American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has announced that it will soon be handing over its first F-16 Block 70 to the Royal Bahraini Air Force.

Delivered, the handover ceremony will take place on Friday, March 10, 2023, this marks an important milestone for the F-16 Block 70 development program, nicknamed the Viper .

The first of the 16 ordered F-16 Block 70 jets made a successful maiden flight on January 24, 2023.

The aircraft will conduct additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before being delivered next year.

Besides Bahrain, four other countries have ordered F-16 Block 70/72. They are Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan and one country that was not mentioned.

In addition to the number that has been ordered, there are also letters of offer and acceptance for eight aircraft, bringing the total number of F-16 Block 70/72 to be produced to 136 units.

Apart from purchasing new units, Lockheed Martin also noted that there are 405 foreign F-16 units that will be upgraded to a configuration equivalent to the F-16 Viper .

The F-16 Block 70/72 is equipped with the APG-83 active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, the new Viper Shield electronic warfare suite, a more powerful mission computer, and an updated cockpit with a larger color display.

Then the engine is upgraded, the integration of modern weapons, fuel tanks above the wings, and infrared search and tracking system.

Then targeting pods, enhanced data links, precision GPS navigation, automated ground collision avoidance systems (GCAS) and more.

The F-16 Block 70/72 also has a structural service life of up to 12,000 hours, or 50 percent longer than the previous generation F-16 known as the Fighting Falcon.