Bahrain signed $3.8-b deal to buy 16 F-16 jets
Manama : Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) yesterday signed the biggest deal in its history to purchase 16 F-16 fighter jets from US aerospace company Lockheed Martin.
The $3.8-billion deal to purchase the upgraded F16 aircrafts was signed between Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF) and Lockheed Martin during the second day of the Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference (BIDEC) being held here.
The deal was signed by RBAF Commander Major General Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Richard Ambrose, in the presence of Bahrain Center for Strategic and International Studies and Energy (DERASAT) Chairman and Middle East Military Alliances and Coalitions (MEMAC) Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
Shaikh Hamad stated that the upgraded F-16 jets will contribute effectively to developing the RBAF, which, he said, also includes many modern systems.
“This is the biggest deal in the history of RBAF,” he said on the sidelines of the a press conference held at BIDEC venue of the Bahrain International Exhibitions and Conferences Centre, announcing the deal.
Ambrose affirmed that Bahrain is the first country in the region to sign such a deal with the American aerospace and defence technologies company, highlighting the great development witnessed by RBAF.
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