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

[Dhara]

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 joke I am expecting such brain fart after ICC final,

F-16 would not be suitable for air warfare after 15 years and to shift manufacturing facilities plus the training and 100 more things would take at least 10 more years to roll out Indian assembled jet again with 40% to 50% US made parts and only fools agrees on this to have a locally assembled jet which would have only 5 years remaining service life because all the neighbors (Pakistan and China) would have 5th Gen fighters in their air force.

 

[ranadd]

If F16 is coming to India. I would hedge my money is saying that F35 will come here as well.

Not the current F35. But a advanced block.

LM/Tata will crib in 10 years saying that the plant will go waste or our investment will go waste.

 

[Maler]

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

Which one?

 

[P@nThEr]

What a joke I am expecting such brain fart after ICC final,

F-16 would not be suitable for air warfare after 15 years and to shift manufacturing facilities plus the training and 100 more things would take at least 10 more years to roll out Indian assembled jet again with 40% to 50% US made parts and only fools agrees on this to have a locally assembled jet which would have only 5 years remaining service life because all the neighbors (Pakistan and China) would have 5th Gen fighters in their air force.

So what do you suggest?

 

[ranadd]

Which one?

That info is not out.

SAAB Vendors are spread out only in NA and EU. Very small list. Makes you wonder r8?

 

[bdslph]

well india badly need a new fighter and fast and cheap so f16 fix in it
india plans to export the f16 but maybe india will do a waterdown version of the blk70 for sale cheaper

then india will try to sale it to BD even if BAL is in power that will be a good trick
i think it will be a-z make in india f16 blk 70

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

well india badly need a new fighter and fast and cheap so f16 fix in it
india plans to export the f16 but maybe india will do a waterdown version of the blk70 for sale cheaper

then india will try to sale it to BD even if BAL is in power that will be a good trick
i think it will be a-z make in india f16 blk 70

Why do You think India said that the decision would be taken in 2021,
when they announced the single engine project?
If they wanted it to look like a fair competition, which resulted in selecting the F-16
then they would have said deliveries in 2019.

 

[Dai Toruko]

 

[Mitho1980]

Wouldn't it be cheaper if india bought planes directly from states. Now Lm will Disassemble its plant in us transfer it to india and manufacture f16 from the parts imported from us. Who will be paying for the transportation and logistics? Didn't you learn from Russian deal of your su aircrafts.

 

[thepakistani]

So finally india selects a design of 1978 with beauty parlour touch ups, PAF has well insight of the platform.
Pakistani Jf17 block 3 would be able to counter it happily.
PAF would jump to j31 as emergency counter manoeuvre.
Finally india would be entangled with outdated platform, think you are in 2020, whole world is on 5th generations and talking of 6th gens and india enjoying block 70 F16, beautiful scenario for PAF.

 

[HAIDER]

A debate is going on, what US will do with F16 production line after it started F35 production. US also wants to get rid of F15 and F18 line up too. No customer is major reason behind selling or shutdown these production lines in future.

 

[flameboard]

Does this mean Pakistan is moving on from F-16s? Eurofighter seems like the next best thing given that India is getting Rafale as well.

 

[A.P. Richelieu]

Does this mean Pakistan is moving on from F-16s? Eurofighter seems like the next best thing given that India is getting Rafale as well.

That topic is not the purpose of this thread, so I suggest You delete the comment
and use one of the zillion threads on that subject.

 

[Raider 21]

If this goes through with production, then the Indian government will have to pay royalty fees to the UAE Government.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-uaes-f-16-block-60-desert-falcon-fleet-04538/

 

[skyisthelimit]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...f-16-planes-in-india/articleshow/59219549.cms

Lockheed Martin teams up with Tata to make F-16 Fighters in India

NEW DELHI:The defence arm of the Tata Group has signed an agreement with American firm Lockheed Martin to produce and export new generation F-16 fighter aircraft, potentially kick-starting a mega ‘Make in India’ project days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The deal, signed at the Paris Air Show, is subject to the condition that the F-16 Block 70 fighter jet emerges as the winner of an Indian Air Force competition to procure more ..