New Delhi — U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Tuesday described plans involving Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Tata Advanced Systems Limited to co-produce the Javelin All Up Round in India as a major step forward in the defense partnership between the two countries.
Gor said the initiative would create new opportunities for U.S. companies while strengthening India’s defense manufacturing capabilities.
“A major step forward for the U.S.-India defense partnership. This collaboration between Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Tata Advanced Systems Limited will create new opportunities for U.S. companies, strengthen America’s defense-industrial base, and boost India’s manufacturing capabilities,” Gor wrote on X.
Tata Advanced Systems and the Javelin Joint Venture, a partnership between Raytheon, an RTX business, and Lockheed Martin, have signed a memorandum of understanding for potential co-production of the Javelin All Up Round in India, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin.
The Javelin Joint Venture selected Tata Advanced Systems as its primary partner for future production efforts in India following an evaluation of several companies based on their capabilities and expertise.
Under the agreement, the companies will explore establishing a facility in India for the final assembly and integration of Javelin rounds, as well as production of certain components.
Lockheed Martin said the arrangement would support future production of the Javelin system, create opportunities for Indian industry and contribute to regional security in the Indo-Pacific.
“The Javelin co-production effort will be beneficial for the India and U.S. partnership through creating, building and developing a strong defense workforce in India while sustaining American jobs in the domestic supply chain through multiyear production of sub-assembly kits at Lockheed Martin’s Troy, Ala., facility and guidance electronics units (GEU) at Raytheon’s Tucson, Ariz., facility,” the company said.
The sub-assembly kits and guidance electronics units would be shipped to India for final assembly and integration.
The announcement follows Gor’s meeting last month with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi, where the two discussed expanding strategic cooperation between India and the United States.
“Had a fruitful meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss deepening US-India strategic cooperation. Our close partnership with India is vital to addressing global security challenges. The United States and India share many of the same goals and our engagement continues to grow,” Gor said after the meeting. (Source: IANS)
