Lockheed Martin hosts a ceremony today, April 23, about the production of their latest F-16 fighter jet. The company is celebrating completion of their new manufacturing line in southern Greenville County.
Production for the latest version of the F-16 Block 70 Flying Falcon was moved from Fort Worth, Texas to Greenville after the company received a $1.2 billion government contract back in 2017. 16 planes are on order and will be built for the small island country of Bahrain in the Middle East. Lockheed Martin hopes to build one plane a month until the order is complete, the first one likely being completed by early 2021.
This project has added some 150 new jobs in Greenville and more planes could be produced as there are other contracts the company is working to secure.
Lockheed Martin estimates some 3,000 F-16s are flying today with 25 air forces, including our own.
