VIKANT SAHAY
vikant@herald-goa.com
panjim: As part of the Make in India initiative, the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, the makers of US fighter jet aircraft, is ready to assemble and manufacture F-16 and C130 in India, provided they do get enough orders to sustain the project. Talks are underway between the government to government level and the enthusiasm in the stall at Defexpo 2016 at Goa gave a feeling that the parlays is being done at a very high-level.
The company is already building the emponage (tail) and the center wing beam of the C130 for worldwide market at Hyderabad. The company is in joint venture with the Tata Lockheed Martin. “If there are good numbers as orders, the business case can be looked into for production of C130 in India. The businesss should be feasible,” said Abhay Paranjape, Director, Business Development of Lockheed Martin.
Talking to Herald, Lockheed Martin’s Director of Integrated Fighter Group Auronautics Startegy and Business Development worldwide for F-16 Randall L Howard said, “F-16 first flight was in 1974 and today we have over 4500 of them and today all such F-16s are much more advanced. The US and Government of India are now working to have some more defifinitive conversation and opportunities. The talks are on at present and will continue early next month.”
The company has set-up production units in several countries in the past. Some of them being at Belgium, Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea. “We believe that it will be an unique opportunity if the talks at the high-level work out in favour of this business. At the moment 4588 F-16 has been sold globally till date and we are in discussions with about four more customers and you can see our production to soar by 2020. This opportunity od assembling and manfacturing of F-16 can be done in India,” said Randall L Howard.
Lockheed Martins Aeronautics Company has delivered six units of C130J Super Hercules planes to India in 2011 and and six more helicopters will be delivered next year. These aircragts have the capability to be used in multiple roles. “We call C130 as Buy one aircaft and get an airforce. It is a capability across multiple missions. You can have C130 aircraft in the role of intelligence surveillance, maritime surveillance, humanitarian relief as disaster hit areas, special operation missions, paratroopers, transport, fire fighting etc. There is a variety of roles that C130 can do and we call it roll on, roll off model,” said Abhay Paranjape, Director, Business Development of Lockheed Martin.
