Lockheed Martin has made an offer to India for the manufacture of F-16 fighter jets in the country in an effort to help upgrade the Indian defense sector, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
Phil Shaw, CEO of Lockheed’s Indian unit, said the company’s CEOÂ and President Marillyn Hewson opened the deal’s possibility to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September, Anurag Kotoky reports.
Shaw added that the U.S. and Indian governments are in talks about the potential sale, according to the report.
Randall Howard, head of F-16 business development at Lockheed, told Bloomberg the company seeks to determine India’s requirements for the fighter jet, Bloomberg reports.
Shaw said Lockheed and its Indian partners, including Tata Group, continue to discuss possible methods for forging partnerships in the country to build F-16 jets, the report said.