Originally appeared at ZeroHedge
Lockheed Martin offered India on Wednesday a new multi-role fighter jet, the F-21, in an attempt to secure a large defense order worth $15 billion, reported Reuters. The American defense company said the new plane will be specifically designed and manufactured for the Indian Air Force (IAF), and provide “Made In India” economic opportunities that strengthen India’s path to becoming a military powerhouse in the Indo-Pacific region.
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The F-21 addresses the IAF’s unique requirements and integrates India’s defense complex into the world’s largest fighter jet ecosystem with the world’s biggest defense company. If the partnership works out, Lockheed Martin and Tata will produce the F-21 in India.
The defense firm said the F-21 would incorporate advanced technologies from its fifth generation planes, the F-22 and the F-35.
“The F-21 is different, inside and out,” Vivek Lall, vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said in a statement.
Lockheed is not alone in competing for the $15 billion contract to build new fighter jets for India. Boeing, Saab, Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Eurofighter, and an unnamed Russia defense company have submitted bids.
The deal to replace India’s decades-old fleet of Soviet-era fighter jets is one of the largest contracts in the world right now.
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India is not expected to announce the winning bid until after a national election in May. Lockheed offered to move its F-16 production plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to India, if it wins the contract in a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Made In India” strategy to expand its Air Force and defense sector industry.
The statement said production of the F-21 in India would create thousands of jobs for Indian industry as well as hundreds of US-based engineering, program management, and customer support jobs.
But hold on a minute, what about the White House calling for targeted investments in domestic manufacturing in the American industrial-base last October? How about the Pentagon saying it will reduce its over-reliance on foreign-made parts in American weapons?
For Lockheed to even entertain a bid that shifts a large Texas production line of fighter jets to India is confusing, considering the protectionist position of the White House.
Come May, if Lockheed wins the contract and decides to ship the Texas F-16 supply chain to India, it could be troubling news for “Make America Great Again” but… great news for “Made In India.” As such, expect President Trump to have a nasty tweets for Lockheed should they win the Indian contract.
This plane is a 1966 Dassault Mirage, that Israel copied and modified, then the US copied the copy.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Ejercito_del_Aire_Mirage_F.1M.jpg/320px-Ejercito_del_Aire_Mirage_F.1M.jpg
The pic is a Mirage F1 if not mistaken. The Israeli’s operated Mirage III’s in ’67 Arab-Israeli war and wanted to upgrade to new Mirage 5’s in 1969 – but France placed an embargo on sales after Israel air raid on Lebanon in 1968. Israel somehow got blueprints of Mirage 5 and copied the air-frame adding own avionics. They called it a Nesher and was used in ’73 Arab-Isreali war. Distinct visual difference between Mirage F1 and Mirage III/ Mirage 5/ Nesher copy is the air intakes – on F1 below the wing line and on III/ 5/ Nesher above the wing line. This is most noticeable thing about the proposed Lockheed airframe for India in above report – it just resembles older generation Mirage with the intakes above the wing line.
One minor thing, the two bulges on the Lockheed airplane are in fact CFTs (fuel tanks found often on Israeli F-16 for the lack of long range bombers, they add about %50 to internal fuel capacity), not intakes. This F-21 remarkably looks like an F-16, with it’s unique “mouth” air inlet under it’s belly (from this angle can’t be sure if it’s a Smallmouth or a Bigmouth). In fact the article even says Lockheed-Martine intends to move it’s F-16 factory from Texas to India, they are getting rid of F-16 and duping it on Indians probably because it’s too cheap for the US and earns them far less profit than F-35. So by removing it’s factory, they are essentially wiping any hope for getting new ones or maintaining the existing ones longer in the US air force.
Looked again, and yep, you’re right. The intake is classic F-16 in appearance and location. Makes more sense now – as was quite baffled why contemporary aircraft would have above the wing line intakes, and the prominent rearward bulges make far more senses as extender tanks. Likewise, dumping F-16 production line onto India, seems a likely US military-industrial project for exactly reasons you suggest. Thanks for gentle correction and info.
Britain used to dump out of date car manufacturing equipment on India, Iran and other nations in the developing world.
Indian leaders are not so easy to cajole these days though.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/10855104/India-finally-abandons-the-Ambassador-Britains-old-Morris-Oxford.html
“The Amby, as the 50s style car is lovingly known, first appeared in India in 1957 when its production tools and machines were imported from Britain, where it made the III series Morris Oxford, complete with metal sun shield over the windscreen, chrome wing mirrors, rounded wings, and curvy ‘dicky’ or boot with a pop-out, turn-key for opening.”
israel copied the delta wing mirage, not the f1
Whoops.
the path to utter destruction of our planet is now in 6th gear……..
Making these body frames by computer design apps is like childish. If India can make space rockets then fighter jets design and manufacturing is not a big issue for India just they should give the job to the perfect designer without bribes.
How many gears are?
It’s revamped F-16, which is a good airframe overall. No match for Sukhoi airframes though. The extra tanks above the wings is largely why this is a revamp. India is a big country and need the extended flight time as standard. Still, this looks like a cheapo shot from the MIC to try to garner Indian market – F-35 is too expensive for India, and requires massive high-tech support structures, and doesn’t fly well. It still looks like a flop to me and will not compete with Sukhois and MIG 35 successfully and will be an aged product by mid- 2020s.