NEW DELHI – The plan to set up an F-16 jet production unit in India will bean “exclusive” proposition that will help the country in achieving itsoperational needs as well as the ‘Make in India’ initiative, according toAmerican aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin, PTI has reported.
As India continues to shop around to add new fighter jets into its airforce, Lockheed Martin has offered to relocate its entire production lineto India. The company said it intends to create far more than an “assemblyline” in India.
“We plan to introduce two new words into the lexicon of internationalfighter aircraft manufacturing: ‘India’ and ‘exclusive’. F-16 production inIndia will be exclusive — something that has never before been presented byany other fighter aircraft manufacturer, past or present,” Vivek Lall, vicepresident, Strategy and Business Development, Lockheed Martin told PTI inan interview.
“The F-16 gives the Indian industry a unique opportunity to be at thecentre of the world’s largest fighter aircraft ecosystem,” said Lall, whoplayed a key role in some of the big ticket American military sales toIndia, including the General Atomics-built Guardian Predator Dronesannounced by the US last year.
Responding to a question, Lall claimed the offer from Lockheed is costadvantageous for India. “The F-16 is the only aircraft programme in thiscompetition with the proven performance and industrial scale to meetIndia’s operational needs and Make in India priorities,” he said, claimingthat no competing aircraft comes close to matching the F-16’s operationaleffectiveness and industrial success. The F-16 remains the backbone of theUS Air Force, the world’s most capable air force, he said.
Structural and avionic upgrades to the US F-16 fleet will extend servicelife to 2045, while the F-16 becomes even more capable as technologyenhancements from the F-22 and F-35 are continuously integrated across allthree platforms, he added. Lall, however, refused to reply to questions onF-35.
“Any discussions regarding potential new F-35 customers begin at thegovernment-to-government level. It is not our place to speak on behalf ofthe US government or the government of India,” he said.
Notably, US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Harry Harris during his tworecent Congressional testimonies have supported selling F-35 fighter jetsto India. “At the moment, India is considering a number of US systems forpurchase, all of which USPACOM fully supports: the F-16 for India’s largesingle-engine, multi-role fighter acquisition programme,” Harris told theCongressional committees last week.