Lockheed Martin Voices Interest in Projects in Romania

The world's largest weapons manufacturer, the US military technology giant Lockheed Martin, has expressed interest in developing new research projects in Romania, including in the field of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The announcement was made this week by the company's chairman and chief executive officer, Marillyn A. Hewson, who met Romania's Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, during a visit to Bucharest. The US ambassador to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman, took part in the meeting.

According to the ministry, Lockheed Martin wants to intensify cooperation with Romania, where the company has been present since 1997, with "projects dedicated to maintenance and modernization in the field of aviation" and "in the field of research".

Hewson also expressed Lockheed Martin's interest in involving Romanian researchers in these projects, after it "highlighted the existence in Romania of a talented and well prepared workforce and of a solid industrial base".

The minister noted the importance of US military cooperation for Romania's security needs as a Black Sea country. He also reaffirmed Romania's commitment to maintaining a US military presence in the country.

Romania has been a NATO member since 2004 and is a staunch ally to the US. It contributes 762 soldiers to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which makes Romania the fifth largest contributor after the US, the UK, Germany and Italy. Romania is also one of the few European countries to allocate at least 2 per cent of its GDP to defence, as both the alliance and Donald Trump have called on all its members to do - largely in vain.

Lockheed Martin is the world's largest supplier of military services and products. In 2018, its net sales totalled $53.8 billion. Lockheed...