Indian Air Force: India Lockheed seeks to get rid of Pakistan's label and offers the F-21 series only for India

BENGALURU: In order to get rid of the Pakistani label that has hampered its efforts to launch the F-16 in India, the US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin is ready to reformulate and rename its old battle horse in F-21, only for India. The new fighter jet may still be under development, but Lockheed officials claimed it was a "completely different" aircraft, specifically designed for the Indian Air Force. They also indicated that some F-22 and F-35 technologies could be used. Incidentally, the fifth-generation F-22 is designed specifically for the US Air Force and is not sold to any other country.

The F-21, which Lockheed will manufacture with Tata Advanced Systems, will be offered for the Indian needs of 110 combat aircraft.

"The F-21 meets the unique needs of the Indian Air Force and integrates India into the world's largest fighter aircraft ecosystem with the world's largest defense company. Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems would produce the F-21 in India, for India, "the company said.

At ET's request, Lockheed officials stated that visible changes had been made to the aircraft, including a new "back" designed to provide more space for the installation of future systems in the jet plane. . The amendment is likely to defeat the argument that the F-16 was rejected by the Air Force during the previous Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft competition on the grounds that the frame did was not able to incorporate future capacity extensions.

This name change will also help Lockheed counter the F-16's identity with the Pakistan Air Force, which is the main opponent of Indian fighters. "This is a new aircraft with a triple rain launcher and an IRST tracking device. It's only available in India and no other nation, "said Randall L Howard, Lockheed Martin's Business Development Director. Vice President Vivek Lall described the F-21 as a "different animal".

Although Lockheed has promised that the technologies developed from the F-35 and F-22 fighter aircraft would be integrated with the F-21's offer, it is unlikely that the fighter aircraft will take off unless if India chooses it. The specific improvements to India will also have a high cost that will need to be integrated into the larger project.