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10.01.10, 20:33
2nd big F-16 order to pay off locally
Lockheed Martin Corporation
By Richard Burnett, Orlando Sentinel
December 31, 2009
Lockheed Martin Corp. confirmed Thursday that the U.S. government has an
agreement to sell Lockheed-made F-16 fighter jets to Egypt for $3.2 billion —
an arms deal that may lead to lucrative new orders for some Central Florida
defense contractors.
The U.S. agreement with Egypt calls for the delivery of two-dozen advanced
F-16 aircraft to upgrade that Middle East country's fighter-jet fleet. The
three-year pact was signed Dec. 24.
Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed performs final assembly of the F-16 at its
aircraft factory in Fort Worth, Texas. In Orlando, Lockheed's missiles,
weapons-targeting and training-systems operations are key parts of the F-16
team. Hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars locally are tied to
the work, which also involves dozens of local vendors and suppliers.
Final terms of the new F-16 deal are still being negotiated; a contract award
is expected in early 2010, Lockheed said in a written statement. Until then,
it is not known exactly what systems will be built into the F-16s headed to Egypt.
"We're pleased that the U.S. and Egyptian governments have reached agreement
on this foreign military sales program," the company said. The deal "will
extend F-16 deliveries approximately three years," Lockheed said.
The Egyptian sale is the second big foreign arms deal this month involving
Lockheed's F-16 program. Last week, the company announced an $842 million deal
to provide 24 new F-16s to Morocco — a follow-up contract to an initial, $233
million deal Lockheed received in 2008.
Lockheed Missiles & Fire Control in Orlando produces the F-16's
weapons-targeting pod, called Sniper. It is a laser-based missile-guidance
system that enables F-16 pilots to locate and fire at targets from standoff
range, beyond enemy fire.
The company has now received nearly a half-dozen international contracts for
the Sniper system.
Lockheed won its first Sniper contract in 2003 — an $843 million deal with the
U.S. Air Force. Including foreign sales, the work is already worth more than
$1 billion
