Lockheed Martin delivers India's first C-130J aircraft

Buisness Standard ^ | 12/17/2010 | Indira Kannan

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

US aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin expects India’s defence ministry to approve a formal letter of request to be sent to the US government for an additional six C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft within the next couple of months, according to Orville Prins, the company’s vice-president for business development in India. Under the contract, worth nearly $1 billion and signed in 2008 for six C-130J aircraft, India had an option to buy six more planes.

Prins spoke to Business Standard from his company’s facility in Marietta, near Atlanta, Georgia, shortly after Lockheed Martin formally delivered India’s first C-130J aircraft to the US Air Force (USAF), which received it on behalf of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Two C-130Js will be flown by IAF crews to India early next year, in late January or early February. They are expected to arrive in time to be shown at the Aero India 2011 expo from February 9-13 in Bangalore.

The remaining four aircraft will be delivered by late summer of next year, months ahead of schedule, according to Lockheed Martin.

The company expects the order for the additional six C-130J aircraft to be identical or very similar to the initial order. Prins said the IAF crews, who had been training with the machines in the US for the past few months, were very pleased with their experience.

The planes have been modified and specially equipped for special mission roles. The IAF requirements included capability for precision low-level flying, airdrops, landing in blackout conditions, and features to ensure survivability in hostile air defence environments. The IAF models are the longer fuselage variant of the C-130J, similar to those used by the USAF

[Oldexpat]

We need to continue to strengthen out ties with India. In spite of past differences, India is a democracy that has mostly shaken off socialism and is a natural ally against China..and the Muslim radicals.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I think that India is ready to conclude its business with Russia. They are probably tired of buying goods that are poorly made.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

More like overcharged. The Russians are bending them over again, this time for their new destroyer...they want an extra 100 mil to complete the job. The French are getting in on the act, too...getting $40 mil per plane to upgrade Indias mirages. They still turn their noses up for our aircraft, though...for reasons both fair and unfair.

[Yo-Yo]

They still turn their noses up for our aircraft, though...for reasons both fair and unfair.

The haven't turned up their noses at any US aircraft for the MRCA competition yet. The F/A-18E/F is still in strong contention.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Yes, the Super Hornet will probably win, IMO, but the man on the street opinion I see is in very much favor of the Euro offerings. I should have clarified that, because I dont think the Indian Air Force has snubbed the SH. The fanbois on the defense blogs, OTOH, would believe the Rafale or Eurofighter could fly to Mars, if EADS or Dassault came out with a nice color brochure stating so.

[Yo-Yo]

The IAF has already selected the F414 engine to power their indigenous Tejas fighter program, so in my mind the two contenders are the SuperHornet and the Super Gripen, both of which also use that same engine.

But the Super Gripen, like the Tejas, uses a single F414, and is about the same size as the Tejas, so I don't think the Indians will pick another aircraft of the same size.

After the gouging France did to India to upgrade their Mirages, I don't think the Indians are going to want to purchase French again, which rules out the Rafale.

The Eurofighter is a very strong competitor that is better at air-to-air than the SuperHornet, but then you get back to logistics and the engine commonality with their Tejas program, and you end up favoring the SuperHornet again.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Yes, that’s one of the reasons I think the SH will be selected. I put the Typhoon behind it because as you mentioned it’s an air superiority fighter not a true multi role aircraft, and they already have the MKIs...so buying another (pricy) A2A fighter, I don’t find it likely. If the GoI and the US can work out the technical politics, the SH gets chosen, most likely.