F-16s to be built in India if IAF promises orders

NEW DELHI: US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is in talks with the government to build the latest version of F-16 warplanes in India, a company official said on Thursday.

Published on: Aug 5, 2016, 06:33:21 IST

By Rahul Singh

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NEW DELHI: US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin is in talks with the government to build the latest version of F-16 warplanes in India, a company official said on Thursday. The firm has offered to move its only production line for the fighter jets from Fort Worth, Texas, to India from where F-16s could be exported.

Lockheed’s national executive (India), Abhay Paranjape, clarified that establishing the production line here was conditional on assured orders from the Indian Air Force. “We have had multiple discussions with the government and the industry. There has been a level of interest …we have not been told to go away,” he said. Lockheed has proposed to build the latest variant of the fighter – F-16 Block 70 – under the Make in India programme.

Other aerospace biggies who have shown interest in building fighter jets in India are US firm Boeing, Sweden’s Saab, France’s Dassault Aviation and the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium.

The Block D variants come packed with superior radars, advanced avionics and sensors, new weapons, improved situational awareness for pilots, and enhanced operational capabilities to keep pace with rapidly evolving military requirements. Lockheed’s current orders will keep the Fort Worth F-16 line running till late 2017 and the firm is eyeing another order that could extend its life till 2021, said Randall L Howard, who looks after the firm’s business development.

So far, the firm has delivered 4,588 F-16s to 27 international air forces, including that of Pakistan. The neighbouring air force operates more than 80 F-16s, including 13 second-hand F-16A/B Block 15 jets bought from the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 2014. The bulk of the Pakistani fleet consists of older F-16A/B fighters, now upgraded to Block 52 standards in Turkey. It also has 18 F-16C/D Block 50/52 planes. ‘Block’ refers to the F-16 evolution, with a higher number representing technological upgrades.

Howard said the Block 70 fighters would be the finest combat planes in the region.

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