Oman accepted the first of its second order of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons in a recent ceremony April 3 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility.

The fighter aircraft will ferry to Oman later this year.  

In 2002, the Sultanate became the 23rd member of the F-16 family and now joins the 15 other countries which have ordered additional F-16 jets for their air defense. The new F-16s will add to the Oman Air Force's existing fleet of F-16s used to defend Oman's borders.

"Our partnership with Oman is a proud one," said Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

"Working together, we are not only producing new F-16s, but also upgrading their existing F-16 fleet to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman with a common advanced F-16 capability configuration."

US-based Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company principally engaged in the research, design and manufacture of advanced technology systems. – TradeArabia News Service