US Ambassador Sergio Gor Visits Tata-Lockheed Martin Facility In Hyderabad As India Strengthens Aerospace And Defence Partnership

U.S. ambassador to India Sergio Gor visited the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) facility in Hyderabad on August 24, spotlighting the rapidly-expanding India-US defence partnership and the growing role that India is playing in the global aerospace manufacturing industry.

The U.S. diplomat toured the production line where aerostructures' empennage assemblies or tail sections for the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft are manufactured during the critical time for India's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme for the Indian Air Force.

Gor has praised the partnership of Tata and Lockheed Martin as key link in the global C-130J making chain, underlining the importance of deepening defence supply chains and industrial cooperation between India and the U.S.

India is emerging onto the global aerospace manufacturing map

• The Hyderabad-based TLMAL is a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Lockheed Martin. The company is manufacturing major aerostructures for the C-130J Super Hercules program for Lockheed Martin while being a vital link in the its aerospace supply chain.
• TLMAL's capabilities is reflecting India's rising profile among the world's aerospace manufacturing firms in the field of advanced defence manufacturing, aerospace technologies and global aircraft production market.
• As reported, TLMAL is the world's single-source provider of C-130J and LM-100J empennages to Lockheed Martin while the partnership is entering into new domains such as aircraft maintenance and could include production and assembly capabilities of Super Hercules in India.

The C-130J Super Hercules at the centre of India's transport-aircraft plan

C-130J Super Hercules is already operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) where it possesses 12 aircraft in its inventory, employing them for strategic airlift as well as special operations, humanitarian roles and other needs.

Lockheed Martin-Tata partnership is further growing in prominence now as IAF is eyeing to acquire medium transport-aircraft to modernise and replace its aging fleet of An-32, IL-76, which can be served by both C-130J as well the Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft, which is also being promoted in India in a strategic partnership with Mahindra Defence.

If chosen to equip the armed forces, the potential of the Lockheed Martin-Tata deal could result in the expansion of C-130J manufacturing and assemble competencies in India. The selected aerospace firm and its local partner would explore the opportunities to grow their manufacturing footprint and possibly set up a final assembly line in India.

Such a scenario could help India strengthen its role in the international aerospace supply chain and meet the government's ambitions to promote Make In India and expand its aerospace manufacturing capabilities.

The MRO capability could emerge from India too

The expanding partnership between Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin also involves looking into the opportunities to support the growing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market.

It has been reported that an opportunity has been identified to establish an MRO capability in India to support the IAF's Super Hercules fleet as well as potentially serve other Super Hercules operators. This capability fits into the larger trends of seeking to develop MRO, component manufacturing and aviation capabilities in-house rather than relying on foreign maintainers.

India and the United States continue to grow their cooperative framework in the areas of defence technology, aerospace manufacturing, military logistics and supply chains.

Lockheed Martin-Tata collaboration illustrates how American aerospace technologies and India's manufacturing know-how could be combined to serve global defence and aviation needs. For Hyderabad, it also underlines the city's increasing status as an aerospace manufacturing and defence hub, as the expansion of firms involved with aircraft structures, defence systems and aerospace engineering also brings in key opportunities for highly-skilled manufacturing, engineering and technology jobs as well as India's involvement in the international aerospace projects.