Taking the growing Indo-US military ties to an all-time high, the Lockheed Martin has offered its F-21 fighter jet “for India, from India”. Lockheed Martin's F-21 is in the race for IAF's programme to have 114 medium multi-role fighter jets. In the contract, 18 aircrafts will be off the shelves and the remaining 96 will be built in India under the strategic partnership model of the Make in India theme. Six firms are in the fray including Dassault Aviation, makers of Rafale, Airbus with Eurofighter, Saab with Gripen E, Boeing with F/A-18, Lockheed Martin with F-21, and the Russians with MiG-35.
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"Lockheed Martin is fully committed to meeting India’s need for advanced, scalable defence capabilities,” said Vivek Lall, vice president of strategy and business development, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Lockheed Martin has tied up with Tata Advanced Systems as its Indian partner to compete in the IAF's 114-jet hunt. “Our partnership with Indian industry on the F-21 for the Indian Air Force will put India at the epicenter of the world’s largest defence ecosystem and deliver unmatched sustainment and export opportunities,” Lall said.
The IAF is seeking to acquire 114 fighter jets, of which 85 per cent are to be built in India with a domestic strategic partner or production agency. A Request For Information (RFI), issued last year, also stipulates that 75 per cent of the fighters be single-seat jets. However, it is unclear whether they (IAF) are looking for single engine or twin engine machines.
The world's fourth largest air force, which had a strength of 42 squadrons of fighter jets in 2002, will be down to 28 by 2020, and further down to 19 squadrons by 2042 if the government does not take speedy action, according to an internal estimate of the IAF.
Vivek Lall added that the F-21 is an advanced single-engine, multi-role fighter at the most optimal Life Cycle Cost for the Indian Air Force with the longest service life of any competitor—12,000 flight hours. "The F-21 will meet all of India’s performance, capability and advanced technology requirements," he further said.
Speaking at the event, Sukaran Singh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Tata Advanced Systems, said, “Our successful partnerships and joint ventures with Lockheed Martin have helped build new capabilities and strengthen the Indian defence manufacturing sector and the Indo-US ties. We hope to further grow this relationship with the F-21 project and other world class programs.”
