The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) celebrated arrival of its first four F-16s of its sixth F-16 program during ceremonies at Gianaklis Air Base on August 19.

"We are glad to participate in this milestone event with one of our most valued customers," said Donald W. Jones, vice president of F-16 Programs at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "We have over 20 years of excellent relations with the Egyptian Air Force, and their six separate orders of F-16s puts them second only to the U.S. Air Force in repeat buys."

The F-16s were produced earlier this year in the United States and are the first of the 24-aircraft Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program named Peace Vector VI. The aircraft were ferried to Egypt in June and underwent thorough receiving inspections. A total of 10 aircraft have been produced thus far. Four more aircraft will be ferried in early September, and the remainder of the aircraft will be delivered this year and in early 2002.

Jones said, "This program challenged all parties to find creative ways to reduce lead times, and we were successful in meeting the accelerated delivery schedule. The Peace Vector programs continue to be regarded by the U.S. government as exemplary FMS programs."

The Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force commented they were very pleased with the performance and maintainability of their F-16s and that the F-16 was the backbone of EAF's modernization program. He also stated that peace through strength was at the top of Egypt's strategic priorities, and the F-16s are helping to deter aggression and maintain peace in the region.

The EAF already operates similar F-16s and their Fighter Weapons Training School at Gianaklis AB. Egypt received its first F-16s in 1982 and has ordered a total of 220 aircraft, giving them the fourth largest fleet of F-16s in the world.

The F-16, the world's most sought-after fighter, is the choice of 23 countries, counting the announcements by Chile and Oman. More than 4,000 aircraft have been delivered; hundreds more will be delivered to Egypt, the United States, Israel, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Korea and Singapore; and production is expected to continue beyond 2010. Major upgrades for all F-16 versions are being incorporated to keep the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraft's long service life.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F-22, F-117, C-5, C-27J, C-130, P-3 and U-2. The company leads a team competing for the development and production of the Joint Strike Fighter.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp. , headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics and technology services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company