The United States Air Force contractually accepted the first new F-16 aircraft for the Poland Peace Sky program on March 30. The F-16 is developed and produced by Lockheed Martin .

The Poland Peace Sky program is comprised of 48 new F-16 Block 52+ aircraft, including 36 F-16C and 12 F-16D aircraft. The acceptance marks a major milestone for the program as it reflects the completion of the research and development phase for the F-16C, or single-seat model, aircraft. All tooling is complete and full-rate production can now begin.

Contractual aircraft acceptances occur with the signing of the DD-250 (Department of Defense Form 250) by officials of the U.S. Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), on behalf of the customer nation.

"This delivery marks the culmination of months of work by a strong partnership between Polish and U.S. government authorities and Lockheed Martin. These partnerships are important to Lockheed Martin and as a company we are pleased with the results of this effort. This is truly a success story for everyone involved in the program," said June Shrewsbury, Lockheed Martin's vice president of F-16 programs.

"The first delivery is an important milestone in that it demonstrates that the program continues to progress on schedule and further ensures that the Polish Air Force is receiving the most advanced fighter in NATO, which is also fully interoperable with allied nations," said Irma Sippel, director, Poland Peace Sky program.

This advanced version of the F-16 Block 52+ includes APG-68 (V) 9 radar, a Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), an Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS), Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), color moving maps, Link - 16 and Conformal Fuel Tank (CFT) provisions.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company