Posted on 01/22/2008 9:23:07 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
L&T, Lockheed in JV talks for developing Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems
23 Jan, 2008, 0000 hrs IST,
Mayur Shekhar Jha, TNN
WASHINGTON: India’s defence shield is getting sharper. US arms major Lockheed Martin is in talks with engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for formalising a joint venture (JV), which would jointly develop Mark 41 Vertical Launching Systems (MK 41 VLS) in India.
“Co-developing MK 41 VLS will be a further extension of our existing relationship with L&T. As of now, talks are at a very initial stage,” a senior Lockheed Martin official told ET. The MK 41 VLS is considered to be the most advanced ship-borne missile launching system in the world.
At present, apart from the US Navy, the system is being used by naval forces of Canada, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. “We have discussed the system with the Indian Navy as well, and expect to submit a formal proposal soon,” the official said.
The MK 41 VLS simultaneously supports multiple war-fighting capabilities, including anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, ship self-defence, strike warfare and anti-surface warfare.
Lockheed Martin already has one JV with L&T in India. The JV is a bidder for the Indian Navy’s ship-building programme, in which it plans to procure one aircraft carrier and over 30 ships for various applications.
The company has also bid for several big-ticket defence deals in India involving all the three services — the Air Force, the Navy and the Army. Lockheed Martin’s fighter plane F-16 is one of the five bidders, which has been pre-qualified by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for procurement of 126 multi-role combat aircraft. Other contenders for the contract include Boeing’s F-18, Russia’s MIG 35, Eurofighter, Sweden’s Gripen and French Rafale.
Meanwhile, the company is awaiting regulatory clearances for announcing its first deal in India, and is set to sell six of its transport carriers C-130J to IAF.
This would mark the first-ever direct armed weapon sales by an American company to India. The proposal is pending clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Securities (CCS).
This is not a good idea. The technology transfer would give a very good insight into how we package, maintain, and utilize our VLS.
Once a government has that type of technology, it will be capable of developing systems on par with our own.
Frankly,it’s not a big deal.France,Russia among others have all developed or are developing VLS systems capable of launching multiple types of weapons & both have stronger ties to the Indian military than the US.The reason why LM is proposing this is because both India & Israel are co-developing a new SAM system called the ‘Barak-NG’.Rather than devloping a brand new VLS system,both countries could well opt for a modified MK-41.
All other things aside, that's just a damned cool name...
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