After accepting the first six American transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin, the Indian Air Force’s request for the next six, worth another $1 billion. has now been confirmed.
The Indian Air Force has decided to deploy the additional six aircraft at its base in Panagarh in West Bengal to take care of the requirements of formations deployed in the northeast of India and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (located in the southern Bay Of Bengal) . The aircraft will also be used by Special Forces to carry out operations or rapid deployment.
Lockheed Martin’s India head Roger Rose said, “The C-130Js, which were delivered ahead of schedule and within budget, have performed well forIAF. We look forward to continuing our disciplined performance by supporting the first six and any additional aircraft the Government of India may order.” The new sale as well as the first order will be delivered via the U.S. government as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) rather than direct commercial sales. This means that Lockheed sells to the US government which transfer the product to the Indian government and receives payment for the product.
