F-16

Lockheed sees F-16 orders in hundreds, production past ’08
By Marke****ch
Last Update: 11:58 AM ET June 13, 2005

By Rebecca Christie

PARIS (Marke****ch) — Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) expects the demand for the F-16 fighter to encompass hundreds of new airplanes, allowing the production line to stay in operation until 2008 and beyond, company officials said Sunday.

Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said the F-16 currently has nearly 200 backlogged orders, enough to keep the production line open until 2008. The company also sees a market for up to 200 additional planes.

Countries like Pakistan and India, both of which are in discussions with the U.S. government about buying U.S.-made fighters, will provide the backbone for this demand, Heath said at a press dinner the night before the Paris Air Show. Other countries that already own F-16s may also buy more planes to keep their forces current until next-generation fighters are widely available.

“We’re 30 years into a production run, and the fact that the orders continue to come is a statement of value that customers continue to see in the product,” Heath said.

If F-16 production extends to 2010 and beyond, it will give Lockheed Martin several years of overlap with the F-16 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a new Lockheed Martin-made fighter intended eventually to replace the aging F-16s in the U.S. military.

New F-16s sold today have been improved since the Pentagon’s wave of purchases. However, the Joint Strike Fighter will include a wide range of stealth and speed technology.

The Pentagon plans to buy about 2,500 Joint Strike Fighters once the plane finishes its development process. The Air Force will buy a basic version of the planes, while the Navy and Marine Corps will buy aircraft modified to fly on aircraft carriers or land vertically.

Other countries also are expected to buy the F-35, if the Pentagon can work out acceptable policies for sharing technology. Lockheed Martin chief executive Bob Stevens said the participating governments will begin finalizing purchase and maintenance arrangements later this year.

In addition to the F-35, Lockheed Martin also is wrapping up development of the top-of-the-line U.S. fighter, the F/A-22 Raptor. With the latest in stealth and supersonic technology, these planes cost about $130 million each, excluding development costs — about twice the projected cost of a Joint Strike Fighter.

The Pentagon recently approved the F/A-22 to enter full-rate production. Lockheed Martin officials said the aircraft is on schedule to be declared fit for combat by the end of this year.

http://www.marke****ch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7B593F42B8-E8F4-4D25-86AE-C027056E123A%7D