Lockheed Martin looks at reviving bid to sell Javelin missiles to India

US defence major Lockheed Martin is planning to revive its pending bid to sell Javelin missiles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.

The plan to buy Javelin missiles from Lockheed Martin was shelved a couple of years ago.

However, the proposal got a fresh lease of life when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the US last month where US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter pushed for the deal, sources told BusinessLine.

Sources said Lockheed Martin is even ready to co-produce these shoulder-fired anti-tank guided Javelin missiles in India, albeit at a later stage.

For this, the US government is also planning to put the deal under US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) to expedite the process, sources said.

But to revive the deal, the US government will have to grant its permission to Lockheed Martin once it gets a request for buying these missiles from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The US had been trying to sell these missiles to the Indian armed forces since 2013. However, the plan was put on the backburner when the Defence Ministry chose to buy Israel’s Spike anti-tank guided missile in 2014.

Beside Javelin, Lockheed Martin is also upbeat on the delivery of 123 Naval Multi Role Helicopters (NMRH) for the Indian Navy, world’s largest tender for such helicopters. The Defence Ministry had placed the order in December 2014.

Lockheed Martin is also bullish on the $5.3-billion C-130J aircraft deal, which includes delivery of 29 C-130J-30s stretch models, 13 HC130 Js, 30 MC-130Js and 6 KC-130 J refuellers.

The Maryland-headquartered firm is in advance negotiations for the Aegis ballistic missile defence system that can attack land targets, submarines and ships simultaneously.

It is also in talks with the government for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) such as the Stalker or Desert Hawk III for both military as well as civilian use.

The company is also looking at offering Tethered Aerostat System to India. These, typically, come fixed in a radar to provide low-cost and wide-area surveillance.

It also planning a substantial foray into areas such as cyber-security and renewable energy, officials said.