USAF F/A-18 "Super Hornet"& F-16 "Fighting Falcons" flying together in a Sortie
In preparation for Carter’s trip, Pentagon officials visited India and met with Indian officials to discuss Lockheed Martin’s F-16 offer, as well as one from Boeing regarding co-production of the F/A 18 Super Hornet. The US did not sell the more advanced version of the F-16s "Fighting Falcon" to Pakistan “for fear that the technology could leak to China.”
Lockheed Martin, a premier member of the US military-industrial complex, has announced that it is eager to begin manufacturing its prized fourth-generation fighter jet, the F-16, in India. According to Lockheed Martin India head Phil Shaw, the company is in discussions with New Delhi about producing F-16s in India for both the Indian air force and other armed forces.
This offer, which would and could only be made with the approval and encouragement of the Pentagon and the Obama administration, is part of Washington’s concerted campaign to make India a “frontline state” in its drive to strategically isolate and if need be encircle China.
National Interest reported that Lockheed Martin is “in discussions with the US government, the Government of India, and our Indian industry partners about potential new production F-16 aircraft to address India’s fighter recapitalization requirements.” Noting that the “details” of “the aircraft and industrial offer would be determined in conjunction with the two governments in question,” Shaw added that it “could include unprecedented technology sharing or other favorable terms to woo the Indian government.”
In 2012, the United States and India signed a Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) aimed at promoting the co-production and co-development of advanced weapon systems. By offering India economic incentives and assistance in developing advanced weaponry, Washington not only hopes to help US companies cash in on the Indian massive military “modernization” program. Even more importantly, it aims to make India’s military interoperable with the US military and dependent on US technology and supplies by signing three foundational agreements so as to further integrate India into the US's Asia "Pivot."
Notably, the public offer of F-16 production came in the run-up to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s three-day visit to New Delhi and Goa this week. Carter’s visit to Goa will coincide with a visit of the USS Blue Ridge, the command flagship of the US Seventh or Pacific Fleet.
India would derive “three potential benefits” from the Lockheed Martin deal: “First, the addition of 90 airplanes” in the medium multi-role combat class; “second, India emerging as the production source for markets such as Indonesia that are still eying the F-16 as a means to modernize air fighter fleets; and third, India becoming the top maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) hub for the 3,500-plus F-16s in service worldwide—and intriguingly including those in Pakistan.”
Given the virtual criminal neglect of India's war-preparedness by the Congress, it is time to call for India to build up the war-preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces at optimum levels to face the joint military threat of the China-Pakistan Axis. (Adapted from The Hindu, WSWS, National Interest & others)
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