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Lockheed Martin receives contract for 30 new Greek F-16s

January 3, 2006 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The U.S. government awarded a $99.7 million contract to Lockheed Martin on December 27 for long-lead tasks related to the production of 30 new Advanced block 52+ aircraft for Greece.

HAF F-16C block 52 #537 is taxiing by the camera before taking off at Larissa AB on April 11th, 2005. [Photo by John]

The governments of Greece and the United States signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LoA) for the aircraft earlier in December. The new order includes 20 single-place F-16Cs and 10 two-place F-16Ds. The LOA provides Greece an option for an additional 10 aircraft.

The new aircraft will supplement the existing fleet of Hellenic Air Force (HAF) F-16s and continue the modernization of the HAF. The total program value for the initial 30 aircraft is approximately $2 billion, with Lockheed Martin's portion estimated at about $1.2 billion.

"Under this contract, we'll provide the latest in advanced technologies to ensure long-term mission success for our valued customer, the Hellenic Air Force," said Ralph D. Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. "It's especially gratifying that this order marks the 50th time an F-16 customer has come back to us for additional aircraft – establishing a record of customer satisfaction that may be unmatched in the military aircraft business."

"Our workforce builds an outstanding product and the world knows it, as the F-16 continues its record of being the world's most successful fighter," said June Shrewsbury, Lockheed Martin vice president of F-16 programs. "This contract is great news for the F-16 team, because it extends the production line another year and opens the door wider for additional international sales in the future."

The final Greek aircraft will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2009.