Bahrain Buys 16 Latest F-16 Combat Aircraft
India Strategic|November 2017

Bahrain is buying 16 latest variants of Lockheed Martin F-16 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCAs) as part of a $3.8 billion deal which also includes upgrade of the Royal Bahraini Air Force’s existing fleet of some 20-plus older F-16 jets.

Sujay Mehdudia and Gulshan Luthra
Bahrain Buys 16 Latest F-16 Combat Aircraft

MANAMA (BAHRAIN).

The Government-to-Government deal was announced October 17 on the second day of the three-day Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC’17) by Royal Bahraini Air Force (RBAF) Commander Maj Gen Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa. It includes an option for three more aircraft at the same price.

The new aircraft is designated F-16 Block 70, the same variant which is being offered to India for indigenous production under the Government's Make in India programme. Lockheed Martin has promised to shift its factory from Forth Worth in Texas to India if the Indian Air Force (IAF) selects it, and then make India the hub for its production and supply chain.

The aircraft for Bahrain are to be delivered from 2021 onwards, should be made in the US only, and will have the latest Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) combat radar, conformal fuel tanks for longer range, and some new sensors. It should also be capable of firing Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). Details have not been disclosed.

Every country decides its own requirements, but still, while there should be some differences in details regarding onboard sensors, the Block 70, being the latest variant will be mostly common to India, Bahrain and any other country which buys it in the coming years. It will be the most advanced version to date of the F-16, a 4th generation aircraft made for about 40 years but with everything new except its aerodynamic design and shell.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2017-Ausgabe von India Strategic.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2017-Ausgabe von India Strategic.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS INDIA STRATEGICAlle anzeigen
RTX's Pratt & Whitney expands India Operations
India Strategic

RTX's Pratt & Whitney expands India Operations

BENGALURU. Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, announced the establishment of its new India Digital Capability Center (IDCC) in Bengaluru.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
BEL Anticipates Order Inflow of Rs. 25,000 Crore in 2024
India Strategic

BEL Anticipates Order Inflow of Rs. 25,000 Crore in 2024

BENGALORE.  Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the Navaratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking, expects order inflow to cross the Rs. 25,000-crore mark for financial year 2024. As of now, the order book stands at around Rs. 23,200 crore order book.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
GA-ASI Demonstrates Release of A2LE from MQ-20 Avenger UAS
India Strategic

GA-ASI Demonstrates Release of A2LE from MQ-20 Avenger UAS

SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully demonstrated an inflight release of its Advanced AirLaunched Effects (A2LE) platform, releasing an A2LE from the internal weapons bay of a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger® Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The demonstration took place on Nov. 28, 2023, over Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, capping a manufacturing, structural test, and flight demonstration.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Maiden Indian Navy - Royal Thai Navy bilateral exercise and 36th Edition of Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol
India Strategic

Maiden Indian Navy - Royal Thai Navy bilateral exercise and 36th Edition of Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol

The maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy(RTN) was conducted from December 20 to 23.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Defence Minister commissions Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai
India Strategic

Defence Minister commissions Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai

NEW DELHI. INS Imphal, a Pro ject 15B s tea l th guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 26.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January-February 2024
Indian Air and Space Force (IASF)
India Strategic

Indian Air and Space Force (IASF)

e Space fighters, Military satellites IAF plans to transform into a Superpower in space

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January-February 2024
Defence Minister reviews Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal
India Strategic

Defence Minister reviews Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal

NEW DELHI. To mark the successful culmination of training of 213 Flight Cadets of the flying and ground duty branches of the Indian Air Force (IAF), a Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) was held at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal in Telangana on December 17.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Strengthening Indo-US Relationship in Amrit Kaal and Aatmanirbhar Bharat
India Strategic

Strengthening Indo-US Relationship in Amrit Kaal and Aatmanirbhar Bharat

NEW DELHI. The capital and technological knowhow from the United States of America can help India to achieve its goal of becoming a developed country by 2047, while investments here can give the American companies high returns and an avenue of de-risking.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
January-February 2024
Rajnath Singh's UK visit takes forward bilateral Defence cooperation
India Strategic

Rajnath Singh's UK visit takes forward bilateral Defence cooperation

NEW DELHI. Defence ties between India and the United Kingdom received a boost during the visit of Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh for talks with his British counterpart Mr. Grant Shapps in London during January 8-10, this year.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
January-February 2024
VMAN Orders 10 new generation Amphibian Aircraft to connect Indian Waterways US company Mallard to supply ME-1As to Gujarat based leasing company
India Strategic

VMAN Orders 10 new generation Amphibian Aircraft to connect Indian Waterways US company Mallard to supply ME-1As to Gujarat based leasing company

HYDERABAD/ NEW DELHI. It's Time to Fly from the Rivers, Coast, or Lakes, to connect India's various regions, both for civil and military requirements.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
January-February 2024