New Delhi. 01 June 2020. Dr. Vivek Lall is probably the most known face in the Indian aerospace and defence industry and the most prominent Indian-American who played key roles in some major Indo-US defence deals between India and the US, will be the chief of General Atomics Global Corporation, based in California.
For everyone in the Indian aerospace and defence industry and the media on the beat the softspoken Dr. Vivek Lall has had not only a strong association with India but has always played a great professional role of developing the industry whether it was Raytheon, Boeing, Reliance Defence, General Atomics or Lockheed Martin. And with his return to General Atomics (GA) as the Chief Executive of General Atomics Global Corporation procurement specially for Indian Navy and Airforce will see a fillip.
A formal statement from General Atomics said, “ with Dr Lall’s expertise, GA Global will expand its global footprint for managing sales, service, and international industrial collaboration in strategically important countries like Japan, Australia, the UAE, and others.”
In his previous stint with the US major as chief executive of strategic development from Vivek Lall was instrumental in the drive to first market and then advance on the sales plan for missile-capable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Indian armed forces. It may be recalled that GA ASI in June 2017 had informed that the US government had approved a $2 billion sale of 22 MQ-9B SeaGuardian UAVs to India for the Indian Navy.
Also the Indian Navy has selected US General Atomics EMALS for its second aircraft carrier, IAC II, