The upstate is already the manufacturing home of world respected products like BMW SUV's and Michelin tires. Now it's also the home of one of the world's best jet fighter aircraft.
Tuesday, Lockheed Martin, which operates an F-16 final assembly manufacturing line at SCTAC, formerly known as Donaldson Center, announced the first flight of the F-16 Block 70.
The two seat fighter, took to the skies just after 9:15AM Tuesday morning for a 50 minute test flight which included airworthiness checks, such as engine, flight control and fuel system checks, as well as basic aircraft handling.
This F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 jets to be delivered to Bahrain. Six countries have ordered the Block 70/72 aircraft with a total of 148 aircraft scheduled to be built in Greenville.
All of the F-16's produced will be for export to other countries. The Department of Defense is no longer purchasing new F-16's, but the US Air Force according to their web site still operates over a thousand of the single engine multi-role fighters.