F-16 BLOCK 70 PRODUCTION LINE ON OFFER
TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY
F-16 BLOCK 70 PRODUCTION LINE IS ON OFFER AND IS CONDITIONAL TO ORDERS FROM THE INDIAN AIR FORCE. SP’S BELIEVES IT IS SENSIBLE TO SEEK AN ASSURED ORDER FOLLOWING WHICH LOCKHEED MARTIN WILL MOVE THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION LINE OF ITS LARGEST SELLING FIGHTER (CURRENTLY IN USE IN 27 NATIONS) TO INDIA.
IN SYNC WITH ‘MAKE in India’, Lockheed Martin is all out to move the production facility of its F-16 next-generation fighters to India. “We have had a round of discussions earlier this year with the US Government, the Government of India and the Indian industry partners about this opportunity. At this stage the Indian Government has been supplied with all data to support an informed decision,” said Abhay Paranjape, National Executive, India, of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. He however mentioned that shifting of the assembly line is conditional to some assured orders from India. Highlighting the partnership strengths, Randall L. Howard from the F-16 Business Development team at Lockheed Martin added: “We have an unmatched industrial partnership experience and we have established the industrial capability in country after country.” Lockheed had delivered a total of 958 fighters from its partnerships with SABCA-Belgium, Fokker-Netherlands, TAI-Turkey and KAI-Korea apart from 3,616 deliveries from its facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
“In India, we are already making components for the worldwide fleet,” added Paranjape. Lockheed Martin has partnered with Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The C-130J airlifter sold internationally contains major aero structure assemblies manufactured in India and each S-92 medium-lift helicopter built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company, has a cabin manufactured in Hyderabad. When asked whether the offer is conditional to an order from India, the team categorically said “they need an order”.
Describing the next-gen fighter, Howard pointed on the advantages, “Block 70 is most advanced F-16 ever and it will be made in India with an Indian company, this next-generation fighter is an evolution of the proven design of the midlife update (MLU) and common configuration improvement programme (CCIP). The fighter is equipped with latest technology in avionics equipment, operational capabilities, joint helmet cueing systems II and has an unparalleled survivability with modern internal electronic warfare system along with certified advanced weapons onboard.”
Jayant Baranwal (Baranwal): Does F-16 Block 70 offer any kind of stealth element?
Randall L. Howard (Howard): True stealth in all aspects has to be designed within the aircraft, that’s not the kind of stuff that comes with any aircraft but for F-22 and F-35. Having said that, F-16 offers a lot of general stealth, as it is a small aircraft and it has a pretty small cross section. There is coding that can be placed on the aircraft. The fighter includes a new radar system, stealth detection capability and threat detection capability; it competes very well in its class being undetectable to the radar.
Baranwal: What exactly is the offer of Lockheed Martin, also in the context of ‘Make in India’?
Abhay Paranjape (Paranjape): We are not looking at just assembling India’s aircraft here. We are looking at establishing the complete manufacturing base and the ecosystem here in India. We are looking at transferring our entire production from our existing Fort Worth facility to India and also exporting them from here. So what that means also is we now have a vested interest in making sure that it succeeds. Lockheed Martin is going to be selling aircraft made here to the world and we will make sure that it succeeds.
Baranwal: Which particular programme of the Indian Air Force you are aiming for with the F-16 Block 70?
Paranjape: You are very well aware that the MMRCA programme was about 126 odd aircraft. The Rafale is going though in final stages right now and is apparently for much smaller number. The MMRCA proposal came out in 2007 and we are in 2016, so we definitely think there is significant number of aircraft that will be required going forward. How many, what type, what and when exactly, that is up to the Indian Air Force.
Baranwal: Can F-16 compliment the LCA induction?
Paranjape: The induction of an aircraft into the force is obviously the decision of the Indian Air Force. You saw the briefing from Howard, as far as the capability; you can look it up as far as LCA’s capabilities, the range and the type and compare that with F-16 and you can see.
Baranwal: What will be the turnaround time for the first delivery from the Indian facility post the decision? Can you give an exact time line?
Howard: I think it is hard to give an exact time line. The typical delivery period of F-16 is about 36 months range. The challenge we have is to train the workforce and put in place all the facilities. We have given a notional time line to the government on the production. To be very specific in the public forum is very hard, because there are a lot of variables and dependencies. But I can say that we have done these many times and we have a proven track record of having it done successfully.
Baranwal: As per recent reports, we believe that you are expecting a potential business worth $15 billion in India.
Howard: According to us this is a very conservative figure. We believe if the things fall in place then the potential of business is way too bigger than $15 billion.
Jayant Baranwal, Editor-in-Chief, SP’s Aviation, spoke to Randall L. Howard and Abhay Paranjape of Lockheed Martin. Excerpts: