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ACCaP Program: Lockheed Martin to sign new MoUs with Belgian suppliers.
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World Aviation Defense & Security News - Lockheed Martin
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ACCaP Program: Lockheed Martin to sign new MoUs with Belgian suppliers
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By Nathan Gain
While the French Rafale team is undoubtedly facing difficulties to promote economic returns within Belgium's F-16 replacement program (ACCaP), the US defense giant Lockheed Martin will sign two new Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with Belgian suppliers in the coming week, it announced Thursday. |
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 A USAF F-35A showcased in Seoul during ADEX 2017 airshow |
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Lockheed Martin's answer to "essential security interests", invoked by the Request for Governmental Proposal (RfGP) issued by the Belgian MoD in March 2017, "reiterates Lockheed Martin's commitment to develop and consolidate long-term technological partnerships in Belgium for the production, repair and upgrade of the F-35 and other platforms," the group stated.
The first MoU will be signed on January 25 with ASCO Industries, based in Zaventem (Brussels). Lockheed Martin's proposals to adress Belgium key security interests include "additional" and "substantial" activities for ASCO, which "should boost its growth and strengthen its expertise as an advanced processed workpieces supplier," added Lockheed Martin. A second agreement will be inked on January 29 between the Belgian Engine Center (BEC) based in Herstal (Liège) and Pratt & Whitney, which produces the F-135 engine. The two companies "will also reaffirme their growing partnership by signing a MoU, which will falicitate BEC's access to future markets and technologies", the statement concluded. Belgium approved in December 2016 the purchase of 34 new fighter aircraft to be acquired from Spring 2018 for an amount of 3,573 billion euros ($4.2 bn). Two contenders are officially competing: Lockheed Martin with its F-35A JSF, and BAE Systems with the Eurofighter Typhoon. |
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