U.S. aerospace and defence contractor Lockheed Martin said on Thursday it will offer final assembly of the F-35 fighter to Japanese firms in a bid for a defence contract from Tokyo.
Lockheed, seeking to bolster its chances of winning a bid to supply warplanes worth as much as $8 billion to Japan, said it will also offer manufacture of major components, maintenance work and engine assembly of the F-35 to Japanese firms.
The F-35 "has taken our industry and partners to a new level," John Balderston, the campaign director for Lockheed's bid, told reporters at a Tokyo hotel where the company was displaying a mockup of the plane.
"It will put Japanese aerospace into the lead," Balderston said, referring to what Lockheed says is its more advanced technology than rivals.
