Morocco's First F-16 Block 72 Fighter Jet Takes Flight as Rabat Builds Up Air Power

Morocco's first F-16 Block 72 fighter jet has made its maiden flight, moving the North African kingdom closer to fielding the newest version of the Lockheed Martin warplane as it modernises its armed forces.

The flight is part of the testing that will lead to the first delivery of the aircraft to the Royal Moroccan Air Force, Lockheed said in a statement on Tuesday. The company did not give a date for the handover. Deliveries are due to begin in 2027 under the contract, according to Moroccan business news site Medias24.

The Block 72 is the most advanced model of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. It has modernised avionics and sensors, according to the company, as well as new features to improve safety and reliability.

"This first flight reflects meaningful progress on Morocco's F‑16 Block 72 program and is a critical step in strengthening Morocco's future airpower," said Mike Shoemaker, who runs Lockheed's Integrated Fighter Group.

The US State Department approved the sale of 25 F-16C/D Block 72 jets to Morocco in March 2019 at an estimated cost of $3.79 billion. Washington cleared a separate $985 million package at the same time to upgrade 23 of Morocco's existing F-16s to the similar F-16V standard. Lockheed is the prime contractor on both programmes.

The Block 72 differs from the Block 70 mainly in its engine, using a Pratt & Whitney F100 in place of the General Electric F110. Both models carry the Northrop Grumman APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, which can track more targets at longer range than older radars. Lockheed says the new jets also have a structural life more than 50% longer than earlier F-16s.

The first flight comes as Lockheed works through a large backlog of F-16 orders at its plant in Greenville, South Carolina, where the company moved production in 2019. The line has struggled to meet its commitments to overseas buyers.

Bulgaria said in August that Lockheed had warned it that its second batch of eight Block 70 jets would arrive in the second quarter of 2030, around three years later than planned. Taiwan, which has 66 jets on order, received its first two aircraft only last week after years of delays.

Morocco is spending heavily to upgrade its military and has turned to the US for much of its advanced weaponry. In April 2023, the State Department approved the sale of 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems launchers to Morocco for an estimated $524 million. It also cleared a $250 million sale of 40 Joint Standoff Weapons, a type of precision glide bomb that Morocco plans to use on its F-16s.

The build-up takes place against a long-running rivalry with neighbouring Algeria over Western Sahara. Morocco claims the territory as its own, while Algeria backs the Polisario Front independence movement.

Lockheed's ties with Morocco go back more than 50 years, starting with the delivery of a C-130H transport aircraft in 1974, the company said. Morocco already flies older F-16s and operates Black Hawk helicopters made by Lockheed's Sikorsky unit.

The company is also trying to build up Morocco's aerospace industry. Lockheed is a partner in Maintenance Aero Maroc, a venture with Belgium's Sabena Engineering and Moroccan state-linked investors, which is building a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Benslimane airport, near Casablanca. Construction began in October 2025.

The hangar will cover more than 8,000 square metres and will first handle heavy maintenance and upgrades of C-130 Hercules aircraft, according to the release. Lockheed plans to expand the work to the F-16 at a later stage. The investment supports Morocco's goal of becoming a regional centre for aircraft maintenance, the company said.