New Delhi/Washington, Feb 9

US defence firm Lockheed Martin wants to push ahead with plans to move production of its F-16 combat jets to India, but understands President Donald Trump’s administration may want to take a “fresh look” at the proposal.With no more orders for the F-16 from the Pentagon, Lockheed plans to use its Fort Worth, Texas, plant instead to produce the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the US Air Force.Lockheed would switch F-16 production to India, as long as the India agrees to order hundreds of the planes that its Air Force desperately needs.Trump has criticised US companies that have moved manufacturing overseas and which then sell their products back to the US. In Lockheed’s case, however, the plan is to build the F-16 to equip the Indian Air Force, and not sell them back into the US. — Reuters