Tata Advanced Systems, Lockheed Martin announce new defence MRO facility for operations of C-130J in India

New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin on Monday announced the groundbreaking of a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support operations of C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft.

The announcement to set up the facility in Bengaluru came as a Tata-Lockheed Martin joint venture is pitching C-130J Super Hercules as the best aircraft in the race to win a mega deal to supply around 80 heavy lift transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The IAF currently operates 12 C-130Js of Lockheed Martin that is known to be one of the world's leading tactical airlift planes.

The groundbreaking ceremony brought together senior officials from the IAF, government dignitaries, industry leaders and senior executives from Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems.

"Today's groundbreaking reflects how far our collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems and India has come, and where we're headed together," Lockheed Martin's Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John said.

"For more than seven decades, we've grown alongside India's expanding aerospace and defense industrial base. This new C-130 MRO facility strengthens that foundation," he said.

John said the facility will bring world-class sustainment capability into India, will improve readiness for the Indian Air Force, and will create opportunities that will support regional and global C-130 operators.

"We remain committed to building capability for India and from India for decades to come." Commenting on the occasion, Sukaran Singh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Advanced Systems, said, "This milestone marks more than the establishment of a new facility -- it represents India's growing confidence and capability in shaping its own defence future.

"The MRO venture strengthens our aerospace ecosystem, creating a foundation for innovation, skill development, and global competitiveness." The state-of-the-art C-130 MRO facility will provide heavy maintenance, component repair, overhaul, and structural checks and testing of the C-130 J fleet. It will also facilitate structural restoration and avionics upgrades, expanded training for Indian engineers and maintainers and bring in new opportunities for Indian suppliers across the C-130 supply chain.

Tata Advanced Systems, Lockheed Martin's long-standing partner in manufacturing C-130 empennages and other aerostructure assemblies in India, will play a central role in operating the new facility, the two companies said.

Last week, Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) celebrated the delivery of its 250th C-130J tail, marking another achievement in the US-India relationship and decades-long investment commitment, they said.

The Defence MRO facility will join the existing global network of Lockheed Martin Certified Service Centres and will be strategically located to service the C-130J Super Hercules, KC-130J and C-130 B-H legacy aircraft in the future.

"The C-130J Super Hercules is a proven workhorse for India's military and humanitarian missions," Rod McLean, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Air Mobility and Maritime Missions, said.

"This Defence MRO facility will bolster response time and security in the Pacific, ensure world-class sustainment capability within India aligning with the country's ambitions while advancing sustainment capability for the C-130J fleet across the globe," he said.

McLean said the C-130J and India have repeatedly achieved firsts together. "The C-130 completed a world-record breaking and unprecedented high-altitude landing at Daulat Beg Oldi. More recently, it touched down at Nayoma Air Base in eastern Ladakh, marking the inauguration of the world's highest operational fighter base." "This new MRO represents another historic first and a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork for a generational partnership between the C-130 platform and India," he said.

With a presence that spans more than three decades, Lockheed Martin has been a trusted partner to India's defense and aerospace ecosystem accelerating its manufacturing, skilling and technical capabilities while demonstrating existing support of "Make in India" initiatives and the vision of the Indian government, Lockheed said. The construction of the MRO facility will finish by end 2026 and the facility expects to receive the first C130 for MRO operations in early 2027, a Lockheed official said. PTI MPB DV DV