Lockheed Martin’s Strategic Partnership With India To Boost Defence Capabilities

Lockheed Martin, US’ leading defence manufacturing firm keen to participate in India’s military modernization through its strategic, long-term international defence partnerships. “India has a pressing need for advanced, scalable defence capabilities,” said Vivek Lall, vice president, Aeronautics Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin.

 Vivek Lall, vice-president at Lockheed Martin said: “Lockheed Martin is proposing game-changing defence partnerships that benefit multiple stakeholders” not only in India but also in the US and beyond”.

“We believe our proposed partnerships with India fighter aircraft – for new fighter aircraft, helicopters and other platforms – are ideally suited to not just meet, but exceed India’s capability and defence -industrial needs in the near-term and well into the future,” Lall said.

Mr. Lall stated that the company had demonstrated that it will partner with Tata to produce F-16 wings in India for future customers. “This landmark ‘Make in India’ partnership is a natural next step that builds on our successful partnerships with Tata on the C-130J airlifter and other premiere defence and aerospace platforms,” he said.

“We’re also engaging with numerous others in India, the US and beyond to unleash the power of partnership and Indian innovation. We’re very excited about all of the potential we see in India,” he said.

With respect to the status of 24 helicopters for the Indian Navy, Mr. Lall said the Indian government had issued a Letter of Request (LOR) for Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) to the US government for the acquisition of 24 MH-60R helicopters.

“The US Navy is preparing its response, which is expected to be delivered shortly. We are confident the MH-60R “Romeo” is the right aircraft for India’s Navy as it provides a vital capability for the Navy in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mr. Lall added.

Lockheed Martin is planning to participate in the Indian Navy’s move to acquire 111 utility helicopters.”Combining the attributes of the S-76 helicopter family with today’s latest technologies, the S-76D helicopter offers unrivaled levels of safety with experience gained through the S-76 family’s more than 7.2 million fleet flight hours,” Lall said.

“Reliable, powerful, available, proven and trusted, the S-76D aircraft is capable of performing diverse naval missions in some of the most challenging environments,” Mr. Lall responded.