Joanna Crews
A joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems has opened the first metal-to-metal bonding facility at Adibatla, Hyderabad in India.
Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures inaugurated the 4,700 square-meter facility that will support the complex aerostructures manufacturing requirements of Tata Advanced Systems and the Make in India initiative of the country, Lockheed said Wednesday.
The facility will provide on-the-job training and will generate over 80 jobs for skilled employees with potential expansions in support of future projects.
The Lockheed-Tata JV will also further the localization of the construction of C-130 platforms through the transfer of the production of around 2,000 empennage parts to the India-based Tata Sikorsky Aerospace joint venture of Tata and Lockheed’s Sikorsky subsidiary.
Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures currently has an annual production rate of 24 C-130 empennages and has delivered 85 tail assemblies installed on C-130Js for global operators that include India’s air force.
Lockheed has delivered over 400 C-130J aircraft to customers from 18 countries.
