Forum: F-16 News

L-3 Communications Corp., of Arlington, Texas was awarded a $21,578,453 contract which will provide the Royal Moroccan Air Force two F-16 block 52 aircrew training devices and associated support. At this time the entire amount has been obligated. 677 AESG/SYK, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8621-10-C-6251)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $841,877,905 contract to provide for 24 F-16 Block 52 aircraft, advanced counter measure system electronic warfare system, along with associated support equipment, alternate mission equipment and support elements for the government of Morocco. At this time, $672,782,163 has been obligated. 312 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-08-C-6050, PZ0008).

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Morocco is currently in the process of purchasing 24 F-16s from the U.S. government, and the Moroccan Air Force requested air-refueling training missions with the Utah Air National Guard (ANG).

“We need practice with the boom,” said Moroccan Maj. Gen. Ahmed Boutaleb, inspector of the Royal Air Force. “We need some help from (Utah ANG) in terms of air refueling with the KC-135.”

About 80 percent of what the unit’s KC-135 crews do is boom operations, Air Force Maj. Gen. Brian Tarbet, the Utah National Guard’s adjutant general.

“When you get new airplanes in 2011,” Tarbet said to his Moroccan counterparts, “I hope they are following a Utah tanker across the Atlantic.”
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Morocco Aeroexpo 2008

Arizona Air Guard to train Moroccan F-16 pilots

by 2nd Lt. Angela Walz


2/26/2010 - TUCSON, Ariz. -- A new destination was recently added to the mile marker post outside the Operations Group here. It reads: Marrakech 5,754 miles. The sign is indicative of the newest partner nation to be trained by the 162nd Fighter Wing here--the Kingdom of Morocco.

Maj. Steve "Scratch" Haase, 162nd operation's center chief, described an allied relationship with Morocco as an opportunity to "build interoperability and the capacity to support military, civilian and peacekeeping operations in northern Africa."

Set to begin instructor pilot training in March, Morocco's four initial students are currently receiving specialized English training now. The list of students includes Ben Guerir Air Base's operation's group commander and three other high-ranking pilots. Located approximately 36 miles north of Marrakech, the base was once operated by the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force.

The four Moroccan students will train for a year and a half in the F-16, Block 42 aircraft here as part of their conversion from the F-5 to the F-16. Six additional student pilots are expected to arrive for upgrade training, as well as a limited number of maintenance personnel in specialties ranging from air frame to crew chiefs, according to Major Haase.

Morocco is expected to receive the first of their 24 F-16s beginning in July, 2011, at which time they may require additional mobile training teams to instruct them on the use of equipment such as night vision goggles and joint helmet mounted cueing systems, said Major Haase.

162nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

If anyone has more pictures of these jets, please do share them with us.
If anyone knows by which squadrons these F-16s will be operated at Ben Guerir AB, that would be very informative as well.

Greets,