Morocco orders 36 fighter jets from US company

Morocco will take delivery of 36 F-16 fighter jets from US group Lockheed Martin by 2011, a well informed source told PANA in Marrakech, where the first edition of Aeroexpo, an international aeronautics show, ended last Saturday. According to the source, manufacture of the F-16 will begin in 2009, as Morocco has accepted Lockheed Martin’s bid at the expense of French group Dassault. Dassault initially offered to provide 18 Rafale fighter jets at 2.3 billion euros, while Lockheed wanted US$2 billion for 36 F-16s.
The F-16 is renowned for its solid performance, which makes it the most widely used and most formidable modern fighter jet in the world.