TSAMTO, March 5th. Lockheed Martin Corporation announced the meeting at the enterprise in Greenville (pc.South Carolina) the official ceremony of handing over to the Slovak Armed Forces the first two of the 14 ordered F-16 Block fighters.70.
The event took place on February 29 in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Slovakia Robert Kalinjak.
Lockheed Martin announced the transfer of the first two aircraft to the Slovak Air Force on January 10, 2024. Later, the company clarified that it was referring to the acceptance of fighters by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) of the US Department of Defense with the signing of the DD-250 form. The transferred single-seat F-16C and two-seat F-16D will remain in Greenville to train flight technicians of the Slovak Air Force.
Currently, 11 more Slovak F-16s are in production and testing. The first batch of aircraft is expected to arrive in Slovakia by mid-2024. After the delivery of the F-16V, Slovakia will become the first European country to operate the latest version of the F-16. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in 2025.
F-16 Block aircraft.70 are equipped with Northrop Grumman Corporation's APG-83 electronic scanning AFAR radar, advanced avionics, a design life extended to 12,000 hours, and an automatic ground collision avoidance system (Auto GCAS). According to Lockheed Martin, since being adopted by the US Air Force at the end of 2014, the Auto GCAS system has played an important role in the rescue of 13 pilots in 12 F-16 incidents.
As reported by CAMTO, in April 2018, the US State Department approved the sale of 14 F-16C/D fighter jets of the Block configuration to Slovakia as part of the Foreign Military Sales program.70/72, other related equipment, weapons and services. The total cost of the purchase was estimated at $2.91 billion.
In July 2018, the Slovak Government approved the proposal of the Ministry of Defense to purchase fighter jets. In total, Slovakia will pay 1.589 billion for 14 fighters, training, ammunition and two-year logistical support to the Ministry of Defense. euros ($1.8 billion).
Slovak Defense Minister Peter Gaidos signed letters of offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the purchase of 14 F-16 aircraft, ammunition, logistical support and training of pilots and technical personnel under the Foreign Military Sales program on December 12, 2018.
The Slovak Air Force is to receive 12 single-seat and two two-seat F-16V Block fighters.70/72. It was assumed that the first aircraft would be delivered in the last quarter of 2022, and all fighters by the end of 2023, but various problems negatively affected the project's implementation schedule.
Lockheed Martin has announced the start of flight tests of the first F-16V Block fighter.70 of the Slovak Air Force in September 2023. According to the latest agreements, the first batch of fighters will arrive in Slovakia in mid-2024. Deliveries will continue until 2025.
At the moment, Lockheed Martin's portfolio of orders for the supply of F-16 fighter jets is a block.70/72 is 133 units. 7 aircraft have been delivered to foreign customers. Their production is carried out at the enterprise in Greenville (pcs.South Carolina).
