The first F-16 Block 70 of the Slovak Air Force passed flight tests

1 October, 2023 The first F-16 Block 70 of the Slovak Air Force. Photo from social media The first F-16 Block 70 of the Slovak Air Force passed the initial flight tests.

Columnist Daniel of Bohemia reported this on his Twitter page. Slovakia was supposed to get the first fighter jet at its disposal last year, and deliveries were planned to be completed by the end of 2023. F-16 fighter jets for the Slovak Air Force are produced at the Lockheed Martin plant in the city of Greenville, South Carolina.

Previously, Slovakia refused to operate Soviet MiG-29AS and MiG-29UBS fighter jets, the total fleet of which included 11 jets.

The first F-16 Block 70 of the Slovak Air Force. Photo from social media

This is due to the loss of maintenance capabilities of these aircraft. The country's Ministry of Defense noted that Slovakia is interested in transferring fighter jets to Ukraine, provided that the transfer is paid for.

The defense department estimated the cost at EUR 300 million. Funds for the transfer of aircraft should be provided from EU sources, according to Bratislava. Due to the loss of capacity of its own MiG-29, the country's government appealed to the Czech Republic and Poland with a request to organize the air protection of Slovak airspace.

Slovakia's purchase of F-16 Block 70

The country's government entered into an agreement to purchase 14 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 multi-purpose fighter jets worth EUR1.58 billion in December 2018.

The contract provides for the training of 22 pilots and 160 officers and soldiers of the ground service. Senior Lieutenant Lukasz Kudela was the first Slovak to fly the F-16. The flight took place under the supervision of the instructor of the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.

After that, three more pilots of the Slovak Air Force made similar introductory flights.

The first F-16 Block 70 of the Slovak Air Force. Photo from social media

In early 2018, it was reported that the Slovak Ministry of Defense was preparing a long-term and systemic solution to ensure the protection of airspace, which included the replacement of the MiG-29 fighter jets in service. The F-16 and JAS-39 Gripen were considered candidates for the main fighter.

In April of the same year, it was announced that the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the US Congress of the possibility of selling Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70/72 Viper fighters to Slovakia in the amount of 14 units.

Already in July 2018, the Slovak government agreed to the purchase.