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US Defence firm Lockheed Martin struck a cautious note at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, downplaying speculation that it was likely to offer India the latest version of the F-35 single-engine stealth jet.
“This is a US Government programme and the US Government will set policy in this area and the US will decide which countries are involved,” said Mr Tom Burbage, Executive Vice-President of the F-35 Integration, at a meeting on Tuesday.
Chances that the Lockheed Martin craft could be offered to India, were boosted by a request by the US Senate Armed Services Committee for a Pentagon assessment of a strike fighter sale to India, Bloomberg news reported a Lockheed Martin official as saying.
The company's F-16IN Super Viper has already been eliminated from the tender for India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, alongside Boeing's F/A-18 Superhornet, the Saab Gripen IN, and Russia's MiG-35, leaving just the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale in line for the heated contest.
“There was a fair competition held and a decision made,” said a Lockheed Martin spokesman in an e-mail to Business Line . “The US Government has not offered the F-35 for MRCA,” he added.
The high-profile committee has reportedly made the request in response to a successful amendment to the committee's report on the 2012 Pentagon Budget regarding ties with India put forward by Republican senator, Mr John Cornyn and independent senator, Mr Joseph Lieberman.
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