The United States Government, supported by Lockheed Martin , submitted today its offer to the Polish Government of the Advanced Block 52 F-16C/D aircraft in Poland's tender for 48 new multirole aircraft for the Polish Air Force. The offer is a complete, comprehensive and competitive offer that lays the foundation for the development of a long-term strategic relationship between Poland and the United States, militarily, politically and economically.

The Advanced Block 52 F-16C/D offered to Poland will be the most advanced F-16 flying in Europe and will provide Poland with the most capable multirole fighter in NATO. Together with the aircraft the U.S. Government will propose a completely integrated and highly advanced weapons package, spares and support as well as a training program with the most experienced and best air force in the world -- that of the United States.

At the same time, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, along with its industrial partners, have proposed to the Polish Ministry of Economy a comprehensive industrial cooperation program, consisting of more than 80 potential projects with a total economic value of over $8 billion. In line with the requirements of Polish law, Lockheed Martin will guarantee a minimum of 100% of the total program value in offset. The offset program will allow Polish defense and civilian industries to form strong relationships with members of the F-16 industrial team as well as other leading companies from the United States, the most developed and technologically advanced economy in the world.

Powered by the Pratt and Whitney F-100-229 engine, the F-16C/D Advanced Block 52 aircraft fully meets the specific requirements of the Polish Air Force. It contains the latest sensors available, including the APG-68(V)9 radar produced by Northrop Grumman . The APG-68(V)9 radar provides high-resolution ground imaging, enabling day/night all-weather, precision weapons delivery. The ALQ-211(V)4 electronic warfare suite will ensure that the aircraft possesses an unequalled countermeasures system.

The weapons suite that comes fully integrated and certified with the aircraft contains the most advanced NATO-standard air-to-air and precision- guided air-to-ground weapons available. They include the AIM-9X air-to-air missile and the AIM-120C AMRAAM missile as well as GPS-guided Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW-C) and Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs, for use in day/night and adverse weather conditions.

The F-16C/D Advanced Block 52 is specifically designed to be fully operational in the highly demanding electronic network-centric battlefield of the future. It will take advantage of future technology enhancements based on development programs, such as the Lockheed Martin Block 60 F-16, F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. Future upgrades of the aircraft will allow it to maintain its superiority for decades to come.

The U.S. Air Force will train Polish pilots and maintenance technicians. The F-16 is combat proven, with more than 100,000 combat hours in operations over Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Thanks to this experience, the training offered to Poland by the U.S. Air Force will be unparalleled in its superiority to that available from competing systems.

The F-16C/D Advanced Block 52 is a true multirole aircraft, fully interoperable with NATO. The F-16 was designed from the beginning to meet NATO standardization agreements. This interoperability makes the F-16 the most cost-effective multirole aircraft to operate in the world today. At present, more than 25 NATO bases can service the F-16. The unprecedented commonality with other alliance members provides the F-16 a distinct advantage and serves as a force multiplier for out-of-theater deployments in support of global peacekeeping, contingency and wartime responsibilities.

The worldwide F-16 industry team consists of the strongest and most technologically advanced companies in the world, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell Collins, Boeing, Raytheon and ITT. The fact that there have been 47 follow-on buys of the F-16 shows that its customers are fully satisfied with every aspect of the aircraft -- including the offset. Lockheed Martin has performed over $40 billion in offset programs in more than 30 countries worldwide and has always fully fulfilled its obligations.

The U.S. proposal concentrates on firms and sectors that will help Poland develop the competitive industries of the future and will ensure jobs and prosperity not just today, but for years to come. The projects will associate Polish industry with the most healthy high technology companies in the world and will permit the transfer of technology, manufacturing and business processes. It will also assist Polish companies in penetrating U.S. markets and other large markets. With the F-16 industrial team, Poland has the opportunity to team with the largest and most technologically advanced economy in the world.

The F-16 industry team proposal targets virtually every sector of the Polish economy to include:

  --  Aerospace and Defense
  --  Agriculture
  --  Electronics
  --  Energy
  --  High Technology
  --  Manufacturing
  --  Petrochemicals
  --  Ship Building
  --  Steel
  --  Telecommunications

The U.S. Government has also proposed Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for the U.S. offer, involving a highly attractive, low-interest loan to Poland. The loan terms allow for interest-only repayments from 2003 through 2010, and for interest and principal repayments from 2011 through 2015. The FMF loan has already been approved by the U.S. Congress and signed by the U.S. President.

The F-16, the world's most sought-after fighter, is the choice of 23 countries. More than 4,000 aircraft have been delivered, hundreds more are on order for the United States and seven other countries, and production is expected to continue beyond 2010. Major upgrades for all F-16 versions are being incorporated to keep the fleet modern and fully supportable over the aircraft's long service life.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F/A-22, F-35 JSF, F-117, T-50, C-5, C-130, C-130J, P-3, S-3 and U-2.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corp., headquartered in Bethesda, Md. Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. Employing about 125,000 people worldwide, Lockheed Martin had 2001 sales of $24 billion.

For more information on Lockheed Martin Corporation, visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

For more information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company