F-16 Fighting Falcon News

April 6, 2006 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Technical defects have been found in one of the first seven engines for F-16 fighter jets to be assembled by Polish aircraft maker Rzeszów, according to the Polish Press Agency on Wednesday.
The F100-PW-229 engines were tested by the Military Aircraft Works No. 4 factory, located in a suburb of Warsaw. It is currently the first and only company in Europe and the third company in the world authorised to perform the acceptance tests of engines F-100.

The acceptance tests in the Military Aircraft Works No.4 will be performed for all the engines that will be assembled in WSK PZL Rzeszów.

When after verification, the engines meet the required standard, they will be sent to the manufacturer's base for F-16 fighter jets, Lockheed Martin corp., in Texas U.S.A, where they will be fit in the total of 48 F-16s ordered by the Polish Air Force.

Rzeszów, in south east Poland, began assembling engines for F-16 fighter jets in December 2005 as a result from the offset negotiations during the acquisition process of the aircraft.

Similarly, a plant in Krosno manufactures landing gear for every Polish F-16 made. These factories provide jobs to the local population, generate taxes for the government, and offer an immediate, in-country supply of parts for Poland's new fleet of F-16s.

Military Aircraft Works No.4 would like to achieve the position of the European testing center for the engines F100-PW-229, offering service for all countries using the F-16 fighter jest, with Greece among others.