The US State Department has approved a $445-million possible foreign military sale (FMS) to sustain Bahrain’s F-16 fleet.
With General Electric and Lockheed Martin as the principal contractors, the package comprises aircraft components; missile containers; radar receiver component parts; guidance and control section spares; weapons system support; ground handling equipment; and instruments and lab equipment to be added to a previous $47-million FMS deal.
The original FMS did not have any major defense equipment and had a value below the congressional notification threshold.
It included major and minor modifications; computer program identification numbers; aircraft maintenance support equipment; launcher spare parts and support equipment; and related logistics and program support.
The proposed sale is intended to strengthen the Middle Eastern country’s defense capabilities and enable it to participate in regional operations with the US and other partner nations, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
Bahrain’s F-16 Fleet
Bahrain was the first Gulf country to fly F-16C/D Block 40 aircraft since the early 1990s and became the initial customer for the F-16 Viper Block 70 with a deal valued at around $3.8 billion, under an order finalized in October 2017.
The sale was approved under Donald Trump’s administration, which dropped the human rights concerns that had delayed the deal during Barack Obama’s presidency.
In June 2018, the US Department of Defense formally awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.1-billion contract to produce the F-16 Vipers for Bahrain, and the defense firm completed the first aircraft in March 2023.
Deliveries were initially slated for 2022 and 2023, but were moved to 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Royal Bahraini Air Force currently operates around 20 F-16s, including its older F-16s and five newer F-16V Block 70s, with additional deliveries of the latest models expected.
