Mumbai: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT) on Tuesday announced an agreement to commence the production of the wings of Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets in India.
According to the official statement, producing F-16 wings in India will strengthen Lockheed’s strategic partnership with TASL and support the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government.
Lockheed, however, insisted that the planned F-16 wing production to India is not contingent on India selecting the F-16 for the Indian Air Force. Lockheed has also offered to move its entire F-16 manufacturing base to India. India is yet to make a decision on it.
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of TASL, Sukaran Singh said, “We are delighted with the decision made by Lockheed Martin to select Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the production of F-16 wings in India. This positions TASL as a global provider of F-16 wings in future. TASL and Lockheed Martin, through a long-standing joint-venture, have been manufacturing airframe components of the C-130J aircraft and S-92 Sikorsky helicopter at the Hyderabad facility. This development now again gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase our technological expertise and advance our capability development, as we reinforce our commitment to both the Indian and global aerospace industry. The production of the F-16 wings in India, for global application, is set to place the country at the centre of the world’s largest fighter aircraft ecosystem and make it a preferred destination for aerospace manufacturing.”
Tata Advanced Systems Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, focuses on providing integrated solutions for Aerospace, Defence and Homeland Security.