The deal was signed recently after the Indian Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the purchase of the six C-130J Super Hercules aircraft last month. Commenting on the deal, a top US defence official said the agreement would set the stage for American companies to bid for the contract for multi-role combat aircraft. “It is a very good plane and is very widely used. It is a workhorse and it has been used for 40 years but the ‘J’ type (C-130J) is amazing. It can really take off on a much shorter runway and India basically lacks this kind of an airplane,” James Clad, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence said.
Lockheed is also bidding against Russian and European competitors for the sale to Indian Air Force 126 multi-purpose combat aircraft.
Clad, a senior Pentagon official, in-charge of South and South East Asia, said the deal has helped breach a “psychological barrier” in Indo-US defence cooperation. “What it does it is that it squarely puts Lockheed Martin on the ground with Boeing which is already there in India in civilian aircraft. There have been other things like Raytheon radars but this is the kind of thing that has an effect on the defence corporate community...diligence, good work and products make the difference,” he said.