Lockheed to start supply of Made-in-India’ F-16 wings in 2020: report
27 Sep 2019
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Lockheed Martin, which is bidding for an Indian Air Force contract for supply of 114 combat aircraft, will begin supplying wings for its F-16 combat jets from an India facility, as the US defence major prepares for India’s `Make in India’ contract.
Lockheed had proposed to supply the more advanced F-21 fighter jets, specifically configured for the Indian Air Force’s requirements, while bidding for the contract worth an estimated $15 billion, besides shifting its F-16 production line from the United States to India.
Specifically configured for the Indian Air Force, the F-21 provides unmatched ‘Make in India’ opportunities and strengthens India’s path to an advanced airpower future, Lokheed Martin had said.
The F-21 addresses the Indian Air Force’s unique requirements and integrates India into the world’s largest fighter aircraft ecosystem with the world’s pre-eminent defence company. Lockheed Martin and Tata would produce the F-21 in India, for India, it said.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is pushing a Make-in-India programme under which it wants everything from pins to aircraft and space rockets to be manufactured in India, so as to develop and expand the country’s domestic industrial base and create jobs.
A Reuters report citing Vivek Lall, vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said the wings of all future F-16s that the company will sell worldwide will be produced in a joint facility with Tata Advanced Systems in Hyderabad.
“The first wing prototype is being built now. The expectation is we will begin supplying by next year sometime, this will be the sole facility for future F-16 wing production,” Reuters quoted Lall as saying.
Other defence majors, including Boeing Co with its F/A-18 Super Hornet, Sweden’s Saab with its Gripen fighter, France’s Dassault Systemes with its Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also vying for the contract.
The Indian Air Force, which is still dependent on Soviet era Russian fighter jets like the MiG 21s for much of its needs, is looking to replace its ageing fleet.
However, Indian defence procurement is a lengthy process and the government’s requirement of local participation in defence contracts and reduced reliance on expensive imports make decision making more difficult.
Lockheed, Lall said, was already producing the empennage of its C-130J transport aircraft and also cabins for its Sikorsky helicopters at the Hyderabad facility. The facility is employing 500 people in two joint facilities for production of the empennage and the cabin.
According to Lokheed Martin, joint production of F-21s in India will strengthen and grow its aircraft partnership in India. It would also create thousands of new jobs for Indian industry.
At the same time, F-21 production in India will support thousands of US supplier jobs, including hundreds of US-based Lockheed Martin engineering, program management, sustainment and customer support positions.
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