Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced on 2 September that it has reopened F-16 wing production for Lockheed Martin, using an assembly line established in the 1980s.
IAI stated that it reactivated the production line following ‘increased worldwide demand’ for the F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft (also known as the F-16V).
The wings will be sent from Israel to the F-16 final assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina.
‘Resuming the production of F-16 wings is a continuation of a decades-long cooperation of manufacturing aerostructures for Lockheed Martin customers,’ said IAI CEO Boaz Levy.
The IAI assembly centre in Israel also produces wings for the T-38 Talon and outer wing boxes for the F-35 Lightning II.