Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon, pictured left, remains a major source of revenue for the company, with 253 of the best-selling fighter currently on order.
Dain Hancock, executive vice-president for Aeronautics, says the company has sold 4,285 of the "flexible and highly capable" F-16s and production is expected to continue for at least another decade. This has generated more than "$100 billion for the company and its partners in the programme, since the F-16 was designed in the early 1970s.
Hancock predicts that the aircraft will remain in service with more than 20 air forces beyond 2020. Company executives say a letter of request to supply 10-12 F-16s to Oman has been received, with the Middle East country interested in the Block 50+ version. The United Arab Emirates just up the coast of the Arabian peninsula has a substantial contract for F-16 Block 60s on order. Further interest in the aircraft in the Middle East continues, with Saudi Arabia a possible customer in one or two years, according to senior Lockheed Martin executives.
Source: Flight Daily News
