Overview

• Lockheed Martin has proposed a strategic partnership with Southern Methodist University to fund Philippine business incubators, research labs and workforce training under its F-16 Block 70 offer.
• The industrial package pledges technology transfer in digital modeling, simulation, robotics and artificial intelligence to bolster Manila’s Self-Reliant Defense Posture.
• It forms part of the DSCA-approved $5.58 billion FMS package for 20 F-16 Block 70/72 jets that includes AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles, precision-guided bombs and optional conformal fuel tanks.
• Manila has not signed a purchase agreement, citing financing challenges as it weighs alternatives such as the Saab Gripen E/F and Korea’s KF-21 alongside its FA-50PH expansion.
• Lockheed’s existing backlog of over 110 Block 70/72 jets means even a finalized deal would likely see the first aircraft arriving toward the end of the decade.