Lockheed, which has sold India six C-130 J transport aircraft in a $1 billion deal, told Reuters at the Bangalore airshow last week the country had expressed interest in buying another six.
The joint venture between Lockheed and Tata Advanced Systems is not the Indian salt-to-software giant's first foray into defence.
In 2009, Tata Advanced Systems formed a joint venture with Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. to make aerospace components in India.