NEW DELHI: Lockheed Martin will begin supplying wings for its F-16 combat jets from a facility in southern India from next year, a senior executive said on Thursday.Lockheed is bidding for a contract, estimated at more than $15 billion, to supply the Indian Air Force with 114 combat planes and has offered to shift its F-16 production line from the United States to India. The expectation is we will begin supplying by next year sometime, this will be the sole facility for future F-16 wing production," Lall told Reuters.Lockheed is competing for the Indian air force contract with Boeing, which has pitched its F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as Sweden's Saab with its Gripen fighter. France's Dassault Systemes SE's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also in the fray.The air force needs new fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG planes. There were 500 people each involved in two joint ventures set up for the production of the empennage and the cabin. "It is a huge potential business, India will be plugging into the world's largest fighter jet ecosystem."

Source: Economic Times September 27, 2019 05:14 UTC