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A pair of F-35s from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada released dummy nuclear bombs at a nearby test range this month, moving the advanced stealth fighter closer to carrying the world’s most powerful weapons into combat, the Air Force said Monday. The flights on Sept. 21 marked the “graduation” test exercise necessary for the Air Force variant of the F-35 to move ahead with what’s called the nuclear design certification process, according to the service’s press release. It’s still not clear when the F-35A will receive its full nuclear certification allowing it to move from training ranges and dummy bombs to real-world battlefields. But when that happens, the Air Force will have a second stealth aircraft in its fleet that can carry nukes. “The B-2 [Spirit] bomber was the prominent nuclear -capable stealth aircraft,” Lt. Col. Daniel Jackson, division chief for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration at Air Combat Command, said in the press release. F-15E Strike Eagl...

First F-16 Block 70/72 was produced in Greenville and will be delivered to the Bahrain Air Force After a hiatus of about four years , Lockheed Martin has completed assembly of a new F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter . The Block 70/72 aircraft belongs to the Bahrain Air Force and was produced at the company’s new factory in Greenville, in South Carolina. The first flight of the fighter is scheduled for early 2023. In the meantime, the US company has set up an additional plant in Greenville to continue production of the F-16. The unit opened in 2021. According to Lockheed, the new production line in South Carolina is set to build at least another 128 Block 70/72 F-16s by the end of this decade for five customers. In addition to Bahrain, the new F-16s will be assembled for Slovakia, Bulgaria, Taiwan and an as-yet-unidentified customer. Another country negotiating the acquisition of the fighter is Jordan, which plans to purchase eight aircraft. Last variant of the F-16 The Blo...