Lockheed Martin’s Derco Signs Maintenance Agreement for Romania’s F-16s
Under the deal, Aerostar S.A. will repair Romanian Air Force fighters’ landing gear, wheels, and brakes.
Aerostar president and CEO Grigore Filip and Derco president (left) and general manager Todd Morar sign an agreement to repair landing gear, wheels, and brakes for Romania’s F-16 fleet. [Courtesy: Lockheed Martin]
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) subsidiary Derco has entered into a maintenance agreement with Aerostar S.A. for the support of the Romanian Air Force’s F-16 fleet.
Under the deal announced Friday, the Romania-based aerospace and defense company is expected to repair F-16 landing gear, wheels, and brakes. Derco will provide Aerostar S.A. specialized tooling, equipment, training, and technical documentation to enable the repairs. The partnership, according to Lockheed Martin, will reduce maintenance lead times and improve logistics for mission readiness on the ground in Romania
“Aerostar will provide maintenance and repair activities required for new aircraft fleets in Romania and the region,” said Grigore Filip, president and CEO at Aerostar S.A. “We want to strengthen Romania’s position in this market and rely on our technical capabilities and knowledge."
News of the signed pact comes just days after Romanian defense officials opened the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC)—a flight training facility that will serve as a model for training regional partners, including the Ukrainian Air Force.
The flight training facility, located at the Romanian Air Force 86th Air Base near Fetesti, will train pilots from Romania and Ukraine. In recent weeks, five Dutch F-16s were delivered to the center, with the Netherlands pledging to provide up to 18 F-16s for flight training.
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