New Delhi. Lockheed Martin (LM) says that its India-specific F-21 aircraft being offered for the Indian Air Force (IAF) will have a formidable Electronic Warfare (EW) and Air to Air Missile (AAM) capability to enable a combat pilot engage multiple aerial targets.
Dr Vivek Lall, Vice President Strategy and Business Development for the company, told India Strategic in an interview that the F-21 is proposed only for IAF, and that the aircraft goes much beyond the F-16 Block 70 now under production for some countries. IAF has its own EW specifications and “F-21 is Beyond Block 70 also because it is designed to carry 40 percent more AAMs on its Triple Missile Launcher Adapters than the Block 70.”
“That should be a huge advantage in any type of operational profile.”
Budget
In terms of budget, which should be a concern for any buyer, he observed: “The F-21 will also be cheaper by 30 to 40 percent n life cycle costs than aircraft in the competition which is again another huge, significant advantage.” That should mean more Beyond the Visual Range (BVR) missiles, or even those for Close Combat if ever required.
“Whether you are talking about battlefields or budgets, the F-21 is the clear choice for India,” he said adding: “Simply put, the F-21 goes further, faster, and stays longer” on station than any other aircraft in the competition, and all at the most optimal Life Cycle Cost…. The aircraft meets all the IAF requirements as stipulated in its Request for Information (RFI) and some queries which have been replied to.”
And, the F-21 is also a 12,000 flying hours aircraft, meaning much lower operational and maintenance costs.
Lockheed Martin (LM) has already responded to IAF’s Request for Information (RFI) for the indigenous production of 114 combat jets in what is known as the round two of IAF’s quest for a single or twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA). The process for that had begun first in 2007, later aborted, and the second round began with a new RFI in 2018 for progressive manufacture of 114 aircraft in India under the Government’s Strategic Partnership (SP) model with majority stake from the Indian partner. LM accordingly has 26:74 partnership with the Tata group.
MMRCA 2.0
Other aircraft in the MMRCA competition are Boeing F-18 Advanced Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Swedish Saab Gripen, European Eurofighter and Russian MiG-35. In the second round, each company is likely to improve upon its 2007 offer, thanks to the evolution of technologies since then, and the fact that the Indian requirement is the biggest in the world in several decades.
Former IAF Chiefs have told India Strategic in previous interviews that IAF needs around 400 advanced combat jets as most aircraft in its inventory need replacement ASAP. As the production of the aircraft would be under the Make in India pogramme, IAF can order any number later for indigenous manufacture.
A distinguished aerospace expert, the soft spoken Dr Lall was here to attend a conference to network Lockheed Martin’s 26 US suppliers with some 70 Indian component manufacturers who held 540 meetings between them July 16 to 18.
Technologies
Dr Lall described the F-21 as a unique fighter, with some capabilities that do not exist in the Block 70. For instance, it is the only fighter with Boom and Probe and Drogue refueling capability, a modern LED cockpit, an aft dorsal fin, an advanced EW suite and Radar, and “some sensitive features that I would not like to comment.”
The F-21 will have Northrop Grumman advanced APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which has detection ranges nearly double that of previous mechanically scanned array radars, the ability to track and attack more targets with higher precision, an advanced EW system, notably developed uniquely for India for enhanced survivability against ground and air threats, Long Range Infra Red Search and Track (IRST) system, Triple Missile Launcher Adapters (TMLAs) for 40 percent more AAMs, an Aft Dorsal Fairing enabling increased growth capacity and indigenous systems integration in the future, and conformal fuel tanks for longer range.
Global Ecosystem
Lockheed Martin has 3000 F-16s flying around the world in 28 countries with robust production partnerships in some, and the US Air Force will use its variants till 2048. The selection of F-21 would mean a rapid infusion of Technology and Production arrangements, and F-21 would be the first platform to bring some crucial aerospace knowhow to India.
“Lockheed Martin is well established globally in production partnerships and there should be a 100-year robust partnership for Indian manufacturers in the global aerospace ecosystem; an Indian hub will also mean an important role in defence diplomacy.
India will also have the scope to export the aircraft as “they can make any number beyond the stipulated 114.”
Dr Lall said that only Lockheed Martin, the world’s biggest defence company, has operational 5th generation aircraft in F-22 and F-35. “We are leveraging some technologies with us towards the F-21 within the IAF requirements and subject to government to government approvals.”
Asked if the modifications for more AAM missiles would mean some compromise in range, he said: “Compared to all aircraft in the IAF competition, the F-21 goes Faster, the Farthest, and Stays in air the Longest.”
