Lockheed Martin, a prominent participant in the defence and aerospace sectors, and the Tata Group of India have inked a contract to build fighter jet wings at their joint venture, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd., in Hyderabad (TLMAL), Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
According to Lockheed Martin, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) calls for the production of 29 fighter wing shipsets, with the possibility of building additional shipsets, with delivery beginning in 2025.
"These wings are initially intended for the F-16 Block 70/72 jets and would be delivered to our US facility in Greenville, South Carolina, for inclusion into the production/final assembly line. However, the transfer of technology and manufacturing rigor that Lockheed Martin and Tata have demonstrated will transfer to the F-21 if/when selected by the Indian Air Force. We are proposing the F-21 for India, and these would be produced in India," a Lockheed Martin official was quoted by Zee News in its report.
TLMAL was formally recognised as a possible co-producer of fighter wings by Lockheed Martin in October 2021, following the successful fabrication and qualification of a prototype fighter wing shipset.
TLMAL was needed to show the capacity of doing detailed part production and delivery of a fully-compliant fuel-carrying 9-g, 12,000 hour, interchangeable/replaceable representative fighter wing through this prototype project, according to Lockheed Martin on Friday.
“We are delighted with the decision made by Lockheed Martin to select Tata Advanced Systems Limited for the production of F-16 wings in India. This positions TASL as a global provider of F-16 wings in future. TASL and Lockheed Martin, through a long-standing joint-venture, have been manufacturing airframe components of the C-130J aircraft and S-92 Sikorsky helicopter at the Hyderabad facility. This development now again gives us an excellent opportunity to showcase our technological expertise and advance our capability development, as we reinforce our commitment to both the Indian and global aerospace industry. The production of the F-16 wings in India, for global application, is set to place the country at the centre of the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem and make it a preferred destination for aerospace manufacturing," said Sukaran Singh, chief executive officer and managing director, TASL.