WHNS: Lockheed to Move F-16 Production to Greenville

Lockheed Martin said it is moving the production line for F-16 fighter jets from Texas to Greenville.

Lockheed has had a presence in Greenville for more than three decades and has a manufacturing facility near Donaldson Center.

Officials for the aerospace company said the last F-16 to be produced in Ft. Worth will roll off the line in September and then all equipment and tools will be moved to Greenville over a 2-year period.

Meanwhile, the Ft. Worth facility will be expanded to produce S-35 jets.

Leslie Farmer, a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin, said Greenville’s experienced workforce and South Carolina being a right to work state led to the decision to move production to Greenville.

Farmer said the Greenville plant also has the facilities and infrastructure to support the F-16 operation and will only require an upfit to meet the f-16 requirements.

Lockheed Martin currently employs 500 employees in Greenville. The Greenville operation currently provides maintenance and modification on existing jets, such as the P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules and C-5M Galaxy. The Greenville site is also home Lockheed's to the Final Assembly and Checkout facility for the T-50A  in the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Pilot Training competition. 

Farmer said moving the F-16 production lines to Greenville would create an additional 200 to 250 jobs.