22 JUNE 2016

Ø  American military manufacturer Lockheed Martin could soon be producing F-16 fighters in an assembly line based in India, taking advantage of the new liberalised FDI conditions announced by the government on Monday. At least two senior officials in crucial ministries handling the issue confirmed that the proposal for setting up an assembly line for F-16 fighters in India was discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. earlier this month. An official said the negotiations with the French government for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters haven’t succeeded yet in securing a competitive price. “Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, is keen to close down its F16 production facility in the U.S. Talks are on to invite the company to shift its F16 production line, lock, stock and barrel, to India,” he said.

Ø  Flush with the success of the technology demonstration flight of its Reusable Launch Vehicle last month, ISRO is gearing up to test a scramjet engine based on air-breathing propulsion. The test flight of the indigenously developed scramjet engine is scheduled to take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota sometime in July. Named Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), the test platform will comprise a scramjet engine hitched to a two-stage sounding rocket (RH- 560).