Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Paul Auskick / 247Walist.com – 2017-06-04 01:43:19
Lockheed Sees $28 Billion From Saudi Arms Sales, Boeing Expects $50 Billion
Lockheed Sees $28 Billion From Saudi Arms Sales, Boeing Expects $50 Billion
Lockheed Trying to Sell Saudis on
Littoral Combat Ships as Part of Deal
Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com
(June 2, 2017) — The massive US arms deal with Saudi Arabia signed last month by President Trump is continuing to drive up arms makers’ stock, though at present the exact dollar values for specific companies are a matter of some speculation. Lockheed Martin, long expected to be one of the big sellers, put their figure at $28 billion.
Lockheed’s sales include 150 Black Hawk helicopters, at the very least, but the company is also trying to sell the Saudis on the THAAD missile defense system, and the small but pricey Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) that the US has been struggling with constantly breaking down.
Boeing offered their own estimates on Saudi contracts, saying they believe they’re getting $50 billion. This is stated to include both military sales and commercial sales. They did not offer guidance on how much of the funding was which, nor if this was sales only, or included maintenance deals for the lifetime of the planes. They also offered no specifics on what was being sold.
These companies and other well-connected US arms makers are all expected to make quite a bit of money off this new arms deal with Saudi Arabia, as well as more money off of President Trump’s planned military spending increases.
As the chance of peace suddenly breaking out looks more and more remote, the arms makers are expected to continue raking in money hand over fist.
Lockheed Sees $28 Billion from
Saudi Weapons Sales; Boeing Sees $50 Billion
Paul Auskick / 247Walist.com
(June 1, 2017) — At a conference in New York Wednesday, Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) CEO Marillyn Hewson said she could see up to $28 billion in new business for Lockheed alone as a result of President Trump’s recent announcement that the Saudis would purchase up to $110 billion in weapons from the United States.
Not to be outdone, Boeing Co.’s (NYSE: BA) CEO Dennis Muilenburg reportedly said Boeing’s share of the Saudi pie could be worth more than $50 billion, including both military and commercial sales. He did not specify the value of the military portion by itself.
A large portion of these estimates are no doubt down to maintenance and sustainment deals that can run for periods as long as 30 years, so don’t expect either company’s revenues to surge over the next quarter or two. In fact, the sustainment part of these kinds of deals typically amounts to 70% of the total value.
Foreign weapons sales take a long to time to negotiate and a long time to deliver. Congress must be notified of a pending deal and that is a potential minefield. If the sale is not stopped there, then the contracts must be drawn up between the manufacturer and the country before manufacturing and delivery begin.
Payments for the hardware typically begin when the contract is signed, followed by a future payment when the actual unit gets to the assembly line, and then the final payment is received when the system is delivered. Then the sustainment payments begin.
In 2012 the Saudis received the okay to acquire 25 C-130 aircraft, some as tankers and some the basic cargo hauler. So far the country has purchased just two, and the rest likely fall under this newly announced deal.
Lockheed’s Hewson told Aerospace Daily that the Saudis are looking for four multimission warships and Lockheed is proposing a variant of its Littoral Combat Ship. Lockheed and a Saudi state company also agreed to form a joint venture to support final assembly and completion of about 150 S-70 Black Hawk utility helicopters. She also said that Lockheed’s THAAD and PAC-3 missile systems may be on the Saudi shopping list.
There has been no report of what Boeing might be selling to Saudi Arabia, but expect to hear something soon.
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
