Lockheed Martin adding funding to Sikorsky Colombia to serve as Latin American hub

Lockheed Martin is adding funding to its Sikorsky Colombia division so that it may act as a springboard for the parent company’s Latin American business development aspirations.

John Lopes, Lockheed Martin International director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told Jane’s on 13 December that this additional funding will allow Lockheed Martin employees who are not part of Sikorsky to utilise Sikorsky Colombia’s Bogota office and its administrative support. Lopes said, for example, if his space or aeronautical colleagues need offices, conference rooms for meetings, or transportation, they can now get this from Sikorsky Colombia.

Lockheed Martin in 2017 was selected by the Chilean Navy to upgrade its Type 23 frigates. (US Navy)

Lockheed Martin announced on 22 November that it was opening an office in Chile and had hired a Chilean aerospace executive, Patricia Tobar, to support business pursuits across Latin America. These developments are an expansion of the company’s presence in the region as Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky has facilities in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. The Chilean office will be in Santiago.

“I envision this as the first step, but as business grows, we hope to grow with it,” Lopes said. “[We] will use the Sikorsky Colombia office as a launch pad for other business development efforts.”

Lopes told Jane’s on 3 December at Expodefensa in Bogota that the company is partnering with Chile’s ASMAR Shipyards and its planning office to prepare for future Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) modernisation plans. Lockheed Martin, he said, signed a contract in February 2017 with the navy for Type 23 Frigate modernisation, known as combat systems integration.