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 The US Air Force F-16 program made aircraft history in April when F-16 No. 4000 rolled out the production line at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth. “Production of 4,000 fighters is a rare milestone since World War II,” said Dain M. Hancock, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.
“The F-16 has reigned as the most sought-after fighter in the world for more than two decades.” Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Riemer noted the versatility of the fighter. “Simply put, the F-16 has always been a great value to its customers. It allows them to satisfy both modernization and force structure needs, while staying within constrained military budgets.” Riemer is director of the F-16 Systems Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
The 4,000th F-16 is a Block 40 aircraft for the Egyptian Air Force and part of Egypt’s fifth order of Fighting Falcons. When deliveries of Egypt’s sixth order are completed in 2002, the EAF will operate the fourth largest fleet of F-16s worldwide. “We have been operating F-16s since 1982,” said Air Marshal Ahmed Shafik, Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Air Force. We are very satisfied with it and hope to continue modernizing our air force with more F-16s.”
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