GOV/MIL Lockheed Martin may shift F-16 production to India

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article93910882.html

AUGUST 5, 2016 10:00 AM

Lockheed Martin may shift F-16 production to India

BY STEVE KASKOVICH
skaskovich@star-telegram.com

With production winding down after 40 years in Fort Worth, Lockheed Martin is considering a plan to move assembly of future F-16 fighter jets to India — if that country places a big order for the planes.

The defense giant has offered India exclusive rights to produce and export F-16s, said Ken Ross, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth.

“We are in discussions with the U.S. government, the government of India and our Indian industry partners about this opportunity,” Ross said. “Details about this potential partnership will be determined in conjunction with the respective governments, Lockheed Martin and Indian industry.”

Lockheed acknowledged in February that the company had offered to build F-16s in India last year at a meeting between Lockheed’s CEO Marillyn Hewson and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is looking to replace many of its air force’s 650 planes and wants to become a hub for defense manufacturing.

Work on the F-16, which has been built since the 1970s, has been winding down in Fort Worth as the program matured and attention turned to building the next-generation F-35. Several hundred workers continue to build about one F-16 a month for Iraq at the Fort Worth plant, with orders in place to last through October 2017. Over the life of the program, Lockheed has delivered more than 4,500 F-16s.

Ross said that as F-16 manufacturing is completed in Fort Worth, “we anticipate F-16 mechanics transitioning from the F-16 production line to the F-35 production line to support increased F-35 production rates. Other F-16 personnel will have opportunities to transition to one of the F-16 modification programs.”

Lockheed is beginning to ramp up production of the F-35 fighter jet. The company is on track to deliver 53 F-35s this year and expects to more than double output to 120 aircraft by 2019. It’s in the midst of a $1.2 billion expansion and reworking of its Fort Worth manufacturing complex to prepare for more work.

About 8,800 people work on the F-35 program, and the company has said it expects to add 1,000 assembly-line jobs as it increases production.

Steve Kaskovich: 817-390-7773, @stevekasko

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/made-in-india-f16s-on-radar-thanks-to-fdi/article8756876.ece

NEW DELHI, June 22, 2016
Updated: June 22, 2016 16:46 IST

‘Made in India’ F-16s on radar, thanks to FDI

PUJA MEHRA
JOSY JOSEPH

U.S. firm Lockheed Martin may make use of liberalised norms

American military manufacturer Lockheed Martin could soon be producing F-16 fighters in an assembly line based in India, taking advantage of the new liberalised FDI conditions announced by the government on Monday.

If the legendary American fighter is deployed with the Indian Air Force after local production, it would signal a historic shift in India’s military posture that could dramatically affect the country’s relations with China, Pakistan and other nations. It could also draw much criticism to the fact that India was inducting a fighter that first took to the skies more than 40 years ago.

At least two senior officials in crucial ministries handling the issue confirmed that the proposal for setting up an assembly line for F-16 fighters in India was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. earlier this month.

An official said the negotiations with the French government for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters haven’t succeeded yet in securing a competitive price. “Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, is keen to close down its F16 production facility in the U.S. Talks are on to invite the company to shift its F16 production line, lock, stock and barrel, to India,” he said.

“This will serve the twin purposes: it will be a success story of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make In India initiative plus it will address the Indian defence establishment’s requirement of a new fighter fleet,” the official added.

The second official confirmed that talks were on with Lockheed Martin for the F-16 assembly line in India.

In an interview to The Hindu last month, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar indicated that India was looking at getting a foreign military firm to manufacture its fighter in India. “I am not looking for assembly at all. I am looking for a company to join with an Indian partner and to start manufacturing here by Transfer of Technology (ToT) in most of the items. I know that 100 per cent ToT may not be possible and 100 per cent indigenisation is not possible. Even with so many efforts, LCA has only around 40 per cent indigenisation,” he had said.

Several foreign defence firms have been expressing their willingness to set up assembly lines in India. Among them are the Eurofighter consortium ad Sweden’s Gripen. Both Lockheed Martin and Boeing from the U.S. in April held discussions in New Delhi in the presence of Pentagon's Director for International Cooperation Keith Webster about the possibility of producing their jets in India. While Lockheed has proposed F-16, Boeing has offered to make F/A-18s in India.

Based on ongoing discussions, sources said the opportunity to open an assembly line in India could ultimately go to Lockheed Martin, that too for a fighter that is going out of production. The company is believed to have orders only for a few more months, with the US military, F-16’s biggest customer, moving to more advanced fighters and foreign orders drying up.

For many in the air force it would be a surprising, and disappointing move, given that F-16s are a critical part of Pakistan air force’s fighter arm. Besides, it would be ensuring that F-16, a 40-year-old design and fourth generation fighter, would remain in the IAF for another 30-40 years.

“It would fulfil both Make in India projections and also give us an advanced fighter,” one source aware of the discussion told The Hindu.

Former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Monday cautioned: “Allowing 100% FDI in the defence sector means India's defence sector is thrown mostly into the hands of Nato-American defence manufacturers.”

He went on to warn that if Nato-American defence manufacturers came into India then it would “affect India’s independent foreign policy too. It will also threaten the national security.” Further, it would have an adverse impact on the ongoing indigenous defence research activities, he said. “It is very important to note that all such changes happen immediately after PM Narendra Modi’s recent American visit,” he said.

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://thediplomat.com/2016/07/why-india-should-consider-lockheed-martins-f-16-offer/

Why India Should Consider Lockheed Martin's F-16 Offer

The F-16 proposal would allow India to finally jump start its military-industrial base.

By C. Christine Fair
July 27, 2016

In 2007, India began an official tender process for 126 multi-role, medium-range combat aircraft (MMRCA) with Paris-based Dassault at a cost of about $11 billion. It was the world’s largest fighter jet deal at the time. Since then the deal has unraveled. Negotiations stalled over price and quality and, ultimately, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opted to purchase only 36 “ready to fly” aircraft from Dassault. Even this more modest version of deal has yet to fully fructify. Since the original bid, the Modi government has added a “made in India” component as part of all future acquisitions.

