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I dalje jure musterije, jos se ne gasi linija
Citat:In addition to extending the life of the U.S. Air Force’s Block 40 and 50 F-16 C/D aircraft by 50%, out to 12,000 hr., Lockheed also sees an opportunity for new orders of the latest F-16V configuration, according to Randy Howard, company director of F-16 business development. Lockheed currently has three customers on contract to upgrade a total of more than 300 aircraft to the F-16V or a similar configuration, and anticipates several hundred more orders over the next three to four years, he said.
The company has supported government-to-government discussions on the F-16V across Asia, particularly southeast Asia, as well as eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East, Howard said. He declined to name specific customers.
Lockheed hopes the next batch of F-16 orders will come from Bahrain, which is interested in upgrading its existing fleet of legacy F-16s and potentially buying a new batch of F-16Vs. The deal has recently been stalled amid negotiations for the U.S.’s new aid package to Israel, but Lockheed officials hope to finalize the contract soon. Colombia is also looking to buy F-16s, Carvalho said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan was considering buying eight F-16C/D Block 52 fighters, to be delivered in 2019, but the nearly $700 million deal fell apart over financing issues and opposition from Congress. The Pakistani government was required to provide a Letter of Acceptance for purchase of the jets by the end of May, but the document was never issued. Lockheed is no longer working on the Pakistan deal, Carvalho said.
http://aviationweek.com/defense/lockheed-bullish-international-f-16-orders
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