Bahrain’s New F-16 Block 70 Just Got Its First Air-to-Air Kill

On April 1, Royal Bahraini Air Force F-16 Block 70 fighters shot down two Iranian drones that had evaded Bahrain’s ground-based air defenses. The engagement marked the first air-to-air kills for Lockheed Martin’s newest F-16 variant. By the time of reporting Bahrain had intercepted a total of 194 Iranian missiles and 515 drones since the conflict began.

A @LockheedMartin F-16 Block 70 fighter jet operated by the Royal Bahrain Air Force achieved its first air-to-air kills, intercepting and destroying two hostile unmanned aerial vehicles.

— Lockheed Martin News (@LMNews) April 9, 2026

The Aircraft and Its First Kill

Bahrain became the launch customer for the F-16 Block 70 when it took delivery of the first examples in March 2024. The country ordered 16 of the variant in 2019 along with 32 AIM-9X Sidewinders and 32 AIM-120C-1 AMRAAM missiles. All 16 aircraft have now been delivered.

On the move! ✈️ The very first F-16 Block 70 ferry is now en route to Bahrain! This jet represents a significant leap in 4.5 generation fighter technology, revolutionizing operational capabilities and redefining 21st-century aerial combat for air forces worldwide. pic.twitter.com/yWHIvgA0uz

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) March 6, 2024

The Block 70 is the most modern F-16 variant currently in production, built at Lockheed’s Greenville, South Carolina facility after the assembly line was relocated from Fort Worth to make room for F-35 production. Each aircraft carries the Northrop Grumman APG-83 radar and the Lockheed AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod.

The April 1 engagement happened before dawn. The two Iranian drones had slipped through Bahrain’s layered ground-based air defense, and F-16s were scrambled as the final intercept option. The pilots fired AIM-9X Sidewinders and AIM-120C-1 AMRAAMs and destroyed both drones.