Tel Aviv: The growing international demand for the Lockheed Martin brought the US company to award a contract for the manufacture of F-16 wings to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI has resumed the production of F-16 wings for Lockheed Martin, using the assembly line established in the 1980s. IAI recently reopened the production line following increased worldwide demand for the F-16 Block 70/72. IAI will produce F-16 wings that will be shipped to the F-16 final assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina, USA.
Boaz Levy, IAI’s President & CEO, said, “The many years of cooperation between IAI and Lockheed Martin demonstrate another important milestone. Resuming the production of F-16 wings is a continuation of a decades-long cooperation of manufacturing aerostructures for Lockheed Martin customers. The F-16 assembly line once again joins IAI’s assembly centre of excellence for the production of fighter aircraft wings. The centre also produces F-35 wings along with T-38 wings for the American defence establishment. IAI stands at the forefront of the civilian and military aviation industries in the world, and will continue being the first address for many global companies.”
Joshua (Shiki) Shani, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin Israel, said, “The reopening of the F-16 wings production line in the IAI facilities is an additional important milestone in Lockheed Martin’s long-standing industrial cooperation with the Israeli industries. Now, IAI is producing outer wing boxes for the advanced F-35 and wings for the F-16 fighters, both having new customers in growing numbers, worldwide. So far, Lockheed Martin has initiated and maintained significant long-term economic relationships with the State of Israel and its local industries. The company has invested billions of dollars with Israeli defence and aerospace industries because of the high quality, cutting-edge technology that Israeli industry offers. We are continuously looking to expand our cooperation throughout all our programs.”
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