Amidst the French fiasco and the reality that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is down to just 33 fighter squadrons, numerous producers of fighter aircraft have sought to woo the Modi government for a slice of India’s aviation pie. Competitors who are lining up include Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, SAAB’s Gripen E, Eurofighter Typhoon, RAC MiG-25, as well as Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70.

In April 2016, Lockheed Martin surprised MMRCA watchers when it offered to relocate the entire F-16 assembly line to India. The announcement came on the tail of the U.S. government’s announcement that it would sell eight F-16s to Pakistan. (That deal with Pakistan subsequently floundered when the U.S. Congress, irked with Pakistan’s enduring and seemingly endless perfidy, refused to subsidize the sale.), Not surprisingly, Indian officials tended to rebuff the idea of inducting the F 16s for several reasons. First, India has a strong preference to “leap frog technologies.” The F-16, frequently dismissed because it is a “fourth generation aircraft,” ostensibly lacks the allure of other options. In reality, India is unlikely to get a so-called “fifth generation aircraft” on the terms that the aircraft be “made in India” and the concomitant technology transfer such terms require. A second reason why the F-16 has little traction in India is the fact that Pakistan has long flown a version of this platform, albeit a far inferior version to that offered to India presently. Third, analysts often underestimate the quality and capabilities of this platform because they fail to appreciate that the most important elements of the airframe are the sensor technologies, avionics suites, munitions capabilities, and range, among other attributes in addition to its extreme speed and maneuverability. Even though the transformation of modern air combat increasingly emphasizes the above attributes while diminishing the utility of traditional properties such as extreme speed and maneuverability, by any measure the F-16 remains a superb platform.

There are many reasons why India should pay closer attention to what is on offer from Lockheed Martin despite the above-noted reservations. First, Millet, Murray, and Watman in Military Effectiveness argue that military organizations which aim to be effective strategically, operationally, and tactically must “consistently secure the resources required to maintain, expand and reconstitute” themselves. This usually requires the military organization to obtain the cooperation of national political elites to obtain these resources. The authors further note that “the effort to obtain resources for military activity and the proficiency in acquiring those resources constitute political effectiveness. Resources consist of reliable access to financial support, a sufficient military-industrial base, a sufficient quantity and quality of manpower, and control over the conversion of those resources into military capability.”

Why are these academic insights relevant to the decisions surrounding the MMRCA? Simple. No major power has existed without having a robust military-industry base which allows a country both to satisfy its own defense needs and export variants of those weapon systems to subsidize the developments of the same. No serious analyst would dispute the claim that India currently lacks such a military-industry base. Such an offering will provide much-needed competition to India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which continues to enjoy a monopoly on research, development, and defense production. For this reason, DRDO is likely to resist any serious competition, even though it is this kind of friendly rivalry which major powers use to inspire excellence within their defense industry. For reasons that I will note below, the current Lockheed Martin proposal is the only offer that will permit India to take a serious and large step in the direction of developing this kind of base.

Unlike the other competitors in the MMRCA race, the F-16 is truly a global system with a globalized market and supply chain. Countries that currently fly this platform include: Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, the United States, Venezuela, and more recently Romania. Most importantly, the F-16 is the backbone of the fighter force structure of these countries. If the entire production were to shift to India, the price of the platform would likely decrease. Countries that would like to purchase a fourth-generation aircraft but which currently cannot afford to do so may enter the market if prices decline. This deal will afford India enormous opportunities to become the sole supplier of a truly international platform with a proven and viable market. Thus while the F-16 may lack the allure of some of the sexier competitors, the F-16—with apposite avionics, sensors and munitions—remains one of the best combat platforms available and the demand for this aircraft is global and proven.

None of the other MMRCA competitors can make this claim because their markets are substantially smaller. Boeing’s F-18 is flown by Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland. The Eurofighter Typoon has been successfully delivered to six countries thus far: Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Saudi Arabia. The MiG 25 is flown by Algeria, Armenia, Syria, Bulgaria, India, Iraq, and Libya. SAAB’s Gripen is flown by the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom (training only) and has recently announced a deal to produce the aircraft in Brazil. Given the relatively small market for for the Gripen and the recently-announced deal with Brazil, it would be doubtful that a similar deal with India would be profitable. Moreover, it is not clear which if any of these competitors will offer to shift complete production of the platforms to India even if they offer other concessions to comply with the “made in India requirement.”

Among these various options, only the F-16 will provide India with a serious leap forward in developing a robust military-industry base that will position India to become a serious exporter of fighter aircraft as well as satisfying an important component of its own requirement. Proponents of the F-16 contend that it can simultaneously provide the Indian Air Force with extreme speed, agility, and range that exceeds that of the F-18 and Gripen. Moreover, the range of the F-16 can match or even exceed that of the Rafale at a lower price point.

There are other considerations that India should further pursue with the United States. Currently, a country cannot acquire a U.S. weapons system without going through an approval process in Washington. India should assert its equities in being a part of this consideration process both in denial and in acceptance of would-be purchasers. This would permit India to fully extract the strategic value of having the world’s only F-16 production line being housed in India. With respect to denial, India should insist upon having an explicit position to deny Pakistan further purchases under such an arrangement. Second, let’s consider acceptance authority. Imagine a future when a new potential buyer for the F-16 emerges to whom India would like to sell the platform but for whom the United States has reservations. India should negotiate a process by which Indian concerns are deemed as valuable as those of the United States when considering denial of production to certain countries and admission of new countries into the F-16 club.. Admittedly, it would be hard to imagine a case where both India and the United States would disagree, but the mechanism should be discussed and developed.

Another possible consideration is the production and sale of spare parts. Currently F-16 components are part of a global supply chain with myriad producers manufacturing the various components that go into the platform. India should consider forming partnerships with manufacturers to permit the production of key components India. This would permit India to further derive profit and technology transfer from the F-16’s global market position.

