Posted on 12/06/2016 3:59:12 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin offered to shift manufacturing of F-16 fighter jets from Fort Worth to India if it wins a big contract to build hundreds of planes for the country.
Now some are wondering whether the Trump administration will allow such a deal to proceed.
“What will be the U.S. policy posture now that the new president-elect is in the mix?” one high-level official at an American defense firm in India told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Is he going to continue the policy of engaging in India on co-production and co-development? All of those are unknown at this point.”
President-elect Trump is threatening to penalize companies that shift manufacturing operations overseas. He made his point again last week after traveling to Indiana to announce a deal with Carrier to keep about 1,000 jobs in Indiana that were headed to Mexico in exchange for millions in state tax breaks.
The Post reports that India wants to co-produce fighter jets as part of an initiative to expand its manufacturing base. Lockheed is seen as competing with Sweden’s Gripen fighter and Boeing’s F/A-18 for the Indian contract. The actual process of selecting a jet hasn’t started yet.
Lockheed has been winding down F-16 production in Fort Worth for several years as resources have shifted to the growing F-35 program. Still workers are concerned.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article119041913.html#storylink=cpy
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
build them here in the USA!
Almost as dumb as outsourcing the IRS to chinese hackers
Yes, these should be strictly built in the US. Keep these jobs in the US.
"Lockheed is seen as competing with Sweden’s Gripen fighter and Boeing’s F/A-18 for the Indian contract."
Building the aircraft in India would be a huge advantage for Lockheed (or Boeing) in this competition. What if the Swedes decide to build in India and Lockheed is prohibited from doing so? That could easily tip the balance in the Swede's favor. That's not going to help Ft. Worth one bit.
And, for all we know, it might be a requirement of the Indian competition.
If I were Trump I would just get out of the way.
Ideally, they should be built here. But if the planes in question are for the Indian military, then it might make sense to assemble them in India (as long as the profits are taxed here).
However, I don’t want one single aircraft intended for use by the United States military to be constructed in India.
The planes can be built in India if sold on the world market
“Still workers are concerned.”
Our whole nation should be concerned. Why are we even considering this extortion. Per one of your own past articles, they want to co-produce jet engines too. Why in hell are we considering shoehorning their whole aerospace industry. That includes years of material science and development of Hastelloy, the various grades of Inconel, etc. The material properties information alone would move their industry ahead by decades. Absolute stupidity and not in the interest of our nation.
The answer of course is China. India as an ally against China would finally contain that growing beast. India isn’t quite up to the task now but getting them a modern air force is a good start. Moving the F-16 plant is a good deal, we are or are about to stop accepting new ones for us and the choice was build them there or not build them at all. India would have gone to a competitor.
Now I don’t know about the engine’s, but if it is the case they would have to bite the bullet and pay a ridiculous price for native built engines’ as they wont have an economy of scale there. It’s also a separate deal them the frames
Not so easy.
These aren’t fighters that will be built in India and imported into the US. They’re fighters to be used by India.
When the US was contracting for the Beretta M9 pistol, or the next generation Air Force Tanker, there were stipulations that those systems had to be built in America. We still have the Berry Amendment to allow the purchases of materials and equipment made in America.
Why wouldn’t India want the same?
Really. I mean, why not? If India wants our planes-—and apparently it took them about 20 years to design and build a crappy battle tank-—then we build them.
some assembly required in india?
lettum put the tires on.
It depends, if it was just about selling a plane, then we should build it here. In this case however, India not only wants a plane, and they want to “co-produce” it. This usually means buy some direct from us, then once the factory is up and running, build it in India.
The question is do we want then to buy our design or someone else’s? The F-16 is a venerable but capable design that we are no longer buying for ourselves (a mistake in my mind, but beside the point).
We get the sale of the design and probably a few aircraft out of the deal. Otherwise someone else does. I see this as a win-win. We get to make a few extra aircraft we otherwise would not make, they get to improve their capabilities.
“Seems I read a few years back that some Indian law requires that some percentage of manufacturing must be done in India”
Ok, they can do the upholstery.
A couple of points here-
Trump cancelled the $23 Million order for a new Air Force 1- and I’m willing to bet that he has HIS OWN plane repainted or keeps using the current plane.
Secondly- With all the Muslims in India, how could you build such a sensitive war plane in that country? The technology won’t stay within the walls of the factory, IMO.
Boeing is making a mistake here—Trump or no Trump.
It’s not only the F-16 and not only India. It’s a lose-lose situation for the nation and our own aerospace manufacturing base.
India keen to buy F/A 18 Super Hornet fighter jets for IAF
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3413041/posts?page=1
US to help India develop engine for Gen-5 fighter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3371587/posts?page=1
The F-16 has been built by a Muslim nation before: Turkey and probably a dozen Muslim nations operate it (Iraq, Turkey, Oman, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia ...).
Yes. If I were Trump, I would sit out on this one. The Swedes or French will grab the deal for sale of 100’s of these planes. And we would’ve lost a counter to China.
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