Lockheed pitches P-3 Orion

Lockheed Martin will give HAL "export controlled technical data" on P-3 Orion, a maritime surveillance aircraft, which the US aerospace conglomerate wants to sell to the Indian Navy, a company release said here on Wednesday.

Lockheed and HAL have signed a technical assistance agreement, under which the data on the aircraft will be exchanged. This will allow HAL to provide detailed technical and commercial proposals for participation in the airframe modernisation programme, the release said.

The US firm had built some 750 of the aircraft since the 1960s.