The Slovak Republic received the first two F-16 Block 70 fighters on Monday, beginning a modernization phase that will culminate in the delivery of 14 Lockheed Martin aircraft by the end of 2025.
Located close to the conflict region between Russia and Ukraine and with a large border to the south with Hungary, Slovakia has been without air defense fighters since transferring its MiG-29s to the Ukrainian Air Force.
While awaiting the final training of its pilots and ground personnel, the Slovak Air Force relied on fighter protection from NATO, of which it is a member.
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The first two F-16s had been officially delivered in February, but remained in the United States for training purposes.
“Slovakia is at the forefront of adopting Europe’s most advanced 4th Generation fighter, the F-16 Block 70. These jets not only represent a stronger alliance between Slovakia, the United States, and NATO allies, but also equip the Slovak Air Force with advanced capabilities to face 21st Century challenges,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of the Integrated Fighter Group at Lockheed Martin.
Potential sales of 300 F-16s
The F-16 Block 70 jets are equipped with the Northrop Grumman APG-83 AESA radar, advanced avionics, have an extended structural life of 12,000 hours and features such as the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS).
Lockheed Martin resumed production of F-16 fighters in 2023 after transferring the Fort Worth assembly line, which started to manufacture the F-35, to Greenville, South Carolina.
According to the company, there is a pipeline of 128 F-16 Block 70/72 jets, 12 of which have already been delivered.
During RIAT 2024, Lokcheed revealed that it sees the potential to produce 300 more of these fighters in the future for potential customers such as the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey.
If this is confirmed, the F-16 could surpass the mark of more than 5,000 aircraft produced since the 1970s.
