F-16 Fighting Falcon News

November 30, 2010 (by Annemiek Somers) - Fokker Aircraft Services (FAS) is celebrating the 1111th F-16 to undergo maintenance at its facility. The jet belongs to the Royal Norwegian Air Force and arrived at Fokker Aircraft Service's hangars this November where it will undergo a 300 FH Phase Inspection.
The first Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon arrived at Fokker nearly 30 years ago from the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Its multifaceted modification work encompassed both modernization and structural improvements. Since then, Fokker's servicing of F-16s has steadily progressed with work conducted on behalf of the Royal Danish Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe, Portuguese Air Force and Chilean Air Force, in addition to the air forces of Norway and the Netherlands.

"We have an extensive history of supporting and converting both commercial and military aircraft, and in particular the F-16. We received our first F-16 fighter jet in September of 1981, and by the end of 1985, Lockheed Martin had publicly recognized our company as the best F-16 modifier in the world," explains Stephan Hands, Vice President Marketing and Sales, Fokker Aircraft Services. "The many engineers/aircraft enthusiasts within Fokker Aircraft Services are incredibly proud of being able to service this powerful bird and of being a part of F-16 history."

Fokker Aircraft Services has been involved in F-16 modification programs since 1981, delivering in-house program management from within its MRO facilities. Its extensive menu of modification programs include – but are not limited to – Falcon UP, Midlife Update and Falcon Star, as well as Wing Crack Repair and Damage Repair.

In addition to the 1111th F-16, FAS is expecting to soon begin work on numbers 1112 and 1113. The first, which also belongs to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, will likewise undergo a 300 FH Phase Inspection, while the other for the Royal Netherlands Air Force is scheduled for Paint and Anti Corrosion.

Alongside the services outlined above, FAS also provides Field Support Teams, standalone Phase Inspections and the integration of Phase Inspections in modification programs to condense aircraft downtime.