Lockheed to build F-16s for Morocco

[tigershark]

Lockheed to build F-16s for Morocco
By Bob Cox
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
The Air Force on Friday awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth a $233.6 million contract to begin production of 24 F-16 fighters for Morocco.

The Bush administration notified Congress in December that it planned to sell the fighter jets, plus engines, associated weapons and equipment in a deal valued at $2.4 billion.

With the Morocco order, Lockheed has a backlog of about 125 F-16 orders including 30 planes for Turkey that will be assembled in that country.

Production of F-16s at Lockheed's Fort Worth plant has slowed dramatically in the past year as the order backlog has dwindled. Company officials have said that they expect to produce about 30 planes this year and that the existing backlog should keep the production line open until about 2011.

Lockheed employs about 14,000 people at the plant, with fewer than 2,600 now working on the F-16 program.

Last week the Pentagon notified Congress that it planned to sell 24 new and 24 used F-16s to Romania.

Source
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/673173.html