The formal delivery of two F-16 Block 70 fighters yesterday puts Slovakia’s air force back in business for the first time since 2022.
That year, the Slovak Air Force (SAF) withdrew its Russian-made MiG-29 fighters due to a lack of spare parts and discussed the option of moving them to Ukraine for the latter’s war effort. The transfer of the thirteen MiGs operated through the SAF took place at the beginning of 2023 and was completed last April.
This left the small Eastern European country without air defense aircraft, its only fast aircraft being a small organization of Czech L-39 trainers. To protect its airspace, Slovakia has signed an agreement with the Czech Republic and Poland for their air forces to supply it with air. surveillance on their territory. The Czech-Polish patrols began in September 2022 and were expected to last until the end of 2023.
But delays in delivering the 14 F-16 Block 70 fighters ordered by Slovakia in late 2018 (for $1.8 billion) which Lockheed Martin attributed to the Pandemic have forced Slovakia to extend the air policing arrangement with its neighbors.
However, the first two aircraft — a single-seat Block 70 deployed in September last year and the two-seater aircraft pictured above — were officially ignored on Wednesday, making Slovakia the first European country to get the newest edition of the F-16. . According to Lockheed, they will depart for Slovakia with the first of the aircraft, known as a “ferry cell”, in mid-2024.
I queried a Lockheed Martin spokesperson as to how many F-16s the ferry cell will include but an answer via email has yet to be provided. Whether the number is two, four, six or more, Slovakian Air Force pilots should be available to fly them to Eastern Europe.
SAF pilots began their exercises in the United States in 2019. The first 4 Slovak pilots and subsequent groups won the exercises with the 162nd wing of the Arizona Air National Guard at Morris Air Guard Base in Tucson. At the time, Slovakia announced plans to field a total of 22 F-16 pilots.
The Slovak Ministry of Defence has not provided a figure on the number of pilots who have received flight education so far; a Slovak press report indicates that 16 pilots were in the United States in October 2021. Given a planned educational cycle of two to four years. For aircrews, long-term F-16 SAF pilots will most likely have finished their education or are about to complete their finishing touches when the new Block 70 aircraft departs for Slovakia.
Pilots in the Slovak Air Force began their education on the F-16 in the U. S. In 2019, despite COVID-related education delays.
Ironically, several Slovak pilots likely trained in the same spaces as the Ukrainians who are lately receiving transitional education in F-16s in the 162nd Wing. It is even conceivable that one or two Ukrainians would fly a talented Slovak MiG-29.
Lockheed Martin will continue deliveries of the remaining F-16s to Slovakia through 2025. Once they begin domestic operations, the aircraft will allow NATO member Slovakia to fully integrate with other NATO member air forces and with the 1,500-strong NATO battle group formed in Slovakia in 2023. , with the participation of Germany, Poland and other NATO states.
The reactivation of the SAF’s air defense and attack functions will position a capable air component between Russia and greater Europe. With the F-16 Block 70, the Slovak Air Force will have aircraft equipped with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars (Northrop Grumman-83’s APG complex), tactical presentations built into the fused sensor cockpit, and Lockheed Martin’s multi-sensor target awareness. Advanced Sniper Targeting Pod and IRST Legion-ES system.
The SAF will also gain common ground with other European F-16 operators (Poland, Romania, Norway, Denmark, Bulgaria and more) and with Block 70 users around the world. Lockheed says it has a production pipeline of 135 Block 70s with orders from six countries (including Taiwan), which is expected to succeed at 143, with an ongoing deal with Bulgaria for 8 of those aircraft expected to be finalized in the near future.
The first Block 70 F-16 for the Slovakian Air Force returns from its first flight at Lockheed … [+] Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina in September 2023.
Lockheed Martin likes to point out that there are more than 3,100 F-16s in service in 25 countries lately. Among them is Israel, whose F-16I “Sufas” (modified 50/52 blocks) have been used intensively against the objectives of Hamas and Hezbollah. since October.
The jump in capability that the 14 Block 70 F-16s will provide over the aging MiG-29s that Slovakia previously operated is undeniable and the training that SAF aircrews have received in Arizona undoubtedly adds to its overall professionalism and readiness.
The wait for the new F-16s may have been longer than desired but they will make the Slovakian Air Force a force in the region.