Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon Voted ‘Coolest Thing Made in SC’

The F-16 Fighting Falcon, manufactured by Lockheed Martin at the S.C. Technology and Aviation Center, has earned the title of Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina. That was the outcome of the 2^nd annual SC Manufacturing Madness contest, a two-month competition that yielded more than 220,000 votes from across the state. The announcement was made today by S.C. Governor Henry McMaster at the state capital in Columbia, S.C. 

“SCTAC is proud to be the ‘Global Home of the F-16’,” said SCTAC President and CEO Jody Bryson. “Lockheed Martin’s commitment to South Carolina, to Greenville, and to SCTAC has established us as a legitimate player in the worldwide aviation and aerospace sector. This recognition for the F-16 Fighting Falcon helps everyone in our great state realize just how capable South Carolinians are at manufacturing world-class products.”

The Fighting Falcon is revered as one of the most versatile, maneuverable, and effective combat aircraft ever made that brings a new level of capability to the air forces around the world. 

Lockheed Martin began operations at SCTAC in 1984 and employs approximately 1,400 associates (40% are veterans) at its facility here, the “Global Home of the F-16.” SCTAC is an ideal location for Lockheed Martin for many reasons but predominantly its direct access to South Carolina’s largest general aviation airport. Centrally located on SCTAC’s 1200-acre campus, the airport is fully equipped to handle takeoffs and landings of every type of aircraft Lockheed manufactures and maintains –– from F-16s to the world’s largest cargo military planes and everything in between.

Hosted by the SC Manufacturers Alliance, this year’s Manufacturing Madness contest featured hundreds of innovative and diverse products made every day by South Carolina’s talented workforce. Congratulations to Lockheed Martin and their 1,400 associates who proudly make the “Coolest Thing Made in SC.”