The aerospace industry isn’t a “fat cat” and shouldn’t be targeted for tax hikes and cutbacks, Aerospace Industries Association president Marion Blakey said Wednesday. Speaking at an industry lunch in Washington, D.C., she claimed that the “top five companies combined” in the US aerospace sector “are one-half the size of Wal-Mart” in terms of sales, and argued that the industry shouldn’t be disproportionately targeted for “inappropriate” budget cuts. The huge positive contribution that aerospace makes to the nation’s balance of trade suggests that the industry should be allowed to continue to offer its share of “prosperity” to American workers, she said. Foreign military sales “will contract if we’re forced to close production lines,” Blakey asserted.
The U.S. has approved a $310.5 million Foreign Military Sale to provide Ukraine with maintenance and training for its F-16 fighter jets, the State Department announced May 2. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force has been sending retired F-16s to Ukraine to be used for spare parts.