‘We’re happy to meet anyone at altitude’
Lockheed Martin looks forward to an open Indian contest for 110 fighters

F-16 Block 70 | Photo: Steve Otte/Lockheed Martin

Vice President, Strategy and Business Development (Global) at Lockheed Martin, Dr. Vivek Lall spoke to StratPost at DefExpo 2018, where he welcomed the competition and outlined why he thinks the F-16 makes a good case for the new Indian Air Force (IAF) contest for 110 fighter aircraft.

Asked about the apparent conversion of the contest from one that was expected to be a single-engine fighter acquisition to plausibly all six MMRCA (Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft) contenders, Lall told StratPost, “We’re happy to meet anyone at altitude,” adding, “I’m happy that the RFI is out and we’re happy to respond to it.”

“It looks like a fairly detailed RFI, which is great. This is a Request For Information and so the net has been cast wide and that’s appreciated. I think the more the competition, the better. India can then home in on exactly the capability it wants. But the RFI is detailed enough, where it’s quite clear in terms of what kind of operational capability is required,” said Lall.

But the RFI could also result in a clarification of the IAF’s requirements and paring of the competition. “I think the key is at some point the RFI will be converted to — go to the next stage of RFP. That would be interesting to see. Once the collection of information is done, that’s a critical step in the process — where you go from there,” he said.

Lall has a three-point pitch for the F-16. “There are three elements to why we have a very competitive proposal that addresses, not only the Indian Air Force’s requirements, but also the Government of India’s initiatives for Make in India and export,” he said.

F-16 Block 70

“One is the aircraft itself — the F-16 Block 70 — its performance, its capabilities match with what the air force desires and I think we have a very compelling capability especially with its mission systems, AESA radar, its commonality with F-22 and F-35 and so I think it’s the most capable platform in the competition form a capability standpoint. The other aspect of it is that a single engine fighter is 30 to 40 percent less expensive, operationally, than a twin engine. And there’s a US DoD Comptroller report on that. So the data is out there,” he emphasized.

Make in India

“The second thing is Make in India. What’s on offer is an exclusive production line in India and with over 3000 flying F-16s in the world in 25 leading air forces, India would then be the epicenter of that whole ecosystem. And so I think that’s a very compelling case,” said Lall, making his next point.

Potential for Export

“The third point I’d like to make is the export potential which I think, again, is unmatched compared to any of the competition. And we’ve seen a surge in F-16 demand, globally. We expect 200 plus export orders out of India — in addition. So 200 plus whatever Indian intends to acquire. That is as of now. That number can go up over time,” he said.

MMRCA Rerun?

So is this going to be a rerun of the MMRCA? Lall puts it like this: “The Block 70 is significantly more capable than the F-16IN that was part of our offering back then, so that’s probably a piece of information they (IAF) want from all the competitors, as to how technologies and capabilities have changed since that time.”

Next Step in U.S.-India Relations

He also thinks a cooperation on fighter aircraft would be the next step for the U.S.-India relationship. “The US-India relationship has been converging over the last many years. And my view is that it will continue to converge around a lot of common interests and I fell that a frontline fighter acquisition will take the relationship to the next level. We need a convergence of the political spectrum, the bureaucratic spectrum and the military spectrum for that. The platforms that India’s acquired so far (from the U.S.) are critical to the military needs but they’re not what I call no-fail platforms,” he said, explaining further, “Strike versus support element. I see a lot of convergence between the U.S. and India across many sectors, but certainly in defence. And this would be the next.”

‘Block 80’?

Is this the last variant of the F-16? “This is the F-16 Block 70 but if India chooses — a ‘Block 80’ always a possibility. It gives India the opportunity to take over exclusive production and be the epicenter of the supply chain. But Block 70 will not be the last block,” he said.