Lockheed Martin is considering opening an F-16 maintenance and training center in Ukraine
But this is not a short-term issue, and there will be a fight for the entry of the world’s most powerful defense company
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16 multifunctional fighter jet, is considering entering Ukraine to create a suitable base for maintenance and pilot training.
This was announced by Lockheed Martin Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John at a meeting with the media before the Paris Air Show, the Financial Times reports. This is due to the fact that Ukraine will receive F-16s and these aircraft will be operated by the Air Force for a considerable time.
Moreover, the company is already ready to provide all the necessary assistance in learning how to operate and maintain the machines, and later it will be about new machines and modernization of the existing ones. At the same time, Frank St. John noted that he is confident that Ukrainian specialists will master the F-16 fairly quickly, as a significant list of Lockheed Martin products, including the most famous HIMARS and Javelin, are already actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and have also been mastered in a very short time.
At the same time, the company’s top manager emphasized that the creation of the center in Ukraine will not happen until after the victory. Moreover, according to Frank St. John, other countries are being considered alongside.
And on the part of Defense Express, it should be noted that although Ukraine is a huge potential market for Lockheed Martin, Poland and Romania are among the F-16 operators, and Bulgaria and Slovakia are among the future ones with firm contracts. And in this situation, Ukraine will need to make quite significant efforts to ensure that Lockheed Martin makes a choice in favor of our country.
It should also be borne in mind that in 2022, the Polish subsidiary PZL Mielec was to start manufacturing components for the F-16 Block 70/72. Moreover, Lockheed Martin has high hopes for this division to increase production of its UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which the company plans to fly until 2070.
In other words, Ukrainian conditions should be not just similar to those offered by other countries, but much better. At the same time, Lockheed Martin’s entry into Ukraine has a huge advantage in terms of being not just one of the largest defense companies in the world, but the most powerful defense corporation in the world in general – the top 1. This is $67 billion in revenue for 2021, of which 96% is from defense products. The closest competitor is Raytheon with $64 billion in revenue, but a 65% share of defense products.
And obviously, the goal will not be just for Lockheed Martin to open an F-16 maintenance and training center in Ukraine, but to expand its presence. After all, Ukraine will still need airplanes, long-range missile systems like the PrSM, helicopters, and key components for weapons development in cooperation. And apart from the entry of Western companies that will develop and manufacture their products in Ukraine, the only alternative is to buy or rely on our own resources.
