Lockheed Martin Corp. announced this week they plan to make F-16 jets in partnership with an Indian company, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. The Indian government has been considering a major purchase of about 200 fighter jets through a $12 billion dollar contract. (Lockheed Martin is competing with a Boeing/Saab partnership for the contract.) So what about Lockheed Martin’s plan to move F-16 production to Greenville from Forth Worth, TX? The 16-hangar complex in Greenville County is still a potential location for assembly of a different supersonic military aircraft. Also, the company would perform final assembly of the T50A aircraft in Greenville if it wins a contract with the U.S. Air Force to supply 350 jets for fighter pilot training. |
An F-16 pilot from the 169th Fighter Wing, South Carolina Air National Guard, flies a training mission over the North Carolina coast. U.S. Air Force photo by SMSgt Thomas Meneguin.
