Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered global defense aerospace company, Lockheed Martin , and India’s Tata Group have reached an agreement to produce fighter jet wings at their joint venture, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL), in Hyderabad, India.
The wings will be used in the F-16 Block 70 fighter jets that Lockheed Martin is supplying to the Indian Air Force. According to Lockheed Martin, the Memorandum of Understanding envisions production of 29 fighter wing shipsets, with an option of additional shipsets, with deliveries commencing in 2025.
“These wings are initially intended for the F-16 Block 70/72 jets and will be delivered to our U.S. facility in Greenville, South Carolina, for inclusion into the production/final assembly line.
However, the transfer of technology and manufacturing rigor that Lockheed Martin and Tata have demonstrated will transfer to the F-21 if/when selected by the Indian Air Force. We are proposing the F-21 for India and these would be produced in India,” a Lockheed Martin official stated.
Lockheed Martin formally recognized TLMAL as a potential co-producer of fighter wings in October 2021 after the latter’s successful production and qualification of a prototype fighter wing shipset.