Lockheed Martin LCS Contender in India's Project 17

NOSI has an article from The Hindu that Lockheed Martin is in the mix for the request for information (RFI) for India's Project 17, a class of multi-role, fast stealth frigates for the Indian Navy. That sounds a lot like the Lockheed Martin LCS MMC.

The Hindu reports:

Interestingly, the Navy’s requirement for stealth frigates is being looked at optimistically by the world’s biggest military contractor Lockheed Martin. It has just replied to the RFI. According to Royce Caplinger, Managing Director, Lockheed Martin Global Inc., the company has also identified an overseas shipyard, which will build the first ship of this class for the Indian Navy.

Speaking to The Hindu from Washington, Mr. Caplinger, however, refused to divulge the name or country of the identified shipyard because of proprietary obligations.

He said: “We are hopeful of continuing into the next [RFP] phase.”

This is yet another reason why I think the Navy is more likely to buy neither LCS than it is to pick only one of the two choices.