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A Bahraini F-16 showcased in a static display at the Bahrain International Air Show. (Agnes Helou/Breaking Defense)

MANAMA — The Royal Bahraini Air Force will receive its first batch of four F-16 Block 70 aircraft by the first half of 2024, following a COVID-19-related delay, commander of the air force Maj. Gen. Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifah told Breaking Defense.

On the side of Manama Air Power Symposium 2022 (MAPS) here, Al Khalifah said that the deliveries of the 16 contracted fighter jets will take place in batches of four until 2025.

In 2018, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $1.1 billion contract by the US government to produce 16 Block-70 fighters for Bahrain, the first customer to acquire what Lockheed called the “newest and most advanced F-16 production configuration.”

The planes were supposed to be delivered between mid-2022 and late-2023, but Al Khalifah said pandemic-related delays pushed the delivery back. Lockheed Martin vice president for global pursuits of aeronautics strategy and business development Randall Howard told Breaking Defense that the first Block 70 planes will be delivered to the US government in early 2023, after having completed the Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) process.

He added that the F-16 Block 70/72 production rate will increase significantly throughout 2023, with deliveries for additional customers continuing into the mid- to late-2020s.

As for why the planes will go to the US government in early 2023 but not to Bahrain until 2024, a US Air Force spokesperson explained that the planes “will remain at the Lockheed facility under the direct supervision of Lockheed staff, with limited non-flying training activities with Bahrain authorized through a contract between the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed. When a grouping of aircraft is ready (normally four aircraft), U.S. Air Force pilots will ferry them overseas to the Bahraini operational location.”

Despite the delay, Al Khalifah said, “[W]e are glad to be the first country to contract the F-16 Block 70 in the region and we are expecting the deliveries by 2024 to boost the air force capabilities.”

During the first day of Bahrain International Air Show, the US Air Force F-16 took part in the flying display, while a Bahraini F-16 Block 40 was featured in the static display area.

Elsewhere at MAPS, air chief commanders from many countries expressed their vision to the future air force, and more generally described the modern threats they’ve seen appear in recent years.

Al Khalifa said in a speech, “The widespread unmanned suicide weapons and the use of hybrid warfare through cyber-attacks that affected governments, economy and health institutions in some countries, in addition to the emergence of hypersonic weapons technology capable of evading the current air defense systems has all become a clear threat to international security and stability, especially if these weapons fall into the hands of terrorist groups through some countries.”

With the increased scope of threats, he said the new fleet of F-16 Block 70 will help the air force in its missions including combating terrorism and securing the airspace against any attacks. He also indicated the capabilities could have a deterrent effect on regional rivals.

“The integration of these technologies into armed conflicts will put pressure on political and military decision-makers in various countries and will lead to changing the strategic balance of military deterrence,” he said.