Interview |Vice president and chief executive, Lockheed Martin India, William L. Blair | October 2022

With the increasing focus on indigenous R&D and production, do you envisage a possibility of collaborating with an Indian public or private sector company for design and development?

Lockheed Martin continues to build upon its more than seven decades of association and three decades of partnership with India, expand collaborations with local industry to support the evolution of the indigenous defence and aerospace manufacturing ecosystem and advance India’s strategic security and industrial capabilities.

Our joint venture (JV) with Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) in Hyderabad established over a decade ago produces major aerostructure components for the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft. This is the sole supplier of these components to Lockheed Martin and is an integral part of our global supply chain. To date, TLMAL has manufactured and delivered more than 180 C-130J empennages. Recently, the TLMAL was also recognised as a potential future co-producer of fighter wings. The increase in global demand for F-16, would, therefore, present an interesting opportunity for Indian entities like the TLMAL to be part of the fighter jet supply chain.

                  William L. Blair

Our other JV, the Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (TSAL), also established over a decade ago, manufactures aerospace components for commercial helicopters and aircraft and has expanded to include aircraft engine components for aerospace industry companies as well. It is also fully integrated into the global supply chain.

Hundreds of suppliers, including over 140 Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) feed into these two JVs and have benefited from the vision of Lockheed Martin and Tata working together. At present, more than 70 Indian suppliers have been integrated into Lockheed Martin’s global supply chain.

Lockheed Martin has worked with Ashok Leyland to develop the next-generation military vehicle for India and the global market. The vehicle has been field evaluated in various environmental conditions by Indian customers and has been selected by some of the military users in India. Nine vehicles were delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2021 with a follow-on order for more. The engineering support and the cooperative working relationship with Ashok Leyland was instrumental for the success of the development and production of indigenous equipment, another great example of the Make in India concept.

Lockheed Martin hosts an annual Suppliers Conference to engage with the Indian industry to build on the company’s existing foundation in India and identify additional strategic partners from across the country to include companies of all sizes, large, MSMEs and start-ups.

In 2021, we hosted the Hybrid Suppliers Conference in Bengaluru. 135 companies of all sizes participated in the conference and received the opportunity to showcase their company to key stakeholders from the government and industry. More than 250 delegates participated in person while more than 200 delegates participated virtually. The two-day conference also saw more than 110 business to business meetings being organised.

During the conference, Rossell Techsys was awarded a contract with Lockheed Martin to build Electrical Wire Harness and Interconnect System (EWIS) parts in support of Lockheed Martin’s MH-60R aircraft that are being supplied to the Indian Navy. As part of the contract received from Lockheed Martin, Rossell Techsys shall perform Build to Print (BTP) manufacture of the wire harnesses that will be installed on the MH-60R. Manufacture of these parts is being performed in the Centre of Excellence (COE), set up by Rossell Techsys for Lockheed Martin platforms. The manufacture of parts has commenced, with the first parts having successfully undergone acceptance by Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin also highlighted that the company is working with the US government to secure licenses to allow parts for the Legion-ES™ infrared search and track sensor system and Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pod to be manufactured in India and has plans to start sending out requests for quotations before the end of the year.

Can you talk about your joint ventures in India and how are they helping in capacity building?

Through various business programmes over the last decade, Lockheed Martin has had the opportunity to engage and work with Indian compa