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Lockheed Martin has enough orders to keep its F-16 fighter jet production line humming through the third quarter of 2017. They are also pursuing additional orders and upgrades in the Middle East, South America and other markets that would keep the line running through 2020. Around that time, the cost of Lockheed's new F-35 stealth fighter will have dropped so far that it will make more sense for potential customers to procure F-35s rather than F-16s. Last Friday Lockheed Martin marked completion of its 100th F-35 fighter. Lockheed has produced over 4,500 F-16s since the program began in 1975, making...

The U.S. Defense Department has approved a deal under which Britain's BAE Systems would upgrade 134 older KF-16s for South Korea, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress on Monday. In phase 1, the U.S. government and principal contractor BAE Systems will develop plans for upgrading the F-16 C- and D-models, build an avionics systems integration facility and testing stations, begin acquiring long-lead items needed to conduct the upgrades, and perform similar preparatory work. The DSCA values this package of products and services at $200 million. BAE beat out F-16 maker Lockheed Martin Corp to win the South Korean...

U.S. Fighter Aircraft Pricing Themselves Out of the Export Market By Sandra I. Erwin At a time when U.S. arms manufacturers are turning to overseas markets to help make up for declining sales to Pentagon, analysts warn that the high prices of American fighter jets could place U.S. firms at a competitive disadvantage. The arrival of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter gives manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. an opportunity to sell the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. But its price tag, in excess of $100 million per airplane, will make it unattainable for most non-U.S. buyers, according to new analysis by...

British Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets nearly clashed with Turkish Air Force F-16s over Cyprus According to the Cyprus-based Famagusta Gazette, the RAF Typhoons based at Akrotiri, Cyprus, to provide the air defense of the island following the Syrian crisis, nearly battled with Turkish jets in a close encounter on Sept. 2. It looks like Turkey scrambled two F-16 fighter jets from Incirlik airbase, to intercept the British Typhoons that had allegedly violated the airspace over the occupied part of Cyprus. According to the details collected by the Cypriot media outlet, the UK Ministry of Defence and Cyprus Defence Minister confirmed...

Why is Poland purchasing Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles for its F-16s? As Rzeczpospolita broadsheet reports the Americans will allow Poland to purchase modern JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) missiles for Warsaw’s F-16s. This will significantly increase the Polish Vipers’ strike capabilities. Poland currently operates 48 F-16 airplanes in Block 52+ variant, where the ‘+’ means they have CFTs (Conformal Fuel Tanks). The strike capability of JASSM is immense, as it is able to destroy targets at distances of 370 km (ca. 220 miles). This allows the Viper to destroy the target outside of the SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) envelope,...

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — An F-16 ended up off the runway surface while attempting to land at Osan Air Base on Tuesday. The pilot was recovered safely from the scene, while the aircraft remained off the side of the runway, said a statement from the 51st Fighter Wing. An investigation into the incident is under way. Osan was being buffeted by high winds at the time.

Patriots and F-16s Deployment to Jordan: A beachead or UmbrellaI? The U.S. Positions Patriot Missiles, F-16 Fighter at Bases Jets in Jordan U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has approved a request from the Kingdom of Jordan to keep a detachment of F-16s and Patriot Missiles in Jordan following the conclusion of Exercise ‘Eager Lion’ taking place in the Kingdom this month. Eager Lion is held annually training a coalition of air forces in irregular warfare. This year the exercise more than 8,000 service members from about 19 countries participated in the exercise, running from June 9 to 20. “All other...

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale police have confirmed that a F-16 fighter jet crashed in a desert area near Litchfield Road and Northern, not far from Luke Air Force base. Authorities say two pilots ejected from the jet just before 7 p.m. They were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries and remain in stable condition. Their names have not been released. The aircraft was a total loss and there's no immediate word on what caused the crash. No injuries were reported on the ground. Luke AFB is the world's largest F-16 training base. This is a developing story. Stay...

A military statement said Monday it lost contact with the F-16 jet over a mountainous area in Osmaniye province, which is close to the border with Syria. ... The statement said the pilot radioed in to say he was ejecting before contact was lost.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel Aerospace Industries says it has signed a long-term contract with U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin to produce wings for the F-35 next-generation fighter jet. The state-owned company said Tuesday the contract is for 10 to 15 years and could generate up to $2.5 billion in sales. It says the wings will be made at an Israeli facility that already produces wings for Lockheed's F-16 warplane. The F-35 is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program, with an estimated cost of nearly $400 billion. The program aims to replace a wide range of existing aircraft for the U.S....

