Lockheed Martin will soon begin implementing fighter wing production at its joint venture, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures (TLMA), in Hyderabad, India.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between Lockheed Martin and Tata Group envisions the production of 29 fighter wing shipsets, with an option of additional shipsets. The deliveries are to begin in 2025.
N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons , congratulated the TLMA team for successfully industrialising and qualifying the fighter wing despite the technological complexity. “I am confident the initiative of manufacturing fighter wings in India will go a long way in strengthening the aerospace and defence manufacturing ecosystem in India,” he said.
TLMA was formally recognised by Lockheed Martin as a potential co-producer of fighter wings in October 2021 following its successful production and qualification of a prototype fighter wing shipset.
James Taiclet, Chairman, President and CEO, Lockheed Martin, said, 'This MoU between Lockheed Martin and Tata Group further exemplifies Lockheed Martin’s commitment to a self-reliant India and the degree of confidence that exists in our relationships with our partners in India. Lockheed Martin’s 21st Century Security vision aims to deliver integrated mission-focused defense capabilities with innovation and urgency, and with that, we are one of the only aerospace companies with a complex aerostructure capability for advanced fighters in India. This strong partnership embodies our principle of For India, From India, For the World.”
TLMA is the only private sector company in India that has demonstrated its capability to perform detailed part manufacturing and delivery of a fully compliant fuel-carrying 9G (9 times the force of Gravity), 12,000-hour, interchangeable/replaceable representative fighter wing.
The agreement between Lockheed Martin and Tata Group further strengthens their partnership in India, with both companies offering the F-21 for an Indian Air Force (IAF) requirement for 114 new fighter aircraft.
The India F-21 represents an unprecedented strategic and economic opportunity for the United States-India relationship and a catalyst for future advanced technology cooperation, Lockheed Martin said in a release.
Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics established TLMA as a joint venture in 2010, which is today a single global source supplier of parts for the C-130J empennage assemblies that are installed on all new Super Hercules aircraft. To date, TLMA has manufactured and delivered nearly 200 C-130J empennages.
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