Military Aviation > Military Aircraft

Will Lockheed ever get another contract to build a fighter?

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shawn a:
Given the F-35 mess, and the F-22 that the Defense Secretary said we only can afford 187 (now 185) of, does anyone think that Lockheed (Martin) will ever get to produce another fighter for the US Air Force?
Can they ever again produce a new design on time and within budget?
I think they have destroyed the confidence the Defense Department once had in them.
Opinions, anyone?

F-111 C/C:
I don't really have an opinion on that but it made me remember that Lockheed/Martin will be delivering their 4500th F-16 (tomorrow I believe).

shawn a:
Without doing any math, it seems as if they've made more F-16s for other air forces than for the USAF.
And most likely most, if not all, of the latest and most capable variants belong to other air forces.

F-111 C/C:
 I agree when you consider the other nations who are flying or have flow the F-16 below (and I'm probably forgetting some):
 Bahrain
 Belgium
 Chile
 Denmark
 Egypt
 Greece
 Indonesia
 Iraq
 Israel
 Italy
 Jordan
 Morocco
 Netherlands
  Norway
 Oman
 Pakistan
 Poland
 Portugal
 Republic of China (Taiwan)
 Singapore
 South Korea
 Thailand
 Turkey
 United Arab Emirates
 United States
 Venezuela
The success of the F-16 as an export came mostly from it's relative simplicity and low cost without compromising on the end product. This allowed an affordable option for less wealthy nations (and the option to build their own versions) that the F-35 doesn't really offer. This will greatly reduce the clientele list for the F-35. Truth be told, I can't see any future aircraft ever having the worldwide success that the F-16 has had.
 

shawn a:
 ;D Let us not forget--- The F-16 is not really a Lockheed plane, it's a General Dynamics Fighting Falcon. (How did the pilots get "Viper" out of that)?

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