William L. Blair, VP & CE, Lockheed Martin India
VAYU : What are the air to air capabilities that the F-21 would provide to the IAF? How do you see these capabilities complement those of the existing IAF fleet?
The F-21 fighter aircraft is on offer to the Indian Air Force and Lockheed Martin is leveraging both 4th and 5th generation technologies to offer the best solution to meet or exceed the IAF’s capability needs, provide Make in India industrial opportunities, and accelerate India-US cooperation on advanced technologies, including but not limited to fighter aircraft. This aircraft, which will be manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest and most advanced defence manufacturer, is the most advanced 4th generation fighter we have ever offered. The F-21 would serve as a force multiplier for the Indian Air Force with an unmatched capability-to-cost ratio compared to the competition. In addition, the F-21 is equipped with state-of-the-art systems and sensors that would allow the Indian Air Force to detect, track and engage multiple targets in a contested environment. The current and future state of warfare is and will be around gathering and sharing information across multiple domains (air, space, land, sea, and cyber) to make effective wargaming decisions as quickly as possible. The F-21 will be able to integrate across these domains and across Indian services to provide current and future relevance. Furthermore, it will have the growth capacity to integrate indigenous systems in the future as and when the battlespace changes in order to meet future Indian Air Force (IAF) requirements. F-21 is equipped with Triple Missile Launcher Adapters (TMLAs) which allows for a max Air-to-Air weapons loadout of 10 missiles. This, along with the F-21s superior range/loiter time and 5th gen AESA radar, allows for maximum staying power with the ability to execute first look, first shot, first kill in modern and future warfare environments. This aircraft is the perfect complement to both the Rafale and the Tejas in terms of operational performance. It also provides the IAF with a single engine, low Life Cycle Cost platform at a Max Take-Off Weight (MTOW) right in between both of these formidable aircraft. Our F-21 offering demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s commitment in delivering an advanced, scalable single engine fighter to the IAF — For India, From India.
VAYU : What are the ‘Make in India’ industrial opportunities associated with Lockheed Martin’s F-21 offering for India?
The industrial opportunities associated with F-21 will put India at the epicentre of the world’s largest fighter production and sustainment market worth $165 billion not only supporting the Make in India programme of the government but also other key initiatives such as Skill India, Startup India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. The F-21 offering includes sourcing advanced systems and components from across India via our unrivaled track record of developing robust industrial ecosystems across the globe. This programme will generate tens of thousands of employment opportunities through the maturation of India’s large and emerging aerospace and defence (A&D) manufacturing ecosystems, including Defence Public Sector Undertakings; Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; private; academia and research and development. We see great potential and future for India in ramping up and emerging as a regional hub for MRO for planes and helicopters. Our successful joint ventures in Hyderabad established over a decade ago — Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) and Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (TSAL) have been instrumental in helping India achieve its goal of developing an aerospace and defence supplier ecosystem, promote indigenous manufacturing and participating in the global supply chain. Our JVs and Indian partners have generated $600 million worth of exports and produced over $200 million in India industry revenues. As evidenced by these JVs, we have a robust in-country infrastructure to promote indigenous manufacturing, participation in the global supply chain and collaboration on other projects including but not limited to fighter aircraft.
VAYU : What kind of infrastructure has Lockheed Martin created for present and future programmes in India?
India is an important market for Lockheed Martin, and we have an established defence and aerospace footprint in the country that spans more than three decades. The cornerstone of our strategy rests on building and nurturing partnerships with the Indian industry, with whom we share technology and capability and co-produce and co-develop for India and from India. As shared earlier, our successful joint ventures in Hyderabad established over a decade ago — Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) and Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (TSAL) are a testament to Lockheed Martin’s partnership with India and Indian industry. The TLMAL facility manufactures major aerostructure components for the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. This is the sole supplier of these components to Lockheed Martin and is an integral part of our global supply chain. To date, TLMAL has manufactured 150 C-130J empennages. It also manufactures other aerostructure components like the centre wing box and recently, work has also begun to create a first of its kind autoclave capability for composites. TLMAL also employs 500+ skilled team members and has been recognised globally for its job training programmes, including the Diversity & Inclusion programme. The TSAL facility manufactures aerospace components for commercial helicopters and aircraft and has expanded to include aircraft engine components for aerospace industry companies as well. As of now, TSAL has delivered 157 S-92 cabins to date. Nearly 240 suppliers feed into these two joint ventures and have benefited from the vision of Lockheed Martin and Tata working together. $600 million worth of exports have been generated by our JVs as well as the Indian suppliers that we have engaged with on greater global supply chain opportunities. Through our JVs in India, we have contributed about $100 million of manufacturing equipment tooling IP etc. Currently we have integrated more than 70 Indian suppliers into our global supply chain. We continue to build upon our more than three decades of partnership with India, expand collaborations with local industry to support the growth of indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, and further advance India’s strategic security and industrial capabilities.