Bahrain has developed a well-equipped air force and was the second country in the Gulf Cooperation Council after Saudi Arabia to acquire advanced fighters, namely the F-16C/D in 1989, which have been the RBAF's main combat aircraft since then.

In the early years the Bahraini Air Force participated in training with other countries and helped recover U.S. Navy sailors after the USS Stark incident during the Iran-Iraq War.

[6] Before this, the country considered several American and European advanced fighter aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, Mirage 2000, and Tornado.

Bahraini pilots were trained on F-16 operations at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in 1989, and the first F-16 formally was handed over to the BAAF in March of that year.

The new aircraft represented a further increase in the air force's combat capabilities, as they were equipped to carry the AMRAAM missile, first used by the USAF in 1992.

After the war, the country began to acquire more advanced weapons, including the AIM-7M Sparrow radar-guided air-to-air missile and LANTIRN navigation and targeting pod for air-to-ground weapons that would also be acquired such as the GBU-10/12 laser guided bombs and AGM-65D/G Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

[1] In July 2000, Bahrain signed a deal with BAE Systems to establish a pilot academy based around the Hawk Trainer, similar to the NFTC in Canada.

[12] Deliveries commenced on 1 December 2009[13] A single Sikorsky S-92 VVIP helicopter was purchased by the Air Force in 2007 and placed in service with the Bahrain Royal Flight.

[17] In 2018, Lockheed Martin was awarded a $1.1 billion contract to produce 16 F-16 Viper Block 70 fighter aircraft for Bahrain, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a release.

Bahrain Royal Air Force commander Major General Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said the Gulf state hoped the first planes will be delivered in 2021.

The sale of F-16 Vipers and related equipment to Bahrain was first approved by the U.S. State Department in 2016 during the Obama administration but it was delayed over human rights concerns.

Bahrain is considering buying the Eurofighter Typhoon, the JAS 39 Gripen, the Dassault Rafale, or the F-35 Lightning II.

[33][34] Bahrain has confirmed its order for 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper, six months after the US Department of State approved the deal, worth an estimated $912 million, under the Foreign Military Sales process.