First F-16 Block 70 fighter jet with Slovakia's national emblem makes first successful flight
The first of 14 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets to be delivered to the Slovak Air Force made a successful first flight out of Lockheed Martin's production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, September 29, 2023. The aircraft's test flights are expected to be completed in the next several weeks, and this jet will then be used to support on-the-job maintenance training for Slovakians in the U.S., before arriving in Slovakia next year.
According to the current official agreement, deliveries of F-16s to the Slovak Air Force will commence in the second quarter of 2024.
Update: Lockheed Martin hands over first F-16s to Slovakia
The first two of 14 jets were delivered to the Slovak Air Force at Lockheed Martin's Greenville production facility in South Carolina.
Lockheed Martin told Janes that, in this context, ‘delivery' “refers to the acceptance of the two Slovakia F-16 Block 70s by the [US] Defense Contract Management Agency. This acceptance was formalised with the signing of a [US] Department of Defense (DoD) Form 250, commonly known as DD-250. In short, when an aircraft is said to be ‘delivered or DD-250'd', it signifies that it has successfully completed the acceptance process and is now officially recognised as part of the [US] DoD's inventory or assets. Additionally, the first C-model (single-seat) and D-model (two-seater) will support On-the-Job Maintenance Training before they arrive in Slovakia”.
These first two aircraft are expected to be flown to the Eastern European country in mid-2024, with deliveries of the remaining aircraft to run through 2025.
Slovakia takes official delivery of first two F-16 Block 70 fighter jets in USA
A delegation of the Slovak Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces officials, led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Mr Robert Kaliňák, attended the Slovakia F-16 Block 70 Delivery Ceremony for the first two SVK F-16 fighter jets at Lockheed Martin's production facility in Greenville, South Caroline. While there, the head of the Slovak MOD was also updated on the progress being made in the production of the remaining F-16s on order from the United States.
After finalising the contractual delivery arrangements for the first two SVK F-16 aircraft, which Lockheed Martin announced in January 2024, the fighter jets were now officially handed over during the Slovakia F-16 Block 70 Delivery Ceremony on Thursday 29 February 2024.
Before arriving in Slovakia, both aircraft – a single-seat C-model and a two-seat D-model – will be used for the F-16 maintenance training programme for SVK technicians in the USA.
The first group of aircraft is scheduled to arrive in Slovakia by mid-2024.
The first two of 14 Slovak F-16 Block 70s arrived at Kuchyňa Air Base on Monday evening (22 July 2024), ushering in a new era of Slovakia's supersonic aviation.
The two single seat F-16 C Block 70s departed from Lockheed Martin's production facility in Greenville (South Carolina) and were flown by U.S. Air Force pilots across the Atlantic all the way to Slovakia, supported by mid-air refuelling. Given that Slovakia was agreed by the parties to the contract as the place of delivery, after touching down on Slovak soil, the F-16s were given Slovak Air Force markings and were officially handed over to officials from the Slovak Government and Ministry of Defence.
As Minister Kaliňák noted, eight Slovak Air Force F-16 pilots have already successfully completed the F-16 Pilot Training Programme (PTP) overseas and are ready to fly the F-16 at home in Slovakia. Another ten pilots are in various stages of training in the United States. Alongside the pilots, there are also technicians who have either graduated from or are still undergoing maintenance training.
One more fighter jet will join the Slovak Air Force F-16 fleet by the end of this year, five more in 2025, and the remaining six in 2026.
theoderich hat geschrieben: ↑Mo 15. Aug 2022, 16:52
Die tschechische Luftwaffe wird ab September die aktive Luftraumüberwachung über der Slowakei übernehmen. Nachdem die slowakische Regierung am 18. Juni ein Ansuchen gestellt hat, hat das tschechische Kabinett die Assistenzleistung bei seiner Sitzung am 27. Juli genehmigt.
Tschechische JAS-39 werden bis Ende 2023 in der Slowakei eingesetzt, wobei diese Leistung auch verlängert werden kann. Der Grund für das Ansuchen sind Lieferverzögerungen bei den F-16V, die nicht vor 2025 einsetzbar sind. Es gibt bereits einen Deklarationsentwurf zwischen der Slowakei, Tschechien und Polen, der besagt, dass die aktive Luftraumüberwachung am 1. September 2022 beginnen wird.
Tschechien und die Slowakei haben ein Nacheileabkommen unterzeichnet. Die tschechische Luftwaffe wird den slowakischen Luftraum auch 2025 im Rahmen von NATINAMDS schützen. Der Grund ist, dass bisher nur zwei F-16 geliefert worden sind und heuer nur noch ein weiteres Exemplar in der Slowakei eintreffen soll:
Ministři obrany ČR a SR podepsali deklaraci o ochraně vzdušného prostoru Slovenské republiky
