The US Air Force and Royal Moroccan Air Force have expanded their bilateral relationship with the RMAF’s purchase of 24 new F-16 Block 52 aircraft, along with training, and support equipment, according to USAF officials. The Pentagon notified Congress of the pending sale Dec. 18, 2007. USAF said that RMAF agreed to the transaction March 12 and expects the RMAF to begin operations with its new F-16s in mid-2011. Under the terms of the deal, a USAF instructor pilot will train RMAF fliers in Morocco. Lockheed Martin officials last fall said they believe the F-16 production line would continue for some time, even as the F-35 production ramps up at the company’s Fort Worth production facility, because of continuing international orders.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
