In a significant development, Lockheed Martin has inked a pact with Tatas’ owned Tata Advanced Systems to build F-16 fighter planes in India.

The Tata-Lockheed Martin agreement will the pave the way for the two companies to partner in meeting the much spoken about Make-in-India requirement by setting up an F-16 production line in the country, said a report.

The pact would also further Lockheed Martin’s plans to shift its Texas plant to win billions of dollars worth of order from the Indian Air Force.

It is a known fact that the Indian Air force is still flying its Soviet-era fighter fleet. The new partnership would give a leg up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make-in-India policy. It has been reported earlier that PM Modi wants foreign suppliers to make planes in India with a local partner to help build a domestic industrial base and cut outright imports.

However, it remains to be seen whether Lockheed’s plan would contradict US President Donald Trump’s America First campaign under which he has been pressing for companies to invest in the United States and create jobs instead of setting up factories abroad.

According to a report, Lockheed top brass has met and briefed the current US administration on the plan, and is hopeful of a positive response from President Trump’s administration. The pact was announced by Lockheed Martin and Tata at the Paris Airshow.

here is company details.

 

NOTE :You need to login first to access this feature.