India’s Ministry of Defence jointly met with representatives from Lockheed Martin and Boeing Tuesday to discuss each manufacturer’s interest in building fighter jets for the country’s armed forces.
According to a report by Indian publication The Economic Times, Keith Webster, director of International Cooperation at the Office of the U.S. Defense Secretary, sat in on the meeting, which is another demonstration of India’s desire to have American jets built in the country via the ‘Make in India’ program.
Officials involved with the effort told The Economic Times that Boeing and Lockheed Martin would continue to participate in discussions between India and the United States in the coming days. The officials said U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter will speak to India’s Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar, on Tuesday.
Boeing has said that it wants to manufacture a special version of its F/A-18 ‘Super Hornet’ for India, while Lockheed Martin has a desire to build an F-16IN ‘Super Viper’ for the nation.
Boeing CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg said in February that the ‘Make in India’ program supports the company’s strategy and that the company is interested in expanding the manufacturing of the F-18 to India.
Backed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ‘Make in India’ initiative was launched in 2014 in an attempt to transform the nation into a “global and manufacturing hub,” according to the program’s website.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense