ഇന്ത്യൻ വ്യോമസേനയുടെ 10.5 ബില്യൺ ഡോളറിന്റെ ഇടത്തരം ഗതാഗത വിമാന കരാർ ലഭിച്ചാൽ, ഇന്ത്യയിലെ നിർമ്മാണ ശേഷി ഗണ്യമായി വർദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുമെന്ന് ലോക്ക്ഹീഡ് മാർട്ടിൻ വ്യക്തമാക്കി. ടാറ്റയുമായി ചേർന്നാണ് കമ്പനി ഇതിനായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്നത്. നിലവിലുള്ള പങ്കാളിത്തം വിപുലീകരിച്ച് കൂടുതൽ ഘടകങ്ങൾ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ നിർമ്മിക്കാനാണ് അമേരിക്കൻ കമ്പനിയുടെ തീരുമാനം.
Lockheed Martin plans to significantly expand its manufacturing capabilities in India if it wins a $10.5 billion contract to supply medium transport aircraft to the Indian armed forces, a senior company executive said.
India issued a tender in August for 60 medium transport aircraft at an estimated cost of $10.5 billion. The programme is aimed at strengthening the Indian Air Force’s transport fleet, including replacing ageing aircraft.
Five Indian companies, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), Mahindra Group, Adani Defence & Aerospace, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Reliance Defence, are competing for the contract and are expected to partner with international aircraft manufacturers.
Lockheed Martin has teamed up with Tata for the programme. Dan Tenney, senior vice president for global business development and strategy at Lockheed Martin, said the US aerospace company would build on its existing manufacturing relationship with the Indian conglomerate.
"We have a long partnership with Tata that produces components and empennages of the C-130J aircraft. It is a very robust capability that will be expanded in our current bid," Tenney said in response to a question from PTI.
"We are looking to expand that capability with production and other things that occur within India," he said.
The existing Tata-Lockheed Martin partnership includes production of the C-130J Super Hercules' empennage, or tail assembly, in Hyderabad for the aircraft's global supply chain.
Tenney said the manufacturing network could be expanded further if the companies secure the Indian contract.
"So we're very excited by that. India has been a great partner in helping to enable advanced capabilities for that aircraft and beyond," Tenney said.
He added that a successful bid by Lockheed Martin and TASL would lead to an expansion of the existing network.
"So we are looking to do that," Tenney said.
Lockheed Martin's proposal includes 12 aircraft being delivered in flyaway condition and 48 being manufactured in India.
The company has also proposed upgrading the Indian Air Force's existing fleet of 12 C-130J aircraft to the same advanced configuration. If implemented, the proposal could create a common fleet of 72 aircraft.
The Indian Air Force's C-130J fleet has accumulated more than 58,000 flight hours and has been used for a range of missions, including high-altitude operations in Ladakh, humanitarian assistance during the Nepal floods and the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan in 2023.
The medium transport aircraft programme seeks aircraft in the 18-to-30-tonne payload category, with the ability to operate from high-altitude and semi-prepared airfields.
Lockheed Martin's C-130J-30 Super Hercules and Brazil's Embraer C-390 Millennium are among the aircraft being considered for the programme. Mahindra has partnered with Embraer for its bid.
The C-130J-30 has a payload capacity of roughly 19 to 22 tonnes depending on configuration, while the C-390 can carry up to 26 tonnes.
Airbus had earlier responded to India's requirement with the larger A400M Atlas, but current reporting indicates it is no longer proceeding as a main contender in the competition.