William L Blair, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India, said, “Our joint ventures with Tata and industrial relationships with many Indian companies such as Ashok Leyland, Lakshmi Machine Works, MIDHANI, Rossell Techsys, and SASMOS among others are a testament to the success of the Government of India’s mission to create ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in the defence sector. ”

The prime attraction at its booth this year was the ‘Made in India’ fuel-carrying, 9G, 12,000-hour, interchangeable/replaceable fighter wing. This wing was manufactured at the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) facility in Hyderabad, which also serves as the single global source of C-130J empennage assemblies installed on all new Super Hercules aircraft. To date, TLMAL has manufactured and exported more than 180 C-130J empennages.

The F-21 fighter aircraft, which was on offer to the Indian Air Force (IAF), also occupied a prominent place at Lockheed Martin’s booth. The company is leveraging both 4th and 5th generation technologies to offer the best solution to meet or exceed the IAF’s capability needs, provide Make in India industrial opportunities, and accelerate India-United States cooperation on advanced technologies, including but not limited to fighter aircraft.

The Indian Navy’s acquisition of the MH-60R ‘Romeo’ multi-mission helicopter was another highlight for Lockheed Martin at the show. The MH-60R is the world’s most advanced maritime helicopter and brings vital anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities to the Indo-Pacific region. The US Navy already delivered the first three aircraft to the Indian Navy in 2021, and these aircraft are being utilised for training Indian pilots and crew members in California. In July-August 2022, the US Navy transported to India another three helicopters, which will be initially based at Naval Air Station INS Garuda in Kochi. A total of 24 MH-60Rs will be delivered to the country over the next few years.

India’s workhorse, the C-130J Super Hercules airlifter, which represents a strong legacy of partnership between India and the US, was also on display at the Lockheed Martin booth. The S-92 helicopter also boosted Lockheed Martin’s presence at the show; it recently surpassed two million fleet flight hours which is a testament to the reliability of the multi-mission aircraft.

As part of the Javelin Joint Venture, Lockheed Martin also produces the Javelin fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile system.

The company’s present and future programmes in India range from transport, maritime and fighter aircraft to sea and land-based air and missile defence projects and capabilities in civil sectors, including new and renewable energy.

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The exhibition was earlier supposed to be held from March 10-14 but was deferred by the government on the back of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, though the official line was that it was postponed on account of “logistics problems” faced by the participants.

The event was deferred barely a week before it was to begin.

“The Indian defence industry has been keenly anticipating DefExpo-2022 which is Asia’s largest event in the defence sector. It was postponed in March 2022 due to logistical problems being faced by the participants,” the ministry said on Monday.

The participants will get an opportunity to showcase their equipment and platforms, and also to explore the strengths and capabilities of the Indian defence industry, besides forging business partnerships, the statement said. “The event will help boost investment, expand manufacturing capacities and capabilities, and help discover avenues for technology absorption,” it added.

About 1,000 defence firms and 55 countries were expected to take part in the show in March. The US, Russia, several EU countries and Ukraine were among the nations that were to take part in it.

Foreign delegations headed by at least 50 defence ministers/service chiefs had also confirmed their participation then.

The show is taking place at a time when the government has sharpened its focus on promoting self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector and positioning India as an exporter of military hardware.

DefExpo was traditionally held in Delhi until 2014 after which it has seen a string of new venues — Goa (2016), Chennai (2018) and Lucknow (2020). The venue was shifted to Goa when Manohar Parrikar was the defence minister, it moved to Chennai when Nirmala Sitharaman held the portfolio and it was staged in Lucknow with Rajnath Singh as the defence minister.

From raising foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence manufacturing to creating a separate budget for buying locally made military hardware and notifying three lists of weapons/equipment that cannot be imported, the government has taken several measures to boost self-reliance in the defence sector over the last three years.

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