Lockheed Martin is planning to revive its pending bid to sell Javelin missiles to India 32001161

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Defence & Security News - India
 
Lockheed Martin is planning to revive its pending bid to sell Javelin missiles to India
 
US defence major Lockheed Martin is planning to revive its pending bid to sell Javelin missiles under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign. The plan to buy Javelin missiles from Lockheed Martin was shelved a couple of years ago.
     
     

However, the proposal got a fresh lease of life when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar visited the US last month where US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter pushed for the deal, sources told BusinessLine.

Sources said Lockheed Martin is even ready to co-produce these shoulder-fired anti-tank guided Javelin missiles in India, albeit at a later stage.

For this, the US government is also planning to put the deal under US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) to expedite the process, sources said.

But to revive the deal, the US government will have to grant its permission to Lockheed Martin once it gets a request for buying these missiles from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The US had been trying to sell these missiles to the Indian armed forces since 2013. However, the plan was put on the backburner when the Defence Ministry chose to buy Israel’s Spike anti-tank guided missile in 2014.