New Delhi: Underlining its bullishness on the Indian Air Force’s proposed Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme, US aviation giant Lockheed Martin says it has already invested in India and its F-21 aircraft will be indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). (LCA) fits perfectly between Tejas and. Huge lot of Rafale and Su-30 MKI.
“We expect an AON (Acceptance of Requirement) and an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the MRFA. “We have been aligning and positioning for this for many years, to provide the best capability we can,” William Blair, vice-president and chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin, India, told ThePrint.
He said the upcoming Aero India event in Bengaluru will have a full cockpit demonstrator of the F-21 aircraft, which the company is offering under the MRFA programme.
Lockheed Martin, which was selling hard its latest version of the F-16 known as the Block 70, pitched the F-21 for the IAF program 2019,
The pitch came on the back of the Indian Air Force’s RFI, or request for information, after its previous bid to procure 126 fighter jets in 2018 saw the Narendra Modi government opt for 36 Rafale fighters in fly-away condition instead.
Blair said his F-21, which will compete with several other fighters including the Rafale and US firm Boeing’s F-15EX, fits very well with the MRFA requirements.
“We have been interfering with the IAF for many years. We understand the requirements and the F-21 has a very unique capability with a triple missile launcher adapter and low life cycle cost,” he said.
For Lockheed, the MRFA is the catalyst for making the fighter aircraft in India, he said.
Asked how the single-engine fighter fits in when India already has the Tejas, he said it fits between the LCA and the heavier and larger twin-engine fighters.
“It fits in really well and it is available. It is something that can be delivered parallel to the long-term programs (indigenous programs of India),” he said.
Blair said the F-21 has a 30 percent lower lifecycle cost and carbon footprint than twin-engine fighters.
“It has unmatched potential in terms of capacity to cost ratio. India operates light, medium and heavy fighters, both single and twin engine and the F-21 fits that perfectly,” he said.
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‘Already invested in India’
In 2016, the government and the IAF started working on a tender for the single-engine fighter, keeping the cost in mind.
However, when the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program was underway, the Defense Ministry was startled by questioning the need for a foreign single-engine fighter.
It was then that the IAF withdrew its requirement of bringing an RFI in April 2018. bringing Lockheed and several other players into the fray.
Blair said Lockheed Martin has already made investments in India and is the chair of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers for the F-21 program and its range of helicopters and aircraft.
he was referring to Production Supply of 157 cabins of S-92 helicopters to India for global order. This meant that every single S-92 helicopter delivered in the world, including the one in which the US President travels, comes from India.
Lockheed did too source 187 of the C-130J aircraft ship from India through its joint venture with the Tata Group, even though only 12 aircraft have been delivered to India.
“We qualified wing production of F-16s and F-21s with Tata,” Blair said. “This showcases the technological capability of not only Tata but also Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. This is a prime proof of capabilities. We see this as the first investment ahead of the MRFA requirement.”
The Tata-Lockheed Martin joint venture can now bid to manufacture the wings of the F-16. The F-16 aircraft’s first fuel-carrying, 9G-capable, interchangeable fighter wing.
“You have to be ready to invest first. We are not going to say what we will produce in India. We are already producing in India. We have already tied up with Atmanirbhar Bharat, “They said.
He said the F-21 program in India would become part of a $160 billion global sustainable market. Apart from wings for F-16s, cabins for S-92 and fuselages for C-130J aircraft are already being produced in India out of necessity.
“We do this out of opportunity and not under obligation,” he said.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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