“Source: Financial express”
The MoUs were inked at the end of three days joint Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) third annual “Suppliers Conference” in New Delhi.
In an effort to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening India’s aerospace sector and India-US ties, US-based Lockheed Martin on Friday inked MoUs with three Indian start-ups.
The MoUs were inked at the end of three days joint Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) third annual “Suppliers Conference” in New Delhi. The conference helped in bringing together the current F-16’s “Tier-1 vendors” with prospective partners from the Indian industry.
Said Vivek Lall, Vice President for Strategy and Business Development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, these agreements are a testimony to the commitment of Lockheed Martin to cultivate and integrate indigenous content into global systems and platforms.
“Through these agreements, we look to provide engineering support, mentoring, and assistance in the qualification of some of the technologies proposed, all of which contribute to our mission of making in India,” he added.
Expected to pave the way for them to gain entry is the American Company’s supply chain, three start-ups Terero Mobility, Sastra Robotics, and NoPo Nanotechnologies, who are graduates of the India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP), will also contribute to the evolution of both the Indian and global aerospace & defence industry.
Under the MoU, Terero Mobility will work on design development, test and qualification of the Cargo Ground Buildup System (CGBS) for Fixed and Rotary wing aircraft. Also, a product originally developed through a Lockheed Martin sponsored University R&D project at IIT Madras, this vehicle will enable the handling of cargo delivered by transport aircraft at different locations. Lockheed Martin will provide system engineering support and mentoring to this start-up. This will enable them to not only develop but to deliver a vehicle that has the capability of being transported by C-130 and similar platforms.
The NoPo Nanotechnologies will work for qualification of As-Produced, Purified and Metallic Sorted HiPCO Carbon Nanotubes to provide electromagnetic interference and lightning protection. The successful qualification of NoPo HiPCOTM Carbon Nanotubes based composite would enable the company to be a supplier to Lockheed Martin and other Tier-1 OEMs.
Sastra Robotics’ scope will be for testing out of robots produced by the company for Avionics testing.
According to the aerospace giant these products can help in the testing of avionics display of tactical fighter platforms including the F-21. The US company has been present in India for over three decades and has been in recent years fully supported the national “Make in India”, “Skills India”, “Startup India” and “Swachh Bharat” missions.
The US-based company is already building sophisticated aerospace structures in Hyderabad, in partnership with TASL, which include entire cabin structures for Sikorsky helicopters (S-92 multi-role helicopter) and structures for C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.
The Company had already announced depending on the order of Indian Air Force if it opts for the F-21, the production line from Fort Worth, Texas will be moved to India and under the joint venture with TASL will be built here.
According Lall, “Our partnership with Indian industry on both the F-21 and S-76D proposals for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy will put India at the epicentre of world’s largest defence ecosystem and deliver unmatched sustainment and export opportunities.”
Besides, Tata, Lockheed Martin industry partners and suppliers include BAE Systems, Cobham, Collins Aerospace, Curtiss-Wright, Eaton, Elbit Systems, Elta, GE Aviation, Honeywell, L3Harris, Leonardo, Martin Baker, Meggitt, Moog, Northrop Grumman, Parker Hannifin, Pratt & Whitney, Rada, Rafael, Raytheon, Safran Electrical & Power, and other leading global defence and aerospace companies.