The Royal Moroccan Air Force’s first F-16 Block 72 aircraft has completed its maiden flight as it undergoes flight testing ahead of delivery to the North African country.
It is part of an approximately $3.8-billion package of 25 F-16C/D Block 72 fighters that the US State Department cleared for sale to Rabat in March 2019.
Lockheed Martin’s Integrated Fighter Group VP and General Manager Mike Shoemaker highlighted the first flight as “meaningful progress on Morocco’s F‑16 Block 72 program” and as “a critical step in strengthening Morocco’s future airpower.”
Lockheed in Morocco
Morocco has 23 F-16 Block 52 jets in active service, comprising 15 single-seat F-16C and 8 two-seat F-16D models.
Rabat ordered the fleet to be upgraded to the F-16V configuration for around $985 million, which was also approved by the US State Department in March 2019.
Apart from the F-16s, the Moroccan military operates the C-130H military transport aircraft, which Lockheed first delivered in 1974. The fleet is now undergoing a modernization program to extend service life.
The US defense manufacturer also partnered with the local industry to establish an approximately 8,000-square-meter (86,111-square-foot) maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Benslimane, supporting Morocco’s ambition to become a regional aircraft MRO hub.
The upcoming site is designed to support heavy maintenance and modernization of the C-130, with plans to expand to other aircraft, like the F-16.
In addition to aircraft, the country procured Lockheed’s long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers.
