US Ambassador Sergio Gor Visits TLMAL C-130J Plant in Hyderabad

United States Ambassador to India Sergio Gor visited the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd (TLMAL) manufacturing facility in Hyderabad on Monday, highlighting India's position as a critical link in the global manufacturing network for the C-130J Super Hercules tactical airlifter.

TLMAL is a joint venture between Tata Advanced Systems Ltd and Lockheed Martin. Gor's visit underscored the expanding defence industrial cooperation between the US and India, particularly as Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems pursue India's medium transport aircraft requirement.

During his tour of the Hyderabad facility, Gor inspected the production line dedicated to manufacturing empennages for the C-130J Super Hercules. The tactical airlifter is operated by both India and the United States and is deployed across the world for airlift operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and special missions.

Following the inspection, Gor shared his observations regarding the advanced manufacturing operations taking place at the plant.

"Fantastic visit to Lockheed Martin-Tata facility in Hyderabad to see advanced aerospace manufacturing firsthand. Lockheed Martin’s partnership with Tata is making India a critical link in the global C-130J production network, strengthening defence supply chains and advancing our strategic partnership," Gor said in a post on the social media platform X.

The participating companies stated that the TLMAL joint venture demonstrates India's established capability to manufacture critical structural components for the global C-130J supply chain while maintaining the ability to scale up production to meet future operational requirements.