First Greenville-built F-16 takes flight.

The first successful flight of an F-16 Block 70 fighter jet built in Greenville is in the books.

The plane took off at 9:17 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday, Jan. 24, according to a news release from Lockheed Martin. Test pilots Dwayne "Pro" Opella and Monessa "Siren" Balzhiser were at the controls. Balzhiser is the first woman to serve as a test pilot for the company.

Total flight time was approximately 50 minutes and included airworthiness checks such as engine, flight control and fuel system checks, as well as basic aircraft handling, the release said.

"Today's successful flight is a testament of the hard work, dedication and commitment to our customers and their missions," said OJ Sanchez, vice president of Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program. "This milestone demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed aircraft and its advanced security capabilities to the warfighter."

This F-16 Block 70 is the first of 16 jets to be delivered to Bahrain. Six countries have selected Block 70/72 aircraft, including Slovakia. In addition to the current official backlog of 128 jets to date to be built in Greenville, Jordan in 2022 signed a letter of offer and acceptance for eight jets, and last week signed an additional one for four more, according to...