F-16 Fighting Falcon News

August 1, 2019 (by Asif Shamim) - Lockheed Martin Corp., doing business as Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $799,955,939 firm-fixed-price incentive contract for F-16 aircraft production.
This contract provides for the production and support of 14 Slovak Republic F-16 block 70 aircraft. Work will be performed at Greenville, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by January 31, 2024.

This contract award involves 100% foreign military sales to the Slovak Republic. This award is the result of a Slovak Republic conducted competition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $799,955,939 are being obligated at time of award.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-19-C-6053).

Slovakia intends for these aircraft to replace its current fleet of MiG-29s. Slovakia's current fighters are not interoperable with U.S forces or regional allies. Purchase of the F-16V will provide Slovakia with fourth generation fighter aircraft capability that is interoperable with the United States and NATO.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on April 3, 2018.

The Slovak Republic has requested a possible sale of

• 14 F-16 Block 70/72 V configuration aircraft;
• up to sixteen (16) F-16 F110 General Electric or F100 Pratt & Whitney engines
• 15 M61 A1 Vulcan 20mm Guns
• 16 APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radars
• 14 Modular Mission Computers
• 14 LINK-16 (MIDS-JTRS) secure communication systems
• 16 LN260 EGI Embedded Global Positioning System Inertial Navigation Systems (EGI)
• 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems
• 14 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDGs)
• 30 AIM-120C7 air-to-air missiles
• 100 AIM-9X air-to­ air missiles
• 12 AIM-9X Captive Air Training Missiles
• 2 AIM-120C7
• 24 AIM-9X additional guidance units; two hundred twenty-four (224) each Computer Control Groups and Airfoil Groups for GBU-12 Paveway II 5001b Guided Bomb Kits
• 20 Enhanced Computer Control Groups for Enhanced Paveway II (GBU-49)
• 150 KMU-572F/B Guidance Kits for Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) 5001b Guided Bomb (GBU-38)
• 60 LAU-129 Guided – Missile Launchers
• 36 MK-82 or BLU-111 500 lb Inert Fill Bomb
• 400 MK-82 or BLU-111 500 lb Bomb Bodies
• 400 FMU-152 Joint Programmable Fuzes
• 6 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Pods.

Also included are:

• 14 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System II;
• 14 AN/ALQ-213 Electronic Warfare Management Systems;
• 16 AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites;
• 16 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispensers;

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The estimated total cost is $2.91 billion.