Lockheed Martin bidding for major defence sale in India

NEW DELHI, JAN 13 (PTI)
American armament major Lockheed Martin is bidding to make its first major defence sale to India by offering medium capacity transport aircraft C-130J as a fast-reaction carrier for special forces.

The company wants to enter the Indian market with the sale of a squadron of these highly manoevreable aircraft, whcih have the capability to fly without navigational aids and operate from short and unprepared runways.

"We have held several rounds of talks with Indian officials for the sale of eight to ten of these aircraft which are ideal for counter-terrorist operations, specially to counter hijacks", Michael N Kelley, a senior company official told PTI.

The American company, which will be largest US exhibitor at the forthcoming Aero India show in Bangalore, is also making a bid to sell its new anti-submarine MH-60R helicopters and the latest version of its long-range surveillance aircraft P3C-Orions.

Kelley said besides bidding for an immediate sale of the C-130J aircraft for special forces, the company was also in serious negotiations for Indian Air Force's long-term medium haul transport aircraft contract with the air force's mainstay Russian-made AN-32 aircraft being phased out by 2014.

He said the C-130J being offered to the special forces had the capability to fly undetected and had two versions with the basic one capable of carrying 92 troops and the stretched version 128 men.

The AN-32s are the mainstay of IAF's transport fleet with more than a hundred of them in service and the Defence Ministry is already looking into options for their replacements even while carrying out mid-life upgradation of these aircraft. The AN-32s have a lift-capacity of 7.5 tonnes, while the American C-130J has a capability to lift 20 tonnes and its smaller version C-27J boasting a ten tonne payload.

Kelley said that the C-130J aircraft had entered service only in 1996, with the first delivery being made to the Royal Air Force of Britain.

On the P3C-Orions, the sale of which has come under clout after US announced re-opening deliveries of naval surveillance aircraft to Pakistan, the Lockheed Martin official said India and the United States were only negotiating at government to government level for the purchase of these aircraft.

He said the US Navy had now offered to sell the upgraded P3C (AIP), the latest version, to the Indian Navy and that his company would be involved in upgradation of the Orions.

On the recent comment of the new IAF chief that the US firm was also being considered for the contract for cquisition of 126 multi-role fighters, Kelley said his company was "very keen to offer" its largest worldwide selling F-16 Fighting Falcons with a technology transfer clause.

"This offer has to be essentially a government to government deal as required by the US law", he said.

Kelly said Lockheed Martin was trying to showcase its C-130J and the ship-based MH-60R helicopter at the Bangalore air show.

source

The US is also offering the PAC-III it seems...quite a surprising gesture...
What version of the F-16 is on the offer??

WOW ...IAF F-16s even though im against the idea, IMHO thats the best multi role fighter ever produced by America...just LUUVVV that plane..

F-16s are good fighters but i do not think that india is going to buy them. because it will create logistic nightmare. thy probablly be going for migs, mirage. sine they allready have the infrastructure settled.

I think the IAF is having a logistical nightmare as of now itself.

Su's, MiGs, Jaguar, Mirages, and now F-16s...

The IAF has also completed a deal with Russia to lease 4 Tu-22m Backfire strategic bombers and an associated Tu-134 crew trainer, the first nuclear bomber lease deal in history!

^^ And people doubt Indo-Russian ties!!

Any links on that waynos?..Its been hearsay for a while but no concrete isolated statements..

It is reported in the Feb 2005 edition of Aircraft Illustrated that the Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov announced in December "that a mutually acceptable solution had been found for the lease of Tu-22M 'Backfires' to India which has been the subject of protracted negotiations"

Later in the piece it states that the aircraft, believed to be Tu-22M3's but unconfirmed, will be operated by the Indian Navy and that Russia is reducing its once 500 strong Backfire fleet to about 120.

Any idea how many jets they're leasing and if they're doing so to other countries??

Look up the thread alittle and you would see this;

Originally posted by waynos
The IAF has also completed a deal with Russia to lease 4 Tu-22m Backfire strategic bombers and an associated Tu-134 crew trainer, the first nuclear bomber lease deal in history!

Originally posted by waynos
Look up the thread alittle and you would see this;

Originally posted by waynos
The IAF has also completed a deal with Russia to lease 4 Tu-22m Backfire strategic bombers and an associated Tu-134 crew trainer, the first nuclear bomber lease deal in history!

Woops.. Im sorry..
..gotten used to zipping through posts....
There's just so much to do on ATS ans so lil' time!!

The US is selling F-16's with "full technology transfer".

This is also applicable for the P-3C Orion too.

The P-3C will be fully retired from the USAF by 2015.

Originally posted by Stealth Spy
The US is selling F-16's with "full technology transfer".

This is also applicable for the P-3C Orion too.

The P-3C will be fully retired from the USAF by 2015.

Meaning that they are seling the most upgraded (marketed) versions of both the aircraft

No, I think it means that India wont just get the P-3 (and F-16?) aircraft but will also be taught how to manufacter every part of it themsleves with local industry (ie 'full technology transfer')