Aircraft
Rival F-16 Upgrades Proceed; Iraq Delivery May Not
Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems are reworking aircraft for Taiwan and Korea.
Rival F-16 upgrade providers are locked in combat for new business from Singapore, Greece and elsewhere. Meanwhile, this F-16B for Iraq may be going nowhere. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
Rival F-16 upgrade providers are locked in combat for new business from Singapore, Greece and elsewhere. Meanwhile, this F-16B for Iraq may be going nowhere. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin (LM) and BAE Systems reported progress this month on their rival upgrades for F-16 Fighting Falcons. Two aircraft from each company’s launch customer (Taiwan for LM, South Korea for BAE) are now in rework, ironically just a few miles from each other in Fort Worth, Texas. Meanwhile, the ferry of Iraq’s first two new Block 52 aircraft in September is looking unlikely.