Why Lockheed Martin's Philippine R&D hub will be on China's radar
The American defence giant announced on Tuesday a collaboration with Southern Methodist University (SMU) aimed at boosting innovation, developing advanced technologies and nurturing local talent in partnership with Philippine academic and industrial institutions. The initiative forms part of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 proposal for the Philippine military's multi-role fighter programme.
Jess Koloini, business development lead for Lockheed Martin's F-16 programme, described the partnership as an investment in 'new capabilities and intellectual properties' through close cooperation with
the Philippines ' leading universities and companies.
'This partnership will not only support the country's 'self-reliant defence posture', but also create a lasting impact on the Filipino workforce, driving economic growth and prosperity,' he said.
Visitors at Lockheed Martin's exhibition stall during the Aero India air show on February 12. Photo: EPA-EFE
Under the agreement, SMU's Centre for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing and its Deason Innovation Gym will help strengthen Philippine research and development capacity in digital modelling, simulations, robotics, automation, artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality.
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South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why Lockheed Martin's Philippine R&D hub will be on China's radar
Lockheed Martin is set to establish an R&D facility in Manila in partnership with a major Philippine university, in a move analysts say will both strengthen the nation's technological foundations and enmesh it further into Washington's regional security framework. The American defence giant announced on Tuesday a collaboration with Southern Methodist University (SMU) aimed at boosting innovation, developing advanced technologies and nurturing local talent in partnership with Philippine academic and industrial institutions. The initiative forms part of Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70 proposal for the Philippine military's multi-role fighter programme. Jess Koloini, business development lead for Lockheed Martin's F-16 programme, described the partnership as an investment in 'new capabilities and intellectual properties' through close cooperation with the Philippines ' leading universities and companies. 'This partnership will not only support the country's 'self-reliant defence posture', but also create a lasting impact on the Filipino workforce, driving economic growth and prosperity,' he said. Visitors at Lockheed Martin's exhibition stall during the Aero India air show on February 12. Photo: EPA-EFE Under the agreement, SMU's Centre for Digital and Human-Augmented Manufacturing and its Deason Innovation Gym will help strengthen Philippine research and development capacity in digital modelling, simulations, robotics, automation, artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality.
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More fundamentally, it sends a message that US economic statecraft is increasingly zero-sum, a framing that will nudge other swing states toward hedging strategies. In that world, India will not stand alone: it will be joined by BRICS and several mid-sized powers seeking insulation from great-power coercion. If Trump's goal is actually to keep India close, a more sophisticated approach would blend incentives with calibrated pressure. That could mean reviving stalled trade talks, offering targeted supply-chain co-investment in sectors like semiconductors and AI and easing market-access irritants in agriculture and services. Such engagement would not preclude firm conversations about Russia, but it would avoid the trap of punitive measures that push India further into BRICS and alternative coalitions. Modi's India will not back down from a challenge; it will build around it. The more the West applies pressure, the more New Delhi is likely to deepen its ties with BRICS and other non-Western coalitions that offer strategic autonomy in a multipolar world. Ricardo Martins holds a PhD in sociology with a specialization in geopolitics and international relations and an advanced studies certificate in international trade. He is based in the Netherlands.
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