Min pitches state as destination to US aerospace, defence giants

HYDERABAD: During his whirlwind tour of the US, IT minister KT Rama Rao met top honchos of companies from sectors such as aerospace and defence as part of efforts to pitch Telangana as an ideal investment destination.
KTR met senior leadership of Lockheed Martin Corporation, including Ray Piselli, VP of international business and global business development, as well as Dave Sutton, director for international government affairs, on ongoing manufacturing programmes in Hyderabad and new programmes in the pipeline.
“Glad to note that Lockheed is planning their next supply chain meet in Hyderabad and is actively speaking to several Telangana based MSMEs and start-ups for fruitful collaborations,” said KTR, as per an official communique put out by his office on Friday.
During his meeting with General Atomics CEO Vivek Lall, KTR explored possibilities of manufacturing, MRO and R&D collaborations for military and nuclear systems and invited GA to consider manufacturing their drones in Hyderabad.
He also urged them to join hands for skilling partnerships and for the Aerospace University project proposed by the Telangana government. General Atomics produces high tech predator drones, a series of unmanned aircraft and provides electro-optical, radar, signals intelligence, and automated airborne surveillance systems.