Defence Expo 2016: Lockheed wants to manufacture Javelin missile system & F-16 under 'Make in India'

NEW DELHI: With ' Make in India' as a major thrust area, Lockheed Martin wants to manufacture a whole range of its famous weapons systems in the country - Javelin missile system, F-16 fighter aircraft and helicopters for the Indian Navy being some of them.

Are there some 'Make in India deals' in the pipeline? Lots, quips Phil Shaw, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin India. At the Defence Expo 2016, Shaw tells Economictimes.com, "We are continually looking for partners. If the Javelin deal happens, it will be a Make in India project. F-16 will be a 'Make in India' project, more helicopter programs for the Navy will be Make in India projects. Everything that we are looking at, recognizes what the Indian government wants to do. We are very willing to do it, if we have the right partners," Shaw says.



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The Javelin is a lightweight, man-portable, shoulder-fired, fire-and-forget medium antitank weapon system, which the US government has been trying to sell to India for some time now. Talking about the dialogue between the two countries on the Javelin system, Shaw explains, "As a company along with Raytheon, we are fully in support of that dialogue."





So, if a deal comes through, will critical technologies of the missile be manufactured under 'Make in India'? "Javelin is included in the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between India and US, which essentially underpins the willingness of the US government to share technology, and to co-produce and co-develop future weapon systems in India. So to answer you briefly, yes, we are very willing to share technology, and we are very willing to co-produce and co-develop future versions of the weapon system in India," says Shaw.

Is Lockheed eyeing India as a manufacturing hub for its major defence products? Shaw says that the company already has experience of manufacturing in India (Sikorsky for helicopters and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for C-130J). "We have built up experience over the last six or seven years in manufacturing in India to give us confidence to go to the next stage," he adds. "We have offered to build the F-16 in India. We are ready to move to the platform level. I can see that there is a roadmap for India to be a major manufacturing hub in aerospace and defence. However, it takes time to build up the ecosystem. If the current trajectory is maintained by the government, then there is a good opportunity to do that," he concludes.

Incidentally, Lockheed is not the only defence major that is offering to manufacture fighter jets in India. Sweden's Saab has also pitched for manufacturing its Gripen fighter in India. With the Modi government focusing on 'Make in India' for defence, the sector is likely to witness many significant deals going ahead.