Lockheed Martin To Sell F-21s To India Only if it Buys 114 Jets

Lockheed Martin has said that its F-21 fighter, customized to suit India, will not be offered to any other country if the Indian Air Force (IAF) places an order for 114 jets that it currently looking to acquire.

The IAF last month, issued an RFI (Request for Information) or initial tender to acquire 114 jets at a cost of around $18 billion, which is billed as one of the world’s biggest military procurement in recent years.

“We will not sell this platform and the configuration to anyone in the world. Lockheed Martin will also set up a manufacturing facility in India along with Tata Group,” Vivek Lall, vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin told PTI.

The top contenders for the deal include Lockheed’s F-21, Boeing’s F/A-18, Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian aircraft MiG 35 and Saab’s Gripen.

According to Lall, the new fighter offers 12,000 hours of service life air frame, as oppose to 8,000 hours in F-16 block 70. Aside of that, the F-21 additional 40 percent weapons carrying capability. It also has a traditional boom-delivered refuelling facility and an extendable hose-and-drogue refuelling probe. The jet has a Long-Range Infrared Search and Track (IRST), enabling pilots to detect threats with precision and Triple Missile Launcher Adapters (TMLAs) allowing it to carry more air-to-air weapons.

“Looking from a distance may make it look similar to F-16 Block 70, but it is different,” he added.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin's competitor, Boeing, recently offered to set up a new facility for the production of F/A -18 Super Hornet fighters in India along with an option of technology transfer, if the country places a big order for the aircraft.