Polish company PZL Mielec is producing around 50% of the Lockheed Martin F-16 rear fuselage section, with plans to expand this to 70-80% by the end of 2024.
Taiwan’s defense urges its government to approve quickly and fund a domestically developed Advanced Defense Fighter, which it says could unlock access to F-35s.
The U.S. will begin to train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers on the F-16 later this year as the Pentagon seeks to accelerate adoption of the Fighting Falcon.
The two countries declare such a transfer only would take place once the infrastructure at Ukrainian airfields is made suitable for the aircraft’s operation.
The flight on Jan. 25 at the Eglin Test and Training Complex off the Florida coast builds on four years of experiments by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Global defense demand remains robust with $252 billion worth of allied contract awards expected over the next 24 months, according to investment bank Jefferies.