|
Lockheed gets $596 mn contract for India-bound military planes |
 |
The US Defence Department has awarded aerospace giant Lockheed Martin a $596 million Air Force contract for work on six Super Hercules C-130J military transport planes that India is buying.
India also has options on another six C-130Js, which will be used to support operations involving its special forces per¬sonnel and be equipped with missile and radar warning systems.
This is the second major military contract between India and the US after a gap of 40 years. The other was the purchase of the troop carrier USS Trenton, now renamed the INS Jalashva. Russia has supplied 70 percent of India’s arms, but New Delhi has been seeking diverse sources in recent years as it modernises its armed forces.
India is buying the aircraft through the US government’s foreign military sales programme, the Pentagon announced in Washington on March 28.
Named after the powerful Greek figure, the four-engine Hercules is one of the oldest transport aircraft in the world. Lockheed has sold over 2,300 C-130s to 67 countries since 1954.
The C-130J requires only three crew members for most mis¬sions. Its current users include Australia, Denmark, Italy, Britain and the US, with Canada and Norway also having recently ordered the planes.
The aircraft’s heavy-lift capabilities, advanced cockpit avionics and versatility in adverse terrain and flying conditions will help it exceed India’s unique requirements for an advanced tactical air lifter.
The C-130J model is the latest version of the Hercules C-130 that has been configured for landing and takeoff from a grassy field or dirt patch the size of a football field. It can climb and get out of a threat area fast.
|
