Last year, Lockheed Martin offered its F-21 combat jet to India with a proposition to manufacture it in India.
US defense major Lockheed Martin and Indian state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the ongoing Aero India 2021, to explore potential industrial opportunities in India’s aerospace sector.
Vice President of Business Development Integrated Fighter Group of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics JR McDonald said: “We are excited to explore potential opportunities with HAL, one of the largest aerospace companies in Asia.” He added: “We are committed to continuing to integrate Indian industry into our aerospace and defense ecosystem and demonstrating Lockheed Martin’s commitment to India now and in the decades to come.”
Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R Madhavan said that HAL is eager to work with Lockheed Martin in exploring opportunities in the domestic and international markets. In a company statement, he said that the US company is boosting and growing its relationship with Indian industry to generate jobs and economic benefits in support of “Make in India”, “self-reliant India”, “start-up India” initiatives, and India’s air power mission.”
Lockheed Martin is one of the main competitors in the race for a mega-contract to supply 114 fighter jets to the Indian Air Force. Last year, the company offered its F-21 combat jet to India with a proposition to manufacture it in India. The other top competitors for the deal are Boeing’s F/A-18, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab’s Gripen, and Russian aircraft Mig 35.
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