http://www.dsti.net/News/53222.htm
洛•馬公司接受F-22停產決定
[據英國《飛行國際》2009年4月22日報導] 洛克希德•馬丁公司公司的一位高級主管說,公司將不會反對國防部暫停F-22生產的建議。根據國防部長蓋茨4月6日提出的2010財年預算建議,洛•馬公司將關閉F-22和VH-71總統直升機的生產線。洛•馬公司首席財務官Bruce Tanner說:“我們對該決定感到失望,但是我們會接受並照辦。”他4月21日告訴投資分析師,由於蓋茨建議增加其他項目的投入,比如F-35聯合攻擊機、近岸作戰艦以及末端高空區域防衛系統,公司的營業額可能會繼續增長。
Tanner還說,F-22已生產188架,包括墜毀的兩架,關閉生產線未必造成大量裁員。洛克希德及其供應商已經把潛在的失業視為他們拓展戰鬥機生產業務活動的主題,聲稱如果在2012年一季度前該項目被終止,則可能造成全國範圍內95000個失業者。可是Tanner現在說,F-22停產所造成的失業可以由C-130J以及C-5M的大量增產而得到安置。不過他又說,要取決於事情是否會被妥當的安排好。
洛克希德公司已經宣佈計畫到今年年底將C-130J產量翻倍,而C-5M也將進入到全速生產狀態。兩個項目都在佐治亞州的瑪麗埃塔工廠製造,F-22也是在那裏總裝的。F-22項目也即將在接下來的幾年中得到高達10億美元的資金用於改裝和升級。美國空軍每年要向洛克希德公司提供大約10億美元來維持F-22機群。Tanner說,在接下來幾年中,這個數字可能要猛漲。不過不太可能每年出30億美元來造20架F-22。最終,美國空軍要付給洛克希德公司一個未指定具體數目的金額來彌補關閉F-22生產線的成本,這些金額將分攤在預計購買的最後四架F-22中。
Tanner同時說洛克希德公司對蓋茨所建議的F-35專案加速計畫的細節還不清楚,他說:“我們也注意到了幾十億美元的資金增長,可是對於資金的用途我們還不是完全清楚。”(中國航空工業發展研究中心 孫友師)
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/04/22/325475/lockheed-martin-to-accept-f-22-termination-decision.html
Lockheed Martin to accept F-22 termination decision
By Stephen Trimble
DATE:22/04/09
SOURCE:Flight International
A top Lockheed Martin executive says the company will not oppose the Department of Defense's proposal to halt F-22 production. The company stands to lose production lines for the F-22 and the VH-71 presidential helicopter under fiscal year 2010 budget proposals announced by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on 6 April.
"We're disappointed by the decisions, but we'll accept those and go on," says Lockheed chief financial officer Bruce Tanner. Its revenues are likely to continue to grow as a result of proposals by Gates to increase other programmes, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Littoral Combat Ship and terminal high-altitude area defence system, he told investment analysts on 21 April.
Tanner also says that closing the F-22 production line after building 188 operational aircraft for the US Air Force, including two crashed jets, may not necessarily spark mass layoffs.
Lockheed and its suppliers had made potential job losses a major theme of their campaign to extend production of the fighter, claiming that 95,000 jobs nationwide would be at risk if the programme were allowed to phase out in the first quarter of 2012.
But Tanner now says F-22 losses could be offset by a "significant up-tick in production for the C-130J, as well as a significant up-tick in production for C-5M". However, "it remains to be seen whether those things align perfectly", he adds.
Lockheed has already announced plans to roughly double C-130J production by the end of this year, and the C-5M is transitioning to full-rate production. Both programmes are based in Marietta, Georgia, where the F-22 is assembled.
The F-22 programme is also in line to receive up to billions of dollars for modifications and upgrades over the next several years. The USAF already pays Lockheed about $1 billion annually to sustain the F-22 fleet, and Tanner says this amount is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. However, it is unlikely to equal the roughly $3 billion budget to build 20 F-22s each year.
Finally, the USAF must pay Lockheed an unspecified amount to cover the costs of shutting down its production line, which will be amortised over the final four F-22s expected to be purchased.
Tanner meanwhile says Lockheed remains unaware of the details of a proposed F-35 programme acceleration announced by Gates. "A multi-billion [dollar] funding increase is obviously something we notice as well," Tanner says. "But it's not entirely clear to us without the details of the budget exactly what that is for."