By Sabine SieboldANKARA, July 7 (Reuters) - The United States will establish a maintenance facility for Lockheed Martin's advanced PAC-3 air defence missile in Europe, a senior official said on Tuesday, adding Washington was not ruling out production of the missile abroad.Speaking to reporters at a defence industry gathering on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Michael Duffey said it was not yet clear in which country the maintenance plant would be built.

If implemented, both projects could free up capacity at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin factories in the United States and enable the US defense giants to ramp up production at home.

Joint venture between Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin will establish a European manufacturing hub for the long-range tactical missile