The US Department of Defense has approved a possible sale of Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 72 fighter jets to the Royal Moroccan Air Force.
The package also includes a modernization of the fleets of F-16 fighters already operated by Morocco, updating them to the Variant V (Viper) version, which is one of the most recent.
In value , the F-16C/D fighters and related equipment are estimated to cost US$3,79 billion. The estimated value for the necessary updates is US$ 985 million.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to enhance the security of an important non-NATO ally that remains an important force for political stability and economic progress in North Africa.”, says the State Department.
The acquisition of 25 new F-16 Block 70 fighters would come in a package with considerable parts and subsystem such as hardware, in addition to including 29 Pratt & Whitney F100-2 29 engines, APG-83 actively scanned array radars; 26 modular mission computers; 26 Link-16 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems.
If nations also choose to modernize the F-16 fighters that already exist in the North African country, a whole range of updates would happen, such as, for example, changing the current radar to the PG-83 radar.
