The first of 36 F-16 Block 52 aircraft destined for Iraq completed its maiden flight from Lockheed Martin’s Ft. Worth, Texas, production center, the company announced Wednesday. The multirole combat aircraft was produced for the Iraqi Air Force as part of a foreign military sale. Iraq will receive the first batch of planes later this year. Lockheed was awarded a contract for the second batch of 18 F-16 C/D fighters for Iraq in April 2013. The company expects to keep the F-16 production line open through 2017, states the the release. (See also Moving Forward in Iraq.)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.