line in anticipation of its first flight.
In a recent LinkedIn post, O.J. Sanchez, Integrated Fighter Group Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin, hailed this rollout as a remarkable achievement, particularly for the Greenville, South Carolina plant. He also hinted at more exciting developments to come.
Back in 2017, Lockheed Martin made the strategic decision to move F-16 production from its main facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to a smaller plant in Greenville, South Carolina. This move was in response to the increasing focus on the F-35 program and a perceived decrease in demand for the Viper. As The War Zone reported at the time, this move seemed wise on multiple fronts and could potentially save the F-16 production line from being shut down entirely. Since then, interest in the advanced Block 70/72 variants of the F-16 has surged, resulting in significant orders for these jets.
The Greenville line already has a backlog of 128 F-16s, including the 16 destined for Bahrain. Additional Vipers are under construction for Slovakia and Bulgaria, with orders also in place for Taiwan and another undisclosed country, according to Lockheed Martin. The company is also anticipating an order for eight new jets from Jordan. Bulgaria is considering purchasing a second batch of these fighters as well.
The Block 70/72 configuration is built upon advanced upgrades developed by Lockheed Martin for older F-16 Vipers. These upgraded Vipers, which entered service in Taiwan last year, are designated as F-16Vs. Among the notable features of the new-production Block 70/72 F-16s are the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), a state-of-the-art electronically scanned array radar that is also being retrofitted to many older U.S. Air Force Vipers. These advanced new-production Vipers boast a redesigned glass cockpit with digital multifunction displays, updated mission computers, advanced electronic warfare suites for self-defense, new data links, provisions for the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), and more.
The main difference between the Block 70 and 72 sub-variants lies in their engines, with the former featuring the General Electric F110, while the latter are powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100.
Additional options can be combined with the Block 70/72 configuration. For example, the image of the first Block 70 F-16 for Bahrain shows it as a two-seat aircraft with an enlarged dorsal spine, similar to earlier Viper variants, which can accommodate additional avionics, communications systems, countermeasures, and more. Previous artwork depicting a future single-seat Bahraini Block 70 F-16 included conformal fuel tanks for extended range. Lockheed Martin mentioned two years ago that it was considering moving toward a more standardized configuration.
As it stands, Lockheed Martin expects Block 70/72 F-16 production to ramp up significantly next year in Greenville, with the existing backlog keeping the plant busy well into the mid-to-late 2020s.
The first jet for Bahrain is expected to be handed over to the U.S. government in the first quarter of 2023, after which it will undergo flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California before being delivered to the customer. This is a standard procedure for the transfer of combat aircraft and other major weapon systems acquired by U.S. allies and partners through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process.
There have been reports suggesting that Monessa “Siren” Balzhiser, a former U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot who became Lockheed Martin’s first female test pilot last year, could be the one to pilot the Bahraini Viper on its maiden flight.
“In the Air Force, my previous background, I was only in the F-16,” Balzhiser, who has now flown stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in her test pilot role, mentioned in a recent interview with WCNC, an NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I’ve had 16 years in it, so it’s familiar.”
“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.”
All in all, the F-16 production line, which seemed to face uncertainty just five years ago, appears to be on the cusp of several historic milestones in the coming year.
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