Lockheed Martin has proposed to manufacture custom-built F-35 fighter jets in India, which its officials say would give Indian industry a unique opportunity to become part of the world’s largest fighter aircraft ecosystem. Photo: BloombergVisakhapatnam: American aerospace and defence major Lockheed Martin on Monday urged India to work on couple of areas like fast-tracking defence procurement procedures with a view to attract companies in the sector. Phil Shaw, chief executive, Lockheed Martin India, said that the company wants to invest in India and include the country in its supply chain. One, he said, is “length of defence procurement is pretty long “ and in this area, states can collectively encourage the central government to speed up the process “to start to see some of the investments”. He said Indian government wants to promote defence manufacturing under the Make in India initiative but “Make in India in defence is reliant on these procurement” decisions.

Source: Mint February 25, 2018 10:18 UTC