The first F-16 Block 72 fighter built for the Royal Moroccan Air Force has completed its first test flight. Lockheed Martin said the aircraft will now continue flight tests before it is delivered to Morocco. The flight is an important step in a deal for 25 new F-16 Block 72 jets approved by the United States in 2019.
The $3.787bn deal covers the aircraft as well as engines, weapons, spare parts, ground equipment, simulators, pilot training and technical support.
The new jets will join 23 existing F-16 Block 52+ aircraft. A separate $2.5bn programme is upgrading those older jets to the F-16 Viper standard.
The aim is to give the Royal Moroccan Air Force a more modern and more standardised F-16 fleet.
The Block 72 is the latest version of the F-16. It has new avionics, sensors, mission systems and safety equipment.
One of its main upgrades is the APG-83 AESA radar. It can track several air and ground targets at the same time and is designed to work in environments where electronic jamming is used.
The cockpit also has a large central display, digital maps and information from the aircraft’s sensors. These systems are designed to give pilots more information while reducing the amount of work needed to process it.
The aircraft also has an automatic ground collision avoidance system, known as Auto GCAS. If a pilot becomes unconscious or loses control, the system can detect that the aircraft is heading towards the ground and automatically pull it away.
The Block 72 uses the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine. The same engine family is already used by the existing F-16 fleet, which should make maintenance, spare parts and training easier to manage.
Structural improvements can give the aircraft a service life of up to 12,000 flight hours. That could allow the jets to remain in service beyond 2060.
Conformal fuel tanks can also increase the aircraft’s range without creating the same aerodynamic drag as traditional external fuel tanks.
The wider F-16 programme is part of a larger effort to modernise the country’s armed forces and air capabilities.
The Royal Moroccan Air Force currently operates about 23 F-16 Block 52+ fighters, around 25 Mirage F1s, about 22 F-5E/F Tiger IIs and around 19 Alpha Jets.
The Mirage F1s have been heavily modernised and are used for interception and ground-attack missions. The F-5s mainly support air defence and training, while the Alpha Jets are used for light attack and advanced jet training.
The helicopter fleet includes 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters that are being delivered in phases. Other helicopters include SA330 Pumas, Gazelles, CH-47 Chinooks and UH-1 Hueys.
The air force also operates several types of drones. They include Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2, the US MQ-9B SkyGuardian, the Hermes 900 and the IAI Heron. These aircraft provide armed reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence capabilities.
Transport and support aircraft include C-130 Hercules and KC-130 aircraft. The fleet also includes CL-415 Super Scoopers used for aerial firefighting.
The F-16 programme also includes a major industrial project in Morocco.
Lockheed Martin is working with Maintenance Aero Maroc on a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Benslimane, in the Casablanca-Settat region.
The facility covers more than 8,000 square metres. Its first role will be heavy maintenance and structural modernisation of C-130 Hercules aircraft.
The plans allow the facility to expand later to other aircraft, including F-16s.
The project is intended to build local technical skills, reduce the need to send aircraft abroad for major maintenance and support Morocco’s plans to develop a regional aerospace industry.
The new F-16s will also improve interoperability with US and NATO forces during military exercises and coalition operations.
The first test flight does not mean the aircraft is ready for operational service. More testing is still required before the first jet is delivered.
Once all 25 aircraft enter service, they will significantly expand the country’s modern F-16 fleet and bring its existing and new fighters closer to a common Viper standard.
