The Hindu Business Line : Lockheed Martin eyeing India for R&D, products

Bangalore, July 21 Aerospace major Lockheed Martin Corporation expects to get some of its key R&D and production work done in India for its global markets, apart from the larger ambition of clinching the MRCAs or fighters deal of the Indian Air Force.

“We can do a lot of things in India, such as research or produce for the global market. Research in the US for new product takes a long time and lot of money, [it could take] nearly 20 years to marketplace,” Mr Royce Caplinger, Lockheed Martin’s MD India, said on the sidelines of its awards ceremony for four Bangalore technology companies. Without specifying them, he said these would be for its commercial rather than defence products.

Meanwhile, the world’s number 1 aerospace company is exploring partnerships with Indian companies even while pursuing aircraft sales to the IAF and the Navy.

One of them is the plan to design of in-flight refuelling for its F16 fighters for which it has signed an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Another MoU has been signed with Bharat Electronics Ltd, while it has teamed up with L&T for the Navy’s integrated platform system.

“We have a couple of partnerships outside offsets. The products will be in India some day,” Mr Caplinger said.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are another marketing opportunity that LM is looking at, said Dr Ray Johnson, Senior Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer.

Apart from F16s, the $39.6-billion Lockheed Martin is pitching at India its P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft; the C-130J transport aircraft, the MH-60R helicopter; and the PAC-3 air and missile defence systems.

All these are part of the 26 commercial and military “pursuits” made in the country, some of which are off now, Mr Caplinger said.

“We are trying to establish the Lockheed Martin brand which is not a household name here yet,” he said. “India is a huge opportunity, not just as a market. We are new to this market and didn’t know the capabilities here at first.” The F16s, along with five other fighters, are in the race for the IAF’s plan to buy 126 MRCAs – estimated at $9 billion and considered the decade’s biggest defence order.

Tagged to the order is the Defence Ministry’s 50 per cent offset plan – aimed at creating export benefits for domestic industries.

The MRCA offset, raised recently from 30 per cent, according to Mr Caplinger, would mean sizeable number of work getting done in India.

In the past one year, the US major has opened a nine-member India office in Delhi. As part of its brand-building exercise, it initiated an India Innovation Programme to support and promote local technologies globally and picked 14 winners from 100 companies – four of them from Bangalore.

Lockheed Martin would help to commercialise them internationally and launch a second series next.

The Bangalore winners are Oriental Software P Ltd; Techweb Technologies; Composites Technology Park; and Integra Micro Systems P Ltd.

More Stories on : Research & Development | Airlines

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Lockheed Martin eyeing India for R&D, products

SCI to buy 12 vessels

DCI gets nod to buy 3 dredgers

Rlys’ AC train project in Mumbai

NHAI board recast plan okayed