Lockheed Martin opens new F-16 production line amid new demand

The Block 70/72 aircraft will be produced at the company’s facility in Greenville, South Carolina.

The line is the only production facility for F-16s in the world, opening three years after the company’s long-time F-16 line in Fort Worth, Texas, wrapped up production.

Recently, and on behalf of five foreign military partners, USAF awarded Lockheed Martin approximately $14 billion to build 128 F-16s at the facility through to 2026.

The first F-16s are expected to roll off the production line in 2022, and production is expected to increase after the first year. The aircraft will be delivered to multiple foreign military partners, including Bahrain, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan, and others, many of whom have expressed interest beyond the first deliveries.

More aircraft are expected to be built in the upcoming years, and there are requests for F-16s under review from additional foreign military partners.

“This new production line is very significant,” said Brian Pearson, integrated product team lead for F-16 foreign military sales, with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate, which is leading the effort to build and deliver the new F-16s. “There are 25 nations operating F-16s today, and they have a lot of expertise with the airframe. The line helps us meet the global demand that a number of nations have for [F-16] aircraft and gives us the additional capability to provide the aircraft to countries interested in purchasing it for the first time.”

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