The U.S. Air Force prefers to use its F-16 fighters for everything. While the F-16 is a capable and versatile aircraft, the main reason for using it so much is because it is so cheap to operate. It costs the air force $23,000 per hour to operate an F-16C. Other fighters are much more expensive. An F-22 costs $68,000 an hour, while an F-15C costs $42,000 and an F-15E $36,000. The only aircraft that beats the F-16C is the A-10C, which costs $18,000 an hour. But the A-10 is not a fighter and is optimized for ground support. The F-16...

Four more F-16 fighter jets left the U.S. on Thursday headed for Egypt as part of a foreign aid package that has generated controversy given the political upheaval in the Mideast country. Critics say the military aid should stop because the president Egyptians elected last year has led the Muslim Brotherhood, called President Obama liar and urged that hatred of Jews be instilled in children. A source who works on the naval air base in Fort Worth, Texas, confirmed to FoxNews.com the departure of the state-of-the-art fighter planes. The new shipment brings the total number of F-16 jets given to...

A US Air Force F-16 has crashed near Bagram Air Field in eastern Afghanistan, killing the pilot, according to the NATO command that oversees day-to-day operations in Afghanistan. The crash occurred on April 3, after a night flight over mountainous terrain, the ISAF Joint Command announced in a news release. There was no indication of enemy fire in the area at the time of the Wednesday’s crash, in the east of the country. The plane was on its final approach to land at Bagram Air Field after a routine air support mission around 11 p.m. when it lost contact with...

Turkey to replace F-16s with local jets Turkey eyes replacing F-16s with locally produced fighter jets by 2023, Turkey’s defense undersecretary said yesterday. “We’re working on the conceptual design of a new fighter jet that will replace our F-16 fighters,” Defense Industry Undersecretary Murad Bayar said yesterday on the sidelines of the two-day International Air&Space Power (ICAP) Conference being held in Istanbul. Recently, Turkish arms manufacturer TAI has signed a technical assistance deal with Swedish Saab on technical assistance to build a fighter jet, as Daily News reported. Turkish officials have been in talks with Saab (and with Korean Aerospace...

Egypt received four F-16 aircraft from the United States on Sunday, the Egypt Independent reports. According to the report, the country’s Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised the growing military cooperation between Egypt and the U.S. after receiving the four fighter jets.

It's unfortunate, but not shocking, that every single Democrat in the United States Senate (with the exception of two abstentions) voted to give Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Egypt brand-spanking new F-16 fighter planes and M-1 tanks. What is shocking is that 26 Republicans voted with the Democrats and squashed the Rand Paul Amendment that would have prohibited the "the sale, lease, transfer, retransfer, or delivery of F-16 aircraft, M1 tanks, or certain other defense articles or services to the Government of Egypt." And if you want to know the names of the 26... just have a look... Do any of these Republican...

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The body of an Air Force F-16 pilot who went missing during a night training flight late Monday was found Thursday off the coast of Italy, his family announced in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we announce that the body of Captain Lucas Gruenther was found in the Adriatic Sea this afternoon,” the statement said. Gruenther and his F-16 Fighting Falcon went missing at about 8 p.m. Monday roughly 150 miles south of Aviano Air Base, where his unit, the 31st Fighter Wing, is based. A massive search effort ensued, including Italian coast guard...

Egypt's president is a current member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is the ideological parent of Al Queda and other violent Jihadist groups waging war against the U.S. in particular and the West in general. As recently as 2010, President Morsi labelled Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs." The current administration rightly called those remarks "deeply offensive." We have no reason to believe Mr. Morsi does not still hold those beliefs, protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. He has recalled no transformative event which caused him to change his thinking. Thus, Egypt's Morsi should not receive any more...

For Immediate Release – January 3, 2013 Washington, DC – Phoenix International Holdings, Inc. (Phoenix) announces the successful underwater search and recovery of a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft from over 16,400 feet of sea water (fsw). In early August 2012, at the direction of the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), Phoenix mobilized the Navy’s ORION deepwater side scan sonar system, the CURV 21 remotely operated vehicle (ROV), and the Navy’s motion compensated, 30,000 pound Fly-Away Deep Ocean Salvage System (FADOSS). All equipment was transported over land from Phoenix’s facility in...

Calls decision to give Muslim Brotherhood F-16s as 'unwise' Congressman Ted Poe, R-Texas, says it is irresponsible for Barack Obama to be “arming” a country that may be aiming for the destruction of Israel with a shipment of 20 F-16 fighter jets. “It is reckless and unwise for the U.S. to give F-16s to Egypt and its new president/dictator, controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood,” he told WND. “This extremist group is notoriously anti-American and anti-Israel. The United States should not be arming a country ruled by a group that has the destruction of Israel in its charter.” Poe’s comments fall...