by Aakash Srivastava
Lockheed Martin has invested more than $100M in manufacturing equipment, tooling, IP, produced over $200M in Indian industry revenues and generated more than $600M in exports from India, William L. Blair, Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India informed Indian Aerospace and Defence.
While responding to queries for IA&DB regarding the status of offset in the deal of 12 C-130j Hercules between Lockheed Martin and Ministry of Defence, Mr. William Blair said that the US Aerospace giant has supported five hundred Indian suppliers (including 140+ MSMEs) with over 70 Indian suppliers integrated in to Lockheed Martin global supply chain supporting thousands of jobs. “To date we have achieved >85% indigenization and delivered 150 C-130J empennages, plus delivered more than 157 S-92 cabins. We are committed to completing the C-130J obligation within the Offset Contract’s performance period,” said Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India.
Indian Aerospace and Defence sought the status of offset obligation of the deal of 12 C-130J Hercules transport aircraft between Lockheed Martin and the Ministry of Defence. On December 20, 2013, India signed a Rs. 4,000-crore deal with the United States for six C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) through the foreign military sales (FMS) route. Earlier, IAF ordered six Hercs. in 2008 the deal was worth $1.2 billion. By October 2011, the IAF received all the six aircraft ordered.
Elaborating further, William L. Blair informed that Lockheed Martin has been diligently discharging its offset obligations in India since 2009. “This has delivered extensive economic benefits through investment, skills training, transfer of technology and exports. Our successful joint ventures established more than a decade ago in India have been a key part of helping India achieve its goal of developing an aerospace and defense supplier ecosystem and participating in the global supply chain,” he said.
In his view, Lockheed Martin has achieved more than 85 percent indigenisation through its offsets and delivered 150 C-130J empennages, plus delivered more than 157 S-92 cabins. “We are committed to completing the C-130J obligation within the Offset Contract’s performance period,” he informed Indian Aerospace and Defence.
Recently, the US has approved India’s request to buy USD 90 million worth of equipment, spare parts and logistical support for its fleet of C-130J Super Hercules cargo aircraft. The items ordered by India are aircraft consumable spares and repair & return parts; ground support and equipment; Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD) fire extinguisher cartridges; flare cartridges; BBU-35/B cartridge impulse squibs.
India has also ordered for one spare AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receiver shipset; spare AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispenser System shipset; ten Lightweight Night Vision Binocular (F5032); ten AN/AVS-9 Night Vision Goggle (NVG)(F4949); GPS and Electronic Warfare.
It is also seeking instruments and lab equipment support; joint mission planning system; cryptographic device spares and loaders; software and software support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training and training equipment; contractor engineering, technical and logistical support, and other related elements of programme support.
