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On Friday, Boeing, Global aircraft manufacturing company, said it is looking at setting up a chopper assembly line in India. The world’s biggest airplane manufacturer Boeing has said that it could “make in India” a state of the art fighter plane.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Boeing chairman James McNerney has said that his company is willing to make a fighter jet in India and “India will get technology that can be used elsewhere in manufacturing”. Boeing makes planes like the F-18 Hornet which was once in the race for India’s contract but lost to the French Rafale.

Currently, the beams of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which can be called the spine of the aircraft are being made in a Nagpur facility.

Asked about closing several deals with the government, McNerney said that the trick was to have a team in India. India had last month signed a contract for 15 Chinook and 22 Apache helicopters. Boeing sees huge potential in India for civil aviation growth and it projects the country will need 1,800 aircraft over the next two decades.

“We can play at the centre of “Make-in-India” under which keeping in line with Boeing’s global product strategy. The series of defence deals also shows the country’s commitment to keep its borders safe especially in wake of shaky neighbours”, McNerney said.

“He (McNerney) has come at a time when the US-India relationship is at its peak-Prime Minister Modi has just finished a USA trip-so this is a great time for American companies to be in India to tap partnerships, whether in defence or in aviation”, said Delhi-based defence commentator and analyst Neelam Mathews, “One hopes more transfer of technology will head India’s way”.

The chairman said the reason for doing more business in India was because the country was a natural ally.

Most of the orders that Boeing has won, including an $11 billion plane order for Air India and a P-8 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, comes with a 30% offset clause attached to it.

“Under the new leadership, the country is moving towards the manufacturing dream. The efforts of changing tax regime and working towards speedy dispute resolution are a few of the things that this government is working on and it is an encouraging feeling”. He had said at least 50 per cent of these would be direct export.

The chairman also said that the company had stopped production of the heavy lift transport aircraft C-17 Globemaster.

“We have only one C-17 with us”.