The Sultanate of Oman accepted the first of its second order of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons in a ceremony April 3 at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility. The fighter aircraft will ferry to Oman later this year.

In 2002, the Sultanate of Oman 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. 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,” said Orlando Carvalho, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

The F-16 soars above all others as the world's standard. Nations around the world have evaluated the variety of choices available and consistently select the F-16, the world's most capable multirole fighter.

Twenty-eight customers have selected F-16s, resulting in more than 4,500 produced to date and 54 follow-on buys by 15 customers – a key indicator of customer satisfaction. These customers have experienced the performance and reliability of the F-16 firsthand and reaffirm the high quality of the aircraft.

The F-16 program currently represents the world’s largest and most successful industrial cooperation production effort tailoring solutions to meet the needs of customers worldwide.