The Kingdom of Bahrain received yesterday (Friday) from the American company “Lockheed Martin” for military industries, the first “F-16 Block 70” aircraft, in a ceremony held in Greenville, South Carolina, to be one of the first countries in the region to receive this type of advanced fighters. In the presence of officials from the Royal Bahraini Air Force and officials from the United States of America.
The ceremony of handing over the first F-16 Block 70 aircraft to the Kingdom of Bahrain among the 16 aircraft that will be delivered to Bahrain witnessed a number of speeches that focused on the bilateral relations between the two countries and their strength over the years at all levels, in addition to talking about the advantages of the F-16 aircraft. – 16 Block 70″ and the Kingdom of Bahrain being the first country to receive this type of advanced fighter.
The delivery ceremony for the first F-16 Block 70 aircraft began with a speech by Greg Ulmer, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, in which he welcomed the audience in Greenville, South Carolina, the global headquarters of the F-16 aircraft. Business in 1984 The company’s headquarters in the Greenville area provided its services and fighter planes to its customers around the world, and the company was able to deliver more than 3 thousand aircraft during the last 3 decades in order to ensure the maintenance of global security.
He expressed his happiness at the presence of their Bahraini partners during the handover ceremony of the first F-16 Block 70 aircraft, pointing out that the Kingdom of Bahrain has a history with the F-16 aircraft, as it was the first country in the Gulf states to use the F-16 aircraft.
He added that today, the “F-16 Block 70” aircraft is being delivered to the Royal Bahraini Air Force, in light of the presence of more than 3,000 “F-16” aircraft in 25 countries.
In turn, Lockheed Martin Chief Operations Manager Frank St. John affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been a strategic partner and ally of the United States of America for more than 50 years, expressing Lockheed Martin’s pride in working for decades in the field of strengthening defense and economic development.
He stressed that the ceremony of handing over the first aircraft in the Greenville area was due to the leadership of the Royal Bahraini Air Force Commander, Major General Pilot Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, and the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. He expressed his great gratitude for the partnership in the F-16 Block 70 aircraft program and for the challenges they faced during the Corona pandemic.