Related to the issue of sales of platforms and spare parts, when Pakistan came under American sanctions in mid-1990, Pakistan was unable to purchase spare parts for its fleet of American platforms or obtain lifetime maintenance of the airframes and it was not allowed to take ownership of subsequent aircraft. This rendered these platforms very difficult to sustain and seriously degraded the readiness of Pakistan’s combat capabilities. India, as the potential sole producer of this aircraft, should also press its significant concerns about Pakistan with the United States to ensure that when countries undermine India’s security, India should have ultimate veto power to not sell to that country and there should be a consultative process by which countries posing such a threat can be denied spare parts and lifetime maintenance.

These decisions about who can and cannot purchase the platform and/or acquire spare parts and system maintenance are not in the hands of Lockheed Martin. These issues must be negotiated between the United States and India through the appropriate bodies set up for this purpose such as the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) within the U.S. Department of Defense.

These are reasonable requests which would both make the deal more politically palatable to India and also address some of India’s core concerns about security and its core interests in being an equal partner with the United States. Should India make these political demands, the United States should be willing to accommodate them. After all, if the United States is serious about helping India become a global power, it needs to treat India as one. That begins by taking its various equities as seriously as it does any other American partner.


C. Christine Fair is an Associate Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown’s Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service. She is the author of Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army’s Way of War. Fair does not represent any aircraft manufacturer and has not been compensated in any way for this article. These views are her own.

 

[Bogey]

Only thing that comes to mind ... WTF

 

[Housecarl]

Only thing that comes to mind ... WTF

Here are a few worth considering....

- India is already being drawn out of its "non-aligned" status and policies due to the activities of Beijing. Such a weapons deal would about seal that change. For that matter what does this deal point to regarding future US-Pakistani relations?
- A big question I haven't found an answer yet to is what software packages and "Block" upgrades would India be allowed to build and market.
- Since this is a "nuclear capable system" and India is a "member of the club", will there be strings involved regarding the aircraft's employment in IAF service, at least publicly?

 

[AlfaMan]

An interesting possibility here. Basically we would be setting up India as the arms supplier to the third world; while moving India out of it's third world status.
Hindustan/HAL has the smarts to produce an F-16; their equipment is generally of very good quality. (And Indian engineers have actually helped build many US aircraft-the C5A Galaxy for one example).
The US is looking to have India be the buffer between US and China; moving the F16 line is part of this strategy. Curious as to how the marketing of Indian built F16s would be handled-Indians market it, we approve the sales? And the equipment standards-the Indians can easily build a block 52 airframe; but are we going to allow them to have/make/purchase the block 52 avionics and armament package? That could be an FMS can of worms.
And don't sneeze at an F16-it may be "40 year old technology" but the plane still has a roll rate of 324 degrees per second, and some of the most reliable afterburning turbofan engines available. It's may be an oldie, but it's still a goodie.....

 

[Housecarl]

An interesting possibility here. Basically we would be setting up India as the arms supplier to the third world; while moving India out of it's third world status.
Hindustan/HAL has the smarts to produce an F-16; their equipment is generally of very good quality. (And Indian engineers have actually helped build many US aircraft-the C5A Galaxy for one example).
The US is looking to have India be the buffer between US and China; moving the F16 line is part of this strategy. Curious as to how the marketing of Indian built F16s would be handled-Indians market it, we approve the sales? And the equipment standards-the Indians can easily build a block 52 airframe; but are we going to allow them to have/make/purchase the block 52 avionics and armament package? That could be an FMS can of worms.
And don't sneeze at an F16-it may be "40 year old technology" but the plane still has a roll rate of 324 degrees per second, and some of the most reliable after-burning turbofan engines available. It's may be an oldie, but it's still a goodie.....

Yeah, and there is still a lot of potential "growth" in the airframe as well (provided you aren't so wedded to RCS reduction at the expense of everything else). For example the Agile Falcon/Mitsubishi F-2, the F-16XL or the similar proposed variant with an F-22 derived wing as a starting place and adding RAM, a different engine inlet, and vectorable thurst (all already tested but not pursued because the were an"option" visa vi the F-35 program).

Such an upgraded "4.5 generation" aircraft with good standoff weapons could cut into F-35 sales very easily. For that matter, such an aircraft fitted with the F-35s avionics systems, and perhaps new engine as well, would be something you wouldn't want to be on the bad side of.

 

[Ractivist]

look at the bright side, one less target here......... sarc.

I hate to see the globalists at work. Sucking our manufacturing base to the point of collapse.....

 

[Jez]

Are they fraking insane? The F-16 is still a popular plane and it's cheap enough that many countries can afford it, unlike the F-35. Let's also consider that we're still tooled up to build it. Moving manufacturing jobs out of the country is bad and expensive to do.

 

[Raggedyman]

Only thing that comes to mind ... WTF

bogey - is really quite simple . . .

there are just TOO MANY folks here in fully employed FUSA that are just too tired from working at BOTH of their FULL TIME MANUFACTURING JOBS . . . LockGREED just can't find anyone here who is willing to work down at the plant dude. gotta ship that production over to the red dots cuz no one there has any employment opportunities

 

[AlfaMan]

Exactly. The F16 with thrust vectoring, the XL's wing etc could be an comparatively affordable gen 4.5 aircraft just on that basis. The plane is already a formidable ground attack aircraft AND a good CAP aircraft. Add RCS reduction and you would get nearly all the benefits of a 5th gen aircraft at a fraction of the price. The world wouldn't need F35's. Get the Israelis involved and get the Lavi aircraft development data (remember that aircraft?) and you WILL have all the RCS integration data you would need to make the 16 a world class aircraft again.

Yeah, and there is still a lot of potential "growth" in the airframe as well (provided you aren't so wedded to RCS reduction at the expense of everything else). For example the Agile Falcon/Mitsubishi F-2, the F-16XL or the similar proposed variant with an F-22 derived wing as a starting place and adding RAM, a different engine inlet, and vectorable thurst (all already tested but not pursued because the were an"option" visa vi the F-35 program).

Such an upgraded "4.5 generation" aircraft with good standoff weapons could cut into F-35 sales very easily. For that matter, such an aircraft fitted with the F-35s avionics systems, and perhaps new engine as well, would be something you wouldn't want to be on the bad side of.

