HYDERABAD: Lockheed Martin, on Tuesday, formally recognised Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) as a potential future co-producer of fighter wings and announced indigenous production capability of fighter wingship set at TLMAL facility in Hyderabad.
TLMAL is a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. It exemplifies the government of India’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat ‘Make in India’ goals and serves as the single global source of C-130J empennage assemblies that are installed on the Super Hercules aircraft.
Minister for IT & Industries, K T Rama Rao, who was present on the occasion said that successful certification and delivery of F-16 wing was testimony to the heights the aerospace and defence ecosystem in Hyderabad. “The repeat investments announced by the leading original equipment manufacturers including Lockheed Martin is a great indicator of the robustness of our eco-system which is being lauded as the true hub for ‘Make in India’ in Defence sector,” he said.
Aimee Burnett, vice-president of strategy, Lockheed Martin Integrated Fighter Group said: “Lockheed Martin is one of the only aerospace and defence companies with a complex aerostructure capability for advanced fighters in India,” she said. Lockheed Martin and TLMAL agreed to develop a fighter wing prototype in 2018.
“The successful completion of the fighter wing shipset prototype project is another achievement in the partnership between Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin. It sets a new benchmark in end-to-end defence manufacturing in India, said Sukaran Singh, CEO, Tata Advanced Systems Limited.