Aerospace giant and U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin will be letting go about 10% of workers at its Greenville facility following the Department of Defense’s decision not to renew an F-16 sustainment and maintenance contract.
The contract is separate from the company’s contract to build the F-16 Block 70 model. The Greenville plant builds the fighter for sale, primarily to foreign allies.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the company’s decision June 23 and released the following statement:
“As a result of the Air Force’s decision not to extend the F-16 CONUS (Continental U.S.) Depot contract, and to meet our customers’ needs for affordability in a cost-competitive environment, we made the difficult decision to conduct a limited reduction in force at our Greenville site.
“This decision was made with a great deal of consideration and careful evaluation, and we’re committed to supporting affected employees with outplacement services and career counseling.”
The company was awarded the $900 million contract in 2020 through the Air Force’s F-16 System Program Office to maintain and upgrade the airframe that makes up about 45% of the Air Force’s fighter inventory.
The company did not specify exactly how many employees would be impacted.
