Even with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter low looming large on the horizon, a senior Lockheed Martin official said on Wednesday that he still anticipates the company will receive international orders for perhaps 80 to 100 additional F-16s before everything is said and done for the Viper line in Fort Worth, Tex. These are in addition to all existing F-16 orders. Part of the reason for confidence, Rob Weiss, corporate VP for business development, told reporters at AFA’s Air & Space Conference is that the F-16 keeps getting repeat buyers—14 of 24 purchasers already have come back for more. These include Greece, Israel, and Turkey. Weiss said the assembly plant will have no trouble accommodating additional F-16s even when F-35 production—at the same site—begins to speed up.
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.