Lockheed Martin said Tuesday that it would continue to reduce workers employed in the company’s F-16 program through 2006, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The company dropped layoff notices on about 60 workers at the company’s Fort Worth facility Monday, and posted notices around the plant that more cuts are to come. In total, Lockheed has now cut around 950 positions from the F-16 program this year alone. Despite the move to layoff workers, the company still is getting orders for the fighter. Officials noted they are expecting orders for up to 200. The workforce cuts are helping to keep the customer price down, they said.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.