The US to offer F-35 for Indian Navy's tender

29.06.2010 Lockheed Martin intends to offer shipborne version of perspective 5-gen fighter F-35C Lightning II for Indian Navy's tender, PTI informs. Under the tender Indian Navy is about to purchase 16 deck-based fighters. Conditions of the tender imply order enlargement up to 40 aircrafts.

According to Lockheed Martin, the company received a request from Indian Navy for information of combat aircraft capable to take off and land on a carrier's deck. The American company has already introduced performance features of F-35B and F-35C versions. F-35B is a STOL variant, F-35C is purposely designed to be based on aircraft carriers.

Indian Navy issued the tender on deck-based fighters late Nov 2010. Requests for information about corresponding aircrafts were sent to several companies including American Boeing and Lockheed Martin, European EADS, Swedish Saab, French Dassault, and Russian RSK MiG. Those companies has not replied to Indian military so far.

Indian Navy plans to commission the first nationally developed aircraft carrier in 2015. Later on, it is expected to build two more carriers of same project. Fighters which are to be purchased under the tender will be based on those ships. Displacement of such carrier will make 40,000 tons, length is 260 meters, max speed is 28 knots. The first carrier was laid down in 2009.