US taking fresh look at F-16 mfg in India: Lockheed

TIL Desk World/Washington/ The Trump Administration is taking a “fresh look” at Lockheed Martin’s proposal to have a F-16 manufacturing base in India if it agrees to buy the fighter jets, officials from the US defence giant said.

“For several months, we’ve been working with President Trump’s transition and governance teams and leaders in Congress providing information on our many programmes and potential business opportunities including the proposed sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to India,” a Lockheed official told.

Lockheed, which is one of the top global manufacturers of fighter jets, said that its officials have briefed the Trump Administration on the current proposal, which was supported by the Obama Administration as part of a broader cooperative dialogue with the Government of India.

“We understand that the Trump Administration will want to take a fresh look at some of these programmes and we stand prepared to support that effort to ensure that any deal of this importance is properly aligned with US policy priorities,” the official said.