Lockheed Martin Again Woos Indian Air Force, Promises That F-21 Won’t Be Sold To Any Other Nation

The United States based aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has said that it will not sell its newly rolled out F-21 jets to any other country if India places order for 114 aircraft, reports Times of India.

The move is being seen as an attempt from Lockheed Martin to make its bid appear more lucrative than that of its competitors in the deal - Boeing from US, Saab from Sweden, MiG from Russia, Dassault from France and others.

"We will not sell this platform and the configuration to anyone in the world. It is a significant commitment by Lockheed Martin and it shows importance of India and the importance of unique requirement India has," Vivek Lall, vice-president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin, was quoted in the report as saying.

Earlier last year, the Indian Air Force had issued an RFI (Request for Information) or initial tender to acquire 114 jets at a cost of about $18 billion. This is touted to be one of the world largest military procurement drive in the recent years.

Lockheed's F-21, Boeing's F/A-18, Dassault Aviation's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, Russian aircraft MiG 35 and Saab's Gripen are the top contenders for the multi-billion deal.