The Lockheed Martin-Tata deal to manufacture new generation F-16 fighter aircraft in India is being touted as a mega ‘Make in India’ project. An agreement between the two has been inked but it is subject to the outcome of the Air Force’s competition to procure more than 100 single-engine fighter jets. If Lockheed were to win the contract it would shift its only operational F-16 assembly line from Texas to India. If India is going to pay for the jets, it makes sense to ensure that the money goes into creation of jobs here instead of the US. Apart from filling a gap in the Air Force’s need for fighter jets, the deal, if it goes through will mark a significant shift in the way India buys its military hardware. It will also highlight our inability to build a fighter jet despite investing three decades and crores of rupees in the project. The danger in bringing the F-16 assembly line to India is that it could kill India’s dream of designing and building fighter jets. While the deal could be seen as a ‘Make in India’ project in the short run, it could break our resolve to be self-sufficient in military hardware in the long run.
