Lockheed Martin signs pact with Tata to make F-16 planes in India

[monitor]

Lockheed Martin signed an agreement with India’s Tata Advanced Systems on Monday to produce F-16 fighter planes in India, pressing ahead with a plan to shift its Fort Worth, Texas plant to win billions of dollars worth of order from the Indian military.

India’s air force needs hundreds of aircraft to replace its Soviet-era fleet, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said foreign suppliers would have to make the planes in India with a local partner to help build a domestic industrial base and cut outright imports.

But Modi’s Make-in-India drive runs the risk of conflicting with US President Donald Trump’s America First campaign under which he has been pressing for companies to invest in the United States and create jobs instead of setting up factories abroad.

In announcing their agreement at the Paris Airshow, Lockheed and Tata said moving the production base to India would still retain jobs in the United States.

“F-16 production in India supports thousands of Lockheed Martin and F-16 supplier jobs in the US, creates new manufacturing jobs in India, and positions Indian industry at the center of the most extensive fighter aircraft supply ecosystem in the world,” a joint statement by the firms said.

Sweden’s Saab is the other contender to supply the Indian Air Force, offering to make its Gripen fighter in India. It has not yet announced a local partner for the plane which it has pitched as a modern alternative to the F-16s.

The announcement comes days before Modi travels to Washington for a first meeting with Trump, scheduled for June. 26. India and the United States have built a close defence relationship in recent years with Washington emerging as among the top three arms suppliers to India, along with Russia and Israel.

India will also have the chance to export the F-16 that is flown by air forces around the world, the joint statement said. Some 3,200 of these planes are being flown by 26 countries and the model that is being offered to India will be Block 70, the most modern of all the F-16s.

“This unprecedented F-16 production partnership between the world’s largest defense contractor and India’s premier industrial house provides India the opportunity to produce, operate and export F-16 Block 70 aircraft, the newest and most advanced version of the world’s most successful, combat-proven multi-role fighter,” the statement said.

Tata is already building airframe components for the C-130 military transport aircraft.

India has not opened formal bidding for the jet order, which is expected to be anything from 100 planes to 250.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/busin...es-in-india/story-lZvjju73YPMorAo5d3nrEN.html

What a sensational headlines for graving customer. It's just Tata have been taken by Lockheed as local partner as the defence policy of India.. not F-16 have win the coming contest and going to manufacture in India.

Lol at the Indians for making a old plane which we already have for decades. Have fun....

Lol India will get the latest block 70 version not what you are using and expect to buy if US aid available. If you were afford or offered surly you would jump to get this OLD fighter.

 

[Dai Toruko]

 

[ranadd]

The best part of this deal will be a boost to local defence industry.

Eh. No. There is no local defense industry in this. All the supply chain in US is still alive. There will not be any Indian input to that. Indians will open the box, put it on jig, turn screws, LM test pilots will confirm the AT and transfer to end users.

I may have missed around 1000 steps in between.

 

[ashok321]

We have a saying in Sweden:

- Don't sell the hide, before You killed the Bear...

Salja inte skinnet innan bjornen ar skjuten
Har bott i sverige i tvo ar

 

[ranadd]

+ Billion times.

 

[nang2]

Eh. No. There is no local defense industry in this. All the supply chain in US is still alive. There will not be any Indian input to that. Indians will open the box, put it on jig, turn screws, LM test pilots will confirm the AT and transfer to end users.

I may have missed around 1000 steps in between.

Look at the bright side. It will sure piss off Pakistani and may drive more Pakistan defense business to China.

 

[P@nThEr]

You have a very valid point mate, indians seem to be messing up.

By 2025 all Mig 21s will retire..F16/Gripen will replace those..This is a single engine category.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

There is no if. Gripen is already out. One of their vendor, a friendly to India, denied TOT.

And You think that India is getting full TOT on F-16?
It is LM selling, not Raytheon, Westinghouse, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman
trying to sell them something.
The US is known for denying TOT on its military equipment.
I doubt that will change.

India may get some TOT out of this, but it is foolish to expect full TOT.

 

[ranadd]

And You think that India is getting full TOT on F-16?
It is LM selling, not Raytheon, Westinghouse, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman
trying to sell them something.
The US is known for denying TOT on its military equipment.
I doubt that will change.

India may get some TOT out of this, but it is foolish to expect full TOT.

No. India is not getting ToT. Agreed.

This is a political deal. simple as that. Sweden cannot offer anything that India needs.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

No. India is not getting ToT. Agreed.

This is a political deal. simple as that. Sweden cannot offer anything that India needs.

Of course Sweden can.
Sweden can offer technology which India needs.
That includes knowledge in "How to run a fighter project".
Would India rather work with a company that knows how to design a fighter for 50 B$
or a company that knows how to design a fighter for 2 B$ by proper project decisions.

If the US and India want to work together, it does not need to be sealed by a fighter deal.
The cooperation is going to happen anyway.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

No F16 please...........!!!!!! LM wont even transfer screw driver technology....

 

[chander_011]

Eh. No. There is no local defense industry in this. All the supply chain in US is still alive. There will not be any Indian input to that. Indians will open the box, put it on jig, turn screws, LM test pilots will confirm the AT and transfer to end users.

I may have missed around 1000 steps in between.

Dear Sir, did you read the article? " Texas plant meaning manufacturing will be shifted to India"

 

[ranadd]

Dear Sir, did you read the article? " Texas plant meaning manufacturing will be shifted to India"

Fort worth plant of LM where F16 are being Integrated will be moved to India.

Industrial Products work in JIT methodology. Just In Time.

All the suppliers are sitting in US and the suppliers are not LM. And they wont be shifting to anywhere else.

They will go business as usual. Pack in boxes and ship to India instead of For Worth.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

No. India is not getting ToT. Agreed.

This is a political deal. simple as that. Sweden cannot offer anything that India needs.

Both of them doesnt offer anything India needs. If we want we can ask the Swedish to manage our programs in HAL and that's best what they can offer.

if the decision is to replace Mig 21 even normal Tejas (first initial 20 units) are more than good enough to replace those. Hell we are getting mk1A with AESA, HMD, refuelling probe etc and an MK2 with a powerful engine and a elongated fuselage for large combat radius. If these cannot replace Mig21 I dont know which can....

I am against F16. The Americans are not to be trusted. And they wont give us damn nor honour their promise. Hell they dont even define by what they mean full tot. They need to get Congressional approval for each and every tech transfer.

 

[ranadd]

Of course Sweden can.
Sweden can offer technology which India needs.
That includes knowledge in "How to run a fighter project".
Would India rather work with a company that knows how to design a fighter for 50 B$
or a company that knows how to design a fighter for 2 B$ by proper project decisions.

If the US and India want to work together, it does not need to be sealed by a fighter deal.
The cooperation is going to happen anyway.

Sorry.

India is already at par or ahead of most EU nations barring Germany and France. Yes, Asian nations are coming to their own.

Problem with Sweden is you are already procuring key LRUs from other nations. Sweden has no political clout to sway them. So India better develop a relationship with them,

Both of them doesnt offer anything India needs. If we want we can ask the Swedish to manage our programs in HAL and that's best what they can offer.

if the decision is to replace Mig 21 even normal Tejas (first initial 20 units) are more than good enough to replace those. Hell we are getting mk1A with AESA, HMD, refuelling probe etc and an MK2 with a powerful engine and a elongated fuselage for large combat radius. If these cannot replace Mig21 I dont know which can....

I am against F16. The Americans are not to be trusted. And they wont give us damn nor honour their promise. Hell they dont even define by what they mean full tot. They need to get Congressional approval for each and every tech transfer.

Do you see anyone disagreeing with you?

It maybe the best F16 ever, but with India's habit of Integrating the best of best. I don't know what to say.

http://lockheedmartin.com/content/d...ents/F-16_Block_70_Executive_Summary_2017.pdf