PZL Mielec Installs First F-16 Fuselage Section on Upcoming Aircraft

5 November, 2024 Assembly of F-16 fuselage parts, the aft one being manufactured at PZL Mielec. Photo credits: Lockheed Martin The first F-16 Block 70/72 fuselage aft section manufactured in Poland at PZL Mielec has been installed on an upcoming aircraft.

This is stated in a press release by PZL Mielec. The joining process involves precise alignment and secure attachment to the main fuselage and is a vital step in the production of the aircraft. The production of the rear fuselage at PZL Mielec was completed in August 2023, then it was sent to Greenville, South Carolina.

Assembly of F-16 fuselage parts, the aft one being manufactured at PZL Mielec.

Photo credits: Lockheed Martin

There, in response to the increasing demand for new F-16 Fighting Falcons from partner countries, the US Air Force, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, has opened a new production line for the F-16 Block 70/72 fighter. The assembly line was launched in 2019, three years after the completion of aircraft assembly at the facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and is currently the only F-16 production facility in the world.

Assembly of F-16 fuselage parts, the aft one being manufactured at PZL Mielec. Photo credits: Lockheed Martin

In addition to building new aircraft, the plant also repairs and modernizes previously built aircraft, and the US Air Force received the first fighter jet repaired at the new plant in January 2012.

The first F-16 repaired at the new plant.

Photo credits: Thinh D. Nguyen

A year later, on January 24, 2023, Lockheed Martin tested the first F-16 fighter jet manufactured at the company. It was a two-seat Block 70 model built for Bahrain.

The involvement of the Polish company PZL Mielec, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, was announced in 2021. The production of components for the F-16 at the Mielec aircraft plant was launched in 2022.

The fuselage element of the F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jet is made in Poland. March 2023.

Photo credits: PZL Mielec

In March 2023, the first fuselage elements for the American F-16 Block 70/72 fighters were manufactured at the aircraft plant. By August of the same year, work on the aft fuselage was completed and shipped to the Greenville plant. "This milestone is a moment of pride for the entire PZL Mielec team," said Janusz Zakrecki, President and CEO of PZL Mielec.

The aircraft is now awaiting further assembly, and the Polish company will continue to be involved in Lockheed Martin's technological processes.

By the way, it is the plant that produces the S-70i Black Hawk, the number of which exceeded 100 units in 2023.