by Timothy R.
During the early days of the F-16 program, the logistics
department was tasked to develop a support system in the field for F-16 worldwide
operation.
As such, the product support department approached the
United States Air Force with the idea of assigning a Fort Worth staff person in
various regions of the world. They would provide localized support for the F-16s
in their region, with engineering support coming from Fort Worth.
An LOA was formalized with the Air Force to place
support offices at key locations—PACAF, USAFE and Ninth Air Force Headquarters,
Nellis Air Force Base and Brussels, Belgium. Thus, the formation of the regional
manager concept for support was established in the early 1980s. This mindset became
the aerospace standard for support for fighter aircraft around the world. Several
of those offices still provide support to our customers after 30 years.
Lockheed Martin product support set the standard for worldwide support in the aerospace
industry!
