Lockheed Martin pursues international ties

No 1 US defence contractor Lockheed Martin Corp's is aggressively pursuing international partnerships, a company official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Despite tensions caused by charges of protectionist buying practices by governments and strained transatlantic trade relations over plane-makers' subsidies, Vice President for Business Development Jay Dragone of Lockheed's Maritime Systems and Sensors division said Lockheed was finding ever more interest in international co-operation.
"There is more openness than there has been in the past. I think everyone now realises the world is a smaller place," Dragone said during a visit to Paris for the Euronaval show, which is taking place this week.
Trade relations between the United States and the European Union hit the rocks earlier this month, after both sides filed cases at the World Trade Organisation complaining against state aid given to commercial planemakers Boeing Co and Airbus.
Both firms have strong links to the defence sector, Boeing being the No 2 contractor in the United States and Airbus being 80 percent owned by European aerospace giant EADS.
But Dragone said the situation had not soured attitudes toward transatlantic co-operation or hampered Lockheed's efforts to build relationships with European companies.
"We are seeing no negative repercussions," he said.
He added that international collaboration on major projects helped counter charges of protectionism in defense purchase decisions.
Lockheed on Tuesday released details of its new Littoral Combat Ship, 20 percent of which is the work of non-American suppliers.
"We are part of an active industrial group telling the government that it is good to have a relationship with international subcontractors," he said.
Dragone said the division saw the US defence market showing slight growth in the short to medium term, and added that the ongoing conflict in Iraq was causing a re-evaluation of budget priorities.
"Competition for money is definitely there," he said.
But he said the outcome of next week's presidential elections in the United States was unlikely to have any immediate impact on the market or on demand for its systems.
"There might be some change in priorities, but in general I don't think there will be any significant change in the outlook. Whatever happens there will be some changeover in key positions; so we'll need to wait to see who is appointed, and what their opinions are."