Fonte: milaviapress
Em 30 de Maio foi finalmente adjudicado um contrato celebrado entre o Marrocos e a Lockheed-Martin para a construção de 24 F-16 Fighting Falcon para a Real Força Aérea Marroquina. A Lockheed-Martin tem encomendas superiores a uma centena de F-16, o que deve manter a linha de produção “aberta” pelo menos até 2011. Na semana passada, o Pentágono notificou o Congresso Norte Amereicano que planeja vender caças F16 a Força Aérea da Romênia, neste caso seriam 24 F-16 novos e 24 usados.
30 May - Lockheed-Martin to build F-16s for Morocco
Morocco Lockheed-Martin was awarded a contract to start building 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons for the Royal Moroccan Air Force. The manufacturer has a backlog of over a hundred F-16 orders, which should keep the production line open until at least 2011. Last week the Pentagon notified Congress that it also planned to sell 24 new and 24 used F-16s to Romania.
US Congress has been notified of the possible sale of 24 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighters and 24 Hawker Beechcraft T-6B trainers to Morocco, together valued at up to $2.6 billion.
French officials announced in October that Morocco had rejected its offer of Dassault Rafale fighters and selected the F-16, but the notification by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency is the first formal acknowledgement by the US government.
The DSCA says Morocco has requested the possible purchase of 24 F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft with Northrop Grumman APG-68(V)9 radars and either General Electric F110-129 or Pratt & Whitney F100-229 improved-performance engines.
The $2.4 billion sale would include conformal fuel tanks, either Lockheed AAQ-33 Sniper or Northrop AAQ-28 Litening targeting pods, BAE Systems or Goodrich reconnaissance pods and a choice of self-protection electronic warfare suites. Helmet-mounted cueing systems, Link 16 datalinks and Have Quick secure radios are also included.
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Morocco's F-16s would feature conformal fuel tanks © Lockheed Martin |
With more than 4,500 aircraft delivered, Lockheed currently has a backlog of 116 F-16 orders and production is planned to continue into 2012. The Royal Moroccan Air Force currently operates Dassault Mirage F1 and Northrop F-5E fighters.
The proposed $200 million sale of 24 T-6Bs would be the first for the improved version of the US Air Force/Navy T-6A Texan II turboprop trainer. The T-6B features an integrated glass cockpit supplied by CMC Electronics.
The DSCA says the T-6B would replace the Royal Moroccan Air Force's Cessna T-37 jet trainers, which suffer high fuel and maintenance costs and low mission-capable rates. The T-6s would reduce fuel requirements by 66%, it says.
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