 

[Housecarl]

For those who haven't seen these before....

F-16XL

http://www.f-16.net/g3/var/resizes/f-16-photos/album11/album01/aag.jpg?m=1371915338

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/399687main_EC96-43508-9_full_full.jpg

http://www.afwing.com/d/file/aircraft/usa/fighter/cda0c4583104e26473fa6483f43122cb.jpg

http://i62.fastpic.ru/big/2014/0511/1d/27690176874e14e6aa02d79998e9311d.jpg

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Fleet/Large/EC97-44293-1.jpg

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal7/6001-6100/gal6074-F15-Cornett/01.jpg

The original F-16E/F Block 60 and 70

http://www.f-16.net/g3/var/resizes/f-16-photos/album11/album28/aae.jpg?m=1371937527

http://www.f-16.net/forum/download/file.php?id=1217&sid=a3fcc1d5e85df1b4bc2a21f85149bbe7&mode=view

 

[Meadowlark]

Sub contracting yes. But I insists that production continue in the US as well. I am strategic enough to see the US and India as growing allies. Long term it makes a lot of sense. Not to mention the fact that we could become their largest petroleum products supplier. A potential win win overall, but we should not completely farm out domestic production potential for strategic reasons alone.

 

[Housecarl]

Sub contracting yes. But I insists that production continue in the US as well. I am strategic enough to see the US and India as growing allies. Long term it makes a lot of sense. Not to mention the fact that we could become their largest petroleum products supplier. A potential win win overall, but we should not completely farm out domestic production potential for strategic reasons alone.

Yeah, I hear you. If this does go through it will still take time and go incrementally.

Truth is, with Turkey going pear shaped, the depot maintenance and assembly work they were doing for the F-16 program via Turkish Aerospace Industries (which also included licensed production of their air force's F-16s) should be considered out of access for the foreseeable future (Egypt does some but not to the degree that Turkey or for that matter Israel are capable of doing).

If the F-35 wasn't so much of an encumbered turkey, this wouldn't be as much of a "thing" as it is now, particularly since we're not talking "simply" about licensed production.

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/tarr...martin-to-india-under-proposed-deal/287854811

Fort Worth F-16 production could shift to India under proposed deal

Jack Beavers, WFAA 10:27 PM. CDT August 04, 2016
Comments 19

FORT WORTH -– The F-16 fighter jet, which has been rolling off the assembly line in Fort Worth since the mid-1970s, may fly off to assembly lines in India, if that country accepts a deal being proposed by Lockheed Martin.

In exchange for a large order from India’s Air Force, Lockheed Martin is offering to close the only assembly line for the aircraft in Fort Worth and relocate it to India after late 2017.

That date is significant because the aircraft manufacturer has just enough orders in the pipeline to keep the line running until then. After that, the company has reportedly been considering keeping the line “warm” (able to start up as additional orders came in) through the early part of the next decade.

This wouldn’t be the first time the F-16 was made abroad. During the 1970s a joint U.S./European program produced F-16s for four NATO countries from three assembly lines in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Fort Worth. Assembly lines in Turkey and Korea also produced F-16s under license for their own air forces.

But through all of those deals, the Fort Worth assembly lines kept cranking out F-16s for the U.S. military and other customers. That could change if India’s Air Force agrees to that large order.

"Lockheed Martin is offering India the exclusive opportunity to produce, operate and export F-16 Block 70 aircraft, the world’s most advanced fourth-generation fighter aircraft,” said Lockheed Martin spokesperson John Losinger in a statement.

“Lockheed Martin is in discussions with the U.S. government, the government of India, and our Indian industry partners about this opportunity,” Losinger continued. “Details about this potential partnership will be determined in conjunction with the respective governments, Lockheed Martin, and Indian industry. Production of the F-16 will continue in Fort Worth with current contract work through late 2017.”

Although the program has been a reliable producer of North Texas jobs, production peaked in 1987 when Fort Worth cranked out 30 F-16s in 30 days.

Which brings us to Lockheed Martin’s next anticipated big job producer, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. If F-16 production does go to India, no jobs will be lost locally -- they will just move to work on the new fighter.

“As Fort Worth F-16 production deliveries are completed, we anticipate F-16 mechanics transitioning from the F-16 production line to the F-35 production line to support increased F-35 production rates,” Losinger said. “Other F-16 personnel will have opportunities to transition to other areas of the F-16 program."

The plant is currently ramping up production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter with the expectation of 17 F-35s a month rolling off the Fort Worth line by the end of the decade.

But through at least the end of 2017, the F-16 will continue rolling off a Fort Worth assembly line that has seen more than 3,500 roll out the doors since the program first took off more than 40 years ago.

Copyright 2016 WFAA

 

[Raffy]

I have been to the Lockheed Martin F-16/F-35 plant in Fort Worth, TX. It's a very impressive facility, and, at the time I was there, they were producing many F-16's, almost all of them for foreign export. At that time, they were beginning to get set up for F-35 production, which by now is fully underway. No jobs have been lost as personnel formerly working on F-16's are now working on the F-35. I'm not the biggest fan of the F-35 as it is not really good at dogfighting, but it does have some really impressive target detection capabilities that far exceed those of most other aircraft.

 

[Dennis Olson]

You know, at one time in this country, it was illegal to build critical defense materiel off-shore. That was to maintain our ability to defend our country.


Evidently, little things like that no longer matter...

 

[Doat]

TPP

 

[OldArcher]

Exactly. The F16 with thrust vectoring, the XL's wing etc could be an comparatively affordable gen 4.5 aircraft just on that basis. The plane is already a formidable ground attack aircraft AND a good CAP aircraft. Add RCS reduction and you would get nearly all the benefits of a 5th gen aircraft at a fraction of the price. The world wouldn't need F35's. Get the Israelis involved and get the Lavi aircraft development data (remember that aircraft?) and you WILL have all the RCS integration data you would need to make the 16 a world class aircraft again.

Concur, 100%, AlfaMan... Great points. There are times, when "common sense," which is no longer "common," needs to be re-introduced to American business...

America First, darn it! We don't need to arm our current friends, who may become our enemies... We've done it in the past, and enough is enough!

GBY&Y's

Maranatha

OA

 

[Bicycle Junkie]

The Pentagon is planning a major upgrade to the nuclear arsenal. They could save a lot on costs by shifting production to Pakistan and China.

 

[Housecarl]

The Pentagon is planning a major upgrade to the nuclear arsenal. They could save a lot on costs by shifting production to Pakistan and China.

Both of whom are likely "point of use" for those upgraded systems.

 

[FarmerJohn]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article93910882.html

AUGUST 5, 2016 10:00 AM

Lockheed Martin may shift F-16 production to India

BY STEVE KASKOVICH

....
The defense giant has offered India exclusive rights to produce and export F-16s, said Ken Ross, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth.

India would not be the first foreign power to build f-16s on it's own.

F-16 production is split over 5 different production lines in as many different countries: Fokker in The Netherlands, Sabca in Belgium, Samsung in Korea, Turkish Aircraft Industries in Turkey and the Forth Worth production line in the US. The Forth Worth production line has changed name twice over the years as General Dynamics was acquired by Lockheed, which then merged with Martin into Lockheed Martin Aero. A total of 4428 F-16s have been produced at the time of writing (February 2010), the vast majority of which on the Fort Worth production line: 3501 airframes, or roughly 79%).

Construction of the YF-16 prototypes and the Full Scale Development aircraft was done on the Fort Worth production line. When volume production started for the first customers (USAF and the European Participating Air Forces), two European production lines were involved as well, as part of a compensation package. Both SABCA in Belgium and Fokker in the Netherlands produced parts (both for European and USAF airframes), and were responsible for the assembly of the European F-16s: SABCA for Belgian and Danish F-16s, Fokker for Dutch and Norwegian F-16s. Sabca produced a total of 222 airframes (covering roughly 5%) and Fokker produced 300 airframes (covering 7%).

In 1988, Turkish Aircraft Industries started building F-16s for the Turkish Air Force, and later TAI also produced F-16s for the Egyptian Air Force. A total of 277 F-16s have been built by TAI so far, representing 6% of the total fleet.

In 1995, a fifth and final production line started building F-16s: Samsung in South Korea produced a total of 128 F-16aircraft for the RoKAF. Samsung accounts for 3% of total F-16 production.

http://www.f-16.net/fleet-reports_article18.html

 

[Housecarl]

India would not be the first foreign power to build f-16s on it's own.



http://www.f-16.net/fleet-reports_article18.html

The difference is all future manufacturing would be licensed by LockMart through India with LockMart walking away from the project in CONUS.

 

[BV141]

India IS manufacturing the Su-30 series fighter since the Year 2000.
Sounds like a no-go for the F-16.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-30MKI

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI[a] (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a twinjet multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russia's Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). A variant of the Sukhoi Su-30, it is a heavy, all-weather, long-range fighter.

Development of the variant started after India signed a deal with Russia in 2000 to manufacture 140 Su-30 fighter jets.[3] The first Russian-made Su-30MKI variant was accepted into the Indian Air Force in 2002,[4] while the first indigenously assembled Su-30MKI entered service with the IAF in 2004.[5] Additional MKIs have been ordered to increase the total from 272 to 314. The IAF had 242 Su-30MKIs in service as of August 2014.[1] The Su-30MKI is expected to form the backbone of the Indian Air Force's fighter fleet to 2020 and beyond.[6]

The aircraft is tailor-made for Indian specifications and integrates Indian systems and avionics as well as French and Israeli sub-systems.[7] It has abilities similar to the Sukhoi Su-35 with which it shares many features and components.[8]

 

[NoName]

So would the variant designation be something
like the F-16TaTa?

 

[NoDandy]

look at the bright side, one less target here......... sarc.

I hate to see the globalists at work. Sucking our manufacturing base to the point of collapse.....

I do not think we should be exporting any more of our manufacturing, especially military !!!

 

[NoDandy]

You know, at one time in this country, it was illegal to build critical defense materiel off-shore. That was to maintain our ability to defend our country.


Evidently, little things like that no longer matter...

We need to go back to that policy.

 

[AlfaMan]

Respectfully disagree. The F16 isn't just a military technology transfer program-It's the virtual treaty "glue" that will keep India in the block of US and NATO nations. The Su30 is their current front line fighter, and it's crammed to the gunnels with Elta, IAI, Thomson CSF and BAE built ECM, AESA radars etc but it's still big, heavy, expensive and not that so reliable (read the article below). The F16 is proven, dead stock reliable, and has good engines (which if license built could be placed in hmmm....Indian AF SU-30's. Same thrust class, very similar dimensions). The original F100's in the 15s and 16s had MTBO's of 20 to 25 hours; they're FAR better now.

https://warisboring.com/india-s-new...rious-engine-failures-41fd7edbe94c#.5zt7wwf9h
Mar 26, 2015

India’s New Fighters Have Serious Engine Problems
The SU-30MKIs constantly break down

by THOMAS NEWDICK

In the past decade, the Indian Air Force has bought hundreds of Su-30MKI fighter jets from Russia. Some of Moscow’s most advanced export fighters, the warplanes should have helped New Delhi strengthen its military.

But it turns out, the twin-engine jets have failure-prone motors. Their AL-31FP engines break down with alarming frequency.

In March, Indian defense minister Manohar Parrikar revealed the propulsion problems.

There have been no fewer than 69 investigations involving engine failures since 2012, according to Parrikar. Between January 2013 and December 2014 alone, the Indian Air Force recorded 35 technical problems with the turbofans.

A shortfall in India’s Sukhoi fleet is a big deal. Especially at a time when India’s fighter squadrons are shrinking, and plans to induct the French Rafale fighter have stalled.

The Su-30MKI remains the pride of the Indian Air Force. Russia’s Irkut Corporation initially supplied the jets, and today Hindustan Aeronautics Limited produces them under license.

It was on New Delhi’s behest that Russia revamped the Cold War-era Su-27 into this modern “superfighter,” with thrust-vectoring engines, canard foreplanes, a digital fly-by-wire flight control system, electronically scanned radar and air-to-ground weapons.

India had to wait until 2002 before it started to receive the Su-30MKI in the form it had originally requested. The Air Force is set to receive 272 Su-30MKIs.

India also bought 18 austere Su-30K fighters without the multi-role capabilities or thrust-vectoring engines.

Of the Su-30MKIs, Russia has delivered 50. HAL is producing the rest at its Nasik facility, where aircraft continue to roll off the line. With around 15 to 20 aircraft handed over every year, the current orders are set to finish around 2019 or 2020.
Above and below — Indian Air Force Su-30 fighters. Wikimedia photos. At top — Indian Air Force Su-30MKIs perform at an air show. Irkut photo

So what exactly is wrong with the engines? We have a pretty good idea.

Parrikar attributed the failures to faulty bearings that contaminated the plane’s oil supply. It seems that metal fatigue led to tiny pieces of metal shearing off the friction-reducing bearings, which then entered the oil system.

This accounted for 33 of 69 engine failures.

Another 11 failures were the result of engine vibrations, while eight more arose from a lack of pressure in that same lubricating oil. New Delhi has not revealed the cause for the remaining 17 incidents.

The Air Force responded by taking the issue up with NPO Saturn, the Russian manufacturer. According to Parrikar, the company has come up with nine different modifications to help solve the problems.

India has already incorporated these “fixes” into 25 engines built at its plant in Koraput. In the future, the engines should benefit from an improved lubrication system, superior-quality oil and bearings that are a better fit.

However, a more general worry for the Air Force is the poor serviceability of the Su-30MKI fleet — meaning the number of aircraft actually available for operations on a daily basis.

Based on figures given by Parrikar, only 110 Su-30MKIs are “operationally available.” From a total of more than 200 aircraft that Irkut and HAL had delivered by February 2015, that means 56 percent are ready at any given time.

India’s Su-30MKI fleet has suffered five crashes since 2009.

To be sure, it’s not a great record, but it’s also not notably bad — especially when compared with the attrition rates of the Indian Air Force’s older fighters. It’s unclear what role, if any, the engine problems played in these accidents.

What’s perhaps more significant is the fact that engine deficiencies have bugged the Flanker from the start.

“The initial batch of 18 Su-30Ks and 10 Su-30MKIs were grounded as a result of engine issues, that were subsequently put down to design problems,” Indian defense blogger Shiv Aroor wrote.

At the end of last year, the Air Force’s fighter strength dipped to just 25 squadrons — its lowest in recent history. India has an officially sanctioned requirement for 42 fighter squadrons, and maintained 32 until recently.

As New Delhi withdraws its older MiG-21s and MiG-27s from service, the total number could fall to just 11 squadrons by 2024.

Casting an eye toward Pakistan and China, a parliamentary committee in New Delhi has argued that 45 fighter squadrons are the minimum India needs to cope with the demands of a “two-front collusive threat.”

Either way, that means India needs a lot of Su-30MKIs — and the jets have to work.

India wouldn’t have to worry as much about its Su-30MKI fleet if it managed to import fighters from elsewhere. For years, New Delhi has unsuccessfully tried to nail down a program to buy 126 Rafale fighters from France.

Of these, Dassault Aviation would supply 18, while HAL would build the remainder. But despite announcements from both the French manufacturer and India, the deal is nowhere close to turning into reality.

As far as Moscow is concerned, the protracted Rafale deal has presented Russia with an opportunity to try and elbow the French out of the way, and sell yet more Su-30MKIs to India.

Indian officials have insisted that the Rafale is the only solution to its near-term fighter needs. But that changed at the turn of the year when Parrikar told reporters that an additional Su-30 buy could provide a solution — if negotiations with Paris were to terminally collapse.

The statement came as a surprise to the Air Force, which has long been wed to the Rafale, which it presents as the tailor-made solution to its fighter needs. On this occasion, the Air Force countered that the Su-30MKI and Rafale programs were indivisible, and fulfilled two different requirements.

But if the Sukhoi’s engine problems aren’t fixed soon, then this option might become less attractive. Perhaps as an insurance policy, Russia is now pushing India to buy its Su-35 — a more advanced, single-seat fighter based on the same Flanker airframe.

Regardless of what happens, the Russian-designed jet will have a place in the inventory for some time to come, despite its problems. There simply are lots of Su-30MKIs on order. India is also keen to pursue an upgrade for the jet, known as the Super 30.

This will add a new computer system and upgraded mission avionics, including an advanced active electronically-scanned array radar. Other changes will include revised countermeasure systems and “stealth” coatings to reduce radar signature.

New weapons will include the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile.

The 80-kilometer-range Astra was first successfully flight-tested from a Su-30MKI in May last year and destroyed a target drone this month. It was a good bit of PR for the Indian jet at a time when it needed it the most.
Buy ‘Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition.’

While the Astra will eventually arm most Indian fighters, one other missile will likely remain the sole preserve of the Su-30MKI. The Sukhoi is currently the only Indian Air Force fighter able to lift the heavyweight Brahmos-A, an Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile.

But let’s back up for a second. Why did Parrikar mention the Su-30MKI as a possible replacement for the Rafale if the negotiations collapse? He knows the Russian fighters have loads of problems — as does everyone else. So that doesn’t make any sense.

Unless … you want to scare India’s politicians enough to finally close the deal on the Rafale.

India IS manufacturing the Su-30 series fighter since the Year 2000.
Sounds like a no-go for the F-16.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-30MKI

 

[Housecarl]

So would the variant designation be something
like the F-16TaTa?

The different "blocks" and variant designations make a big difference in capabilities and systems interfaces, and they aren't just limited to LockMart, BAE has been offering a midlife update under the "V" designation that's pretty impressive.

 

[Housecarl]

Well here's another part of the puzzle that's likely going to help this deal along on the Indian side.....

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.defensenews.com/story/de...india-mig-29k-aircraft-navy-defects/88510782/

Report: India's Russian-made MiG-29K Fighters Face Problems

Vivek Raghuvanshi, Defense News 10:35 a.m. EDT August 10, 2016

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy's primary fighter operating from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya faces operational deficiencies due to defects in engines, airframes and fly-by-wire systems, according to a report by India's autonomous auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). However, Indian Navy officials say the Russian-made MiG-29K remains the best choice available.

The report said the "aircraft MiG-29K is being technically accepted despite having discrepancies and anomalies."

India ordered 45 MiG-29K aircraft and equipment worth $2.2 billion in two separate orders — in 2004 and 2010 — from Russia. It is the primary combat platform on Vikramaditya, which was acquired from Russia when it was known as the Admiral Gorshkov.

The MiG-29K aircraft are also expected to serve on the homemade aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which is still under construction.


DEFENSE NEWS
Russia Offers India Nuclear Aircraft Carrier


Arun Prakash, who served as chief of the Indian Naval Staff, evaluated the aircraft in 1999 before the purchase from Russia. The retired admiral said: "There are the only two fighters — MiG-29K and Sukhoi-33 — in the world capable of operations from a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery, a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier like INS Vikramaditya. There is no better fighter available to replace the MiG-29K."

However, Prakash is highly critical of what he called the "lethargy" by the Russians in the manufacturing and maintenance of the aircraft.

On problems with the engine, the CAG report said: "Since induction in February 2010, 40 engines (62 percent) of twin-engined MiG-29K have been withdrawn from service/rejected due to design-related defects."

Additionally, the serviceability of the warplanes was low, ranging from 21.30 percent to 47.14 percent, according to the report.

"The roots of these problems (serviceability and defects) lie in the extremely poor quality control in the Russian military-industrial complex and dismal product support being rendered by the Russian industry to the Indian Navy for the past 25 years," Prakash said. "This is in spite of the fact that the development of the MiG-29K has been totally funded by the Indian Navy."

On how the aircraft could affect combat worthiness of the Navy, the CAG report said: "The service life of MiG -29K is 6,000 hours or 25 years (whichever is earlier) but the deficiencies and snags in the aircraft is likely to reduce the operational life of the aircraft, thereby affecting combat worthiness of [the Indian] Navy."

Detailing the defects of the engine on MiG-29K, the report noted that "even as the RD-33 MK engine (mounted on MiG-29K) was considered an advancement over the engine of the MiG-29K, its reliability remains questionable."


DEFENSE NEWS
India To Upgrade Sukhoi Fleet With Russia's Help


"The engine-design defects should be rectified with the utmost urgency at the Russians' cost," Prakash said. "Any respectable company, conscious of its reputation, would attend to this. But the oligarchs who control the Russian military-industrial complex are too brazen, for two reasons: (a) they know that India has not choice and (b) they are confident that Indian politicians will never turn the screw on them."

However, retired Indian Navy commodore and independent defense analyst, Sujeet Samaddar, gave no credence to the CAG report.

"I firmly believe auditors have no experience or professional ability to comment on technical matters of a modern state — just putting numbers and percentages."

A Ministry of Defence official would not comment in detail on the CAG report, but said: "MiG-29K will remain the primary combat fighter for the Indian Navy."

Email: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com

 

[gawarriorqueen]

For now, maybe.

 

[Housecarl]

Hummm......

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...ns-bid-build-lethal-f-16-fighters-india-17329

The Buzz

Why Lockheed Martin's Bid to Build Lethal F-16 Fighters in India Could be a Game Changer

China won't like this--not one bit.

Danny Lam [2]
August 12, 2016

The US Air Force and those of other NATO countries are phasing out F-16s much sooner than anticipated. This implies that performance of F-35s has met expectations, and that there are no obvious show-stoppers to ramping up production as fast as budgets allow. The F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 production lines are all slated to close by 2020 [3]. But there is more to this deal, as it has the potential to alter the balance of power in South and Southeast Asia over the next decade.

Lockheed-Martin’s “Made in India” deal [4], which offers exclusive rights to manufacture and produce ‘Block 70/72’ F-16s, implies that few—if any—orders are expected from NATO countries. India will have a veto on sales to sensitive countries like Pakistan and Taiwan. This deal is being “finalized”, though no deal with India is a done deal [5] until cash arrives on the barrelhead. But suppose it moves forward, and Indian F-16s are produced in quantity starting in 2019 or 2020. Depending on the technologies transferred or made accessible by India, there is considerable scope to update and upgrade the F-16 to achieve a degree of equivalence to stealth-by-other-means, so as to be competitive with state-of-the-art and relatively stealthy Russian and Chinese fighters. Those upgrades will likely find a ready market with the world’s F-16 operators.

India is one of the world’s largest operators of both Russian and European military equipment. The deal opens the door for India to be the only vendor in the world that can acquire the expertise and infrastructure to integrate and upgrade existing Russian, European, and American platforms. The technical and logistical challenges are formidable, and India will likely require external assistance. However, a well-integrated Indian air defense system built around numerous and inexpensive pre-5th generation aircraft, appropriately upgraded, together with a few indigenously developed items will be sufficient against likely Chinese and Pakistani threats for decades. Will India step to the challenge? Successfully fielding this capability would give India leverage in many areas.

The F-16 deal can be used as the cornerstone to develop a domestic Indian military aircraft manufacturing capability with considerable export potential. This would give China pause before risking a conflict with India, and put China on notice that its arming up Pakistan—to include the transfer of nuclear weapons know-how—is threatening India. Until now, China has not paid much of a price for this Maoist-era strategy of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Developing these technologies and capabilities can give India the option of expanding arms sales to other Southeast Asian states which presently operate a mix of poorly integrated or wholly unintegrated American, European and Russian equipment. Beyond that, there is the option of Indian arms sales to Taiwan in response to a major provocation or conflict with China. Integrating these weapons with appropriate upgrades and acquisition of a few key pieces will challenge Chinese dominance of the South China Sea. To wit, the sale of BrahMos cruise missiles fundamentally altered Chinese strategic calculations toward Vietnam. Modest sales of relatively inexpensive (at $3 million each) air-, land-, ship- and submarine-based cruise missiles to Southeast Asian states disputing the 9-Dash-Line claims would effectively make those waters a no-go zone for major Chinese surface combatants or shipping. The BrahMos and the F-16IN would thus constitute a key component of a low cost, high leverage anti-access and area denial strategy against China.

Dr. Danny Lam is an independent researcher based in Calgary. The opinions herein are the author’s. This piece first appeared in the Defense Industrialist blog here [6].

Image [7]: Creative Commons/Flickr.

Tags
China [8]India [9]Lockheed Martin [10]F-16 Fighting Falcon [11]Military [12]US Military [13]
Topics
Security [14]
Regions
Asia [15]


Links:
[1] http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...ns-bid-build-lethal-f-16-fighters-india-17329
[2] http://nationalinterest.org/profile/danny-lam
[3] http://www.defenseone.com/business/...makers-scramble-keep-production-alive/128274/
[4] http://www.thehindubusinessline.com...f16-fighter-jets-by-201920/article8835851.ece
[5] http://www.defensenews.com/story/br...ndia-cancels-12b-combat-jet-program/31097627/
[6] http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blog...odest-arms-sale-of-obsolete-aircraft-to-india
[7] https://www.flickr.com/photos/carlos346/5167971030/sizes/l
[8] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/china
[9] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/india
[10] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/lockheed-martin
[11] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/f-16-fighting-falcon
[12] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/military
[13] http://nationalinterest.org/tag/us-military-0
[14] http://nationalinterest.org/topic/security
[15] http://nationalinterest.org/region/aisa

 

[Housecarl]

Current Lockheed online advertisement.....

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/wh...utm_content=INDIA&utm_campaign=CORP INDIA INT

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/conte...ter_content/image_0.img.jpg/1474410167907.jpg

F-16 Fighting Falcon

Lockheed Martin is committed to strengthening and expanding our partnerships with India. We have partnered with India for over 25 years and remain committed to a long-term partnership in technology development, manufacturing and strategic collaboration. Enter the Block 70 F-16, the newest, most advanced F-16 ever.

Exclusive F-16 production in India, for the Indian Air Force and global export, would make India home to the world’s only F-16 production facility.

This unique F-16 opportunity delivers advanced defence capabilities, supports Indian industry, creates high-technology jobs in India and strengthens the growing strategic partnership between the U.S. and India.

Lockheed Martin is the pre-eminent designer, developer, and manufacturer of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft. We are confident in our unmatched ability to create an F-16 production line in India, together, with Indian industry. Our partnership and joint venture company with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has proven that Indian industry can manufacture airframe components for the C-130J airlifter and the S-92 helicopter. We hope to build on that success with the F-16, the world’s most successful, combat-proven multi-role fighter.

The hyperlink from the ad from "Block 70 F-16" goes to Lockheed's F-16 Fighting Falcon page and the only "Block" discussed at length isn't a block but a designation...F-16V

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/f16.html

 

[NoDandy]

I do not think we should be exporting any more of our manufacturing, especially military !!!

Agree completely !!!

If we are going to export anything, lets export the recent third world "refugees", and the politicians that wanted them here!

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.defenseworld.net/news/18...6_Fighter_Jets_To_be_Made_in_USA#.WK7wqoWcHIV

IDEX 2017: Future F-16 Fighter Jets To be Made in USA

Our Bureau
11:54 AM, February 22, 2017

Future customers of F-16 fighter jets will get them shipped from the USA, a Lockheed Martin executive said implying an end to licence-manufacture of the aircraft in foreign countries.

Rick Groesch, Lockheed’s regional vice president, was quoted as saying at the IDEX 2017 show in Abu Dhabi yesterday, "The next customer that we sell F-16 to we will build them in the US."

Lockheed Martin has in the past assembled F-16s in Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands in the past. However with the arrival of the Trump administration with its focus on keeping American jobs at home, US companies have to rework their export strategies.

The policy shift puts a big questions mark over Lockheed Martin’s and also Boeing’s pitch to manufacture the F-16 and the F/A-18 aircraft in India under the ‘Make in India’ Program. Both companies are in contention to manufacture single engine (F-16) and twin engine (F/A-18) jets in India to meet Indian Air Force requirements as well as to export them from India.

While Lockheed has offered to shift its F-16 plant to India and use up the space to meet growing demand for the F-35, Boeing has offered to set up modern plant in India provided it gets an order for around 100 aircraft.

Lockheed Martin is eyeing to upgrade F-16 aircraft with Middle Eastern customers such as UAE and Egypt besides completing the supply of 5-6 planes out of a 30 aircraft order meant for Iraq.

The US based firm is also in the running to supply some 19 new F-16s to Bahrain in addition to upgrading a quarter century old 20 Block 40 aircraft.

Lockheed is making presentations in the Middle East and Asia to evince interest in the latest F-16 version known as the F-16V which comes with advancements in radar, communications and weapons systems over earlier versions of the fighter jet.

 

[SmithJ]

Maybe the US Military should think about buying some F-16s themselves

 

[Be Well]

Housecarl -everything okay in your AO? After reading about large evacuations in SJ, I tried PMing you but box was full.

 

[Ractivist]

You know, at one time in this country, it was illegal to build critical defense materiel off-shore. That was to maintain our ability to defend our country.


Evidently, little things like that no longer matter...

It is amazing that we sub contract to china for electronics.... We need Mr. Trump to turn that ship around. There's no reason all military production should not be done within our borders. It's the logical thing to do, especially if WW3 gets rolling. Dump the illegals, create the manufacturing facilities for defense alone, fill in the gaps so to speak, and watch our economy jump significantly. There is a path to tremendous growth, shipping our defense sector to "todays" allies, tomorrows enemy is stupid. China substantiates this. They can out manufacture anyone, due to our efforts to make it so...pathetic.

 

[Dozdoats]

KEEP 'EM AT HOME......