Lockheed Martin boosts tender chances with overhaul and assembly deal

Lockheed Martin, producer of the F-16 fighter, has signed a letter of intent with the PZL Mielec aircraft factory and the Warsaw Aviation Institute (ILW) on the overhaul and assembly of F-16s in Poland. The agreement will come into effect if Lockheed Martin wins the estimated $3 billion tender to supply the Polish air force with multi-functional fighter jets. William Perkins, Lockheed's representative in Poland, announced that if the Polish government agrees to lease or buy older versions of the F-16, they will be modernized at the WZ-2 factory in Bydgoszcz, and if new versions of the F-16 are purchased, they will be assembled and tested at the Mielec plant. In addition, parts for the aircraft will be produced in Poland. The agreement with the ILW is aimed at obtaining Lockheed Martin's support for its research programs. Lockheed Martin is one of three international bidders for the tender to supply planes to the air force. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 19) K.K.