U.S. aerospace company Lockheed Martin will showcase its advanced defence capabilities and solutions at the Aero India scheduled to take place between February 13 and 17.
The company said its exhibit this year would showcase its most innovative capabilities on offer to the Indian Armed Forces, including the F-21 fighter aircraft, C-130J transport aircraft, MH-60R Romeo multimission helicopter, JAVELIN Weapon System, and S-92 multirole helicopter.
Opportunity for local industry
“Our participation will be focused on engaging with our customers while creating opportunities for the local industry to feed into the global supply chain and manufacture in India, for India and for the world,” said William (Bill) Blair, chief executive, Lockheed Martin India Pvt. Ltd.
The prime attraction at the Lockheed Martin booth will be the F-21 fighter aircraft cockpit demonstrator that will be available for defence and aerospace customers and partners to fly the jet for themselves, experiencing its unmatched performance.
The F-21 fighter aircraft, which is on offer to the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the Multirole Fighter Aircraft competition, is configured with the latest sensors and mission avionic systems that couple onboard and off-board data information into an effective, easy to manage combat situation display.
The Indian Navy’s most recent rotary wing acquisition, MH-60R Romeo helicopter, will occupy a prominent place at Lockheed Martin’s Aero India display. The first three MH-60R helicopters were delivered to India in 2021 and are being utilised to train Indian pilots and crew members in the U.S.
In July/August 2022, the Indian Navy accepted the delivery of another three helicopters at Kochi International Airport and they will be initially based at Naval Air Station INS Garuda in Kochi. A total of 24 MH-60Rs will be delivered in the country over the next few years.
The world’s most versatile one-man portable and platform-employed anti-tank precision weapon system, JAVELIN, also will be part of Lockheed Martin’s exhibit at Aero India.
Manthan 2023 on February 15
Manthan 2023, the annual defence innovation event, will be the flagship technology showcase event at Aero India 2023. The Manthan platform will bring the leading innovators, startups, MSMEs, incubators, academia, and investors from defence and aerospace ecosystem under one roof and will be held on February 15.
The Ministry of Defence said that Manthan 2023 will have many firsts, including the launch of challenges on Cyber Security, the establishment of iDEX Investor Hub, and MoUs with investors. Manthan will provide an overview of the future vision/next initiatives of iDEX to galvanise the startup ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in the defence sector.
