Lockheed Martin plansproduction hub in India

 

 

 

AS INDIA prepares to procure up to 80 military transport planes, US aerospace major Lockheed Martin has pitched its C-130J SuperHercules as the best choice and said an additional fleet of the aircraft will provide it a “stronger” heft for tactical airlift among theQuad nations. If Lockheed Martin gets the opportunity, then it will set up a megahub in India to produce the “iconic” aircraft and it will be the firstsuch global facility outside of the US, top officials of the companytold PTI.

 

To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 560 aircraft from the C-130J Super Hercules family, which have accumulated more than three million flight hours. The leading tactical airlift has been serving 28 operators in 23 nations. The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates 12 C-130Js. Alongside the standard transport variant, Lockheed Martin offersmultiple specialised configurations of the C-130J which enable theaircraft to perform intelligence, electronic warfare, special forcessupport, search and rescue and command roles.

 

Besides India, the three other Quad member nations -- the US, Australia and Japan -- have been operating C-130Js. “The C-130J Super Hercules offers superior performance and capabilities for every theatre of operations. This aircraft will be thebest option for India,” Patricia Trish Pagan, Vice President, AirMobility and Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin, said. In 2022, the IAF issued a Request for Information (RFI) to purchase medium transport aircraft (MTA) to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-era AN-32 and IL-76 planes.