Even top brass couldn't resist a chance for selfie with an F-16.

Park an F-16 just about anywhere and someone's going to take a selfie.

It happened on Friday in Greenville, when Lockheed Martin chocked the tires of the first F-16 made in South Carolina. There on the sprawling aerospace company's campus at the S.C. Technology and Aviation Center, Lockheed Martin allowed politicians, news media, engineers and technicians to sidle up alongside military leaders from two countries to take photos with the latest version of one of history's most storied fighter jets.

The venerable F-16 is new again, the latest iteration known as the Block 70 and bound for air forces in nations like the Kingdom of Bahrain countries the U.S. government says shares America's interests and objectives.

This one the first one just a velvet rope away from its builders and buyers as cell phone cameras recorded the moment that Lockheed Martin unveiled the aircraft in dramatic fashion, complete with flashing lights, music and a fog machine. It was an impressive sight, even with its thunder silent.

The biggest smile may have been on the face of Maj. Gen. Hamad Al Khalifa,commander of the Royal Bahraini Air Force. Just moments before, he signed documents accepting the first Greenville-made F-16 on behalf of his kingdom. It is the first Block 70 for Bahrain but not the first F-16 the country was the first in the region to operate the fighters in the 1990s and it is not the last. The country has ordered a total of 16 and, with one in the books, Lockheed Martin has a growing backlog of 127 jets from five other countries. In addition, Jordanhas signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for 12 jets and Bulgaria wants eight, the company said.

"The Royal Bahrani Air force is proud to be the first air force to own and operate the world's first Block 70 fighter, an aircraft second to none," Hamad said. "I would like to thank each and every one who worked hard to make this event a great success. On behalf of the Royal Bahraini Air Force and myself personally I would like to extend the deepest appreciation and gratitude to every technician, specialist, supervisor and engineer who spared no effort on the production line to build our F-16. Lockheed Martin, thank you very much for a job well done."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was there for the original announcement about the Lockheed Martin contract with Bahrain, was back Friday to celebrate delivery. On both occasions he spoke of the need to make sure U.S. allies are prepared to defend themselves.

"The one...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT