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Oman accepts first of its second order of F-16s

April 3, 2014 (by Lockheed Martin) - The Sultanate of Oman accepted the first of its second order of F-16 Fighting Falcons in a ceremony on April 3 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility. The fighter aircraft will ferry to Oman later this year.

RAFO F-16C block 50 #830 seen air to air on one of its early test flights from NAS Fort Worth. [Lockheed Martin photo by Elizabeth L. Kaszynski]

In 2002, the Sultanate of Oman became the 23rd member of the F-16 family and now joins the 15 other countries which have ordered additional F-16 jets for their air defense. The new F-16s will add to the Oman Air Force's existing fleet of F-16s used to defend Oman's borders.

"Our partnership with Oman is a proud one," said Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "Working together, we are not only producing new F-16s, but also upgrading their existing F-16 fleet to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman with a common advanced F-16 capability configuration."


Courtesy of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Additional images:

RAFO F-16C block 50 #830 is the first of twelve block 50 F-16s for Oman's second buy, formally called the Peace A'sama A'safiya II program and was flown for the first time on January 14th, 2014. [Lockheed Martin photo by Carl Richards]

RAFO F-16C block 50 #830 is strolling past the camera at NAS Fort Worth on January 14th, 2014 after having performed its first test flight. This aircraft is the first of the second batch for the Omani Air Force. [Photo by Sebastiaan Does]