Lockheed Martin hopes to win Indian defence contracts
Nov 21, 2006 - 7:34:29 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
|
|
|
Ralph D. Heath, president of the corporation's aeronautics business area, visited India during October.
|
By Indo Asian News Service,
[RxPG] New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) Aerospace major Lockheed Martin has raised the ante for winning Indian defence contracts, saying it had identified 'potentially viable' local partners for sourcing supplies, even as it was ideally positioned to comply with the country's new arms purchase norms.
The Fort Worth-based company, which recorded sales of $37.2 billion in 2005, said Tuesday it was currently engaged in 'site surveys to validate Indian manufacturing and quality capabilities in preparation for eventually placing work with Indian companies'.
It also said it had a 'long and successful record' of offset or counter-trade participation, having accomplished projects valued at more than $40 billion in 37 nations.
India's new arms purchase norms unveiled earlier this year introduced an offset policy under which 30 percent of all contracts over Rs.3 billion has to be re-invested in the country.
Lockheed Martin is hoping for a major share of an Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) to replace its ageing fleet of Mig-21 and MiG-23 jets. It has also offered its Hercules C-130J tactical airlift aircraft to the IAF.
The company's site surveys are a follow to a two-day supplier conference it conducted in Bangalore in August.
Over 50 Indian companies were represented at the conference 'and more than 20 have been visited or are scheduled to be visited by site survey teams before the end of the year,' Orville Prins, Lockheed Martin vice president for Business Development-India, said.
'Potentially viable companies have been identified in locations including Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kerala and New Delhi,' he added.
The objective of this exercise was 'to promote India capabilities to match current needs for airframe parts, major aircraft systems, engineering services and Integrated Logistics activities required to support the corporation's defence products.
'These activities are the next step in the process of developing long term business relationships between Lockheed Martin and the Indian supply chain,' Prins pointed out.
According to the official, Lockheed Martin offset programs 'have provided customer nations with technology transfer and participation in the development of new aircraft and systems, in addition to build-to-print component manufacturing'.
Japan's F-2 fighter and Korea's new T-50 trainer both resulted from joint development projects established with Lockheed Martin.
More than 40 companies in a dozen different nations have produced parts for the F-16 aircraft, and nearly 1,000 F-16s have been delivered from manufacturing facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and South Korea, Prins mainatained.
As part of its business development efforts, Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin's chairman, president and chief executive officer, visited India earlier this month and met with a number of government, industry and military officials.
Ralph D. Heath, president of the corporation's aeronautics business area, visited India during October.
Military aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin include the F-16 multi-role fighter, the F-35 Lightning II, the C-130J Super Hercules transport and P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft. The company also provides a wide variety of other goods and services for use by governments, ranging from air traffic management systems to postal sorting.
|
Subscribe to India Newsletter
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
|
Feedback
|
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send
any medical news or health news press releases, use
feedback form
|
Top of Page
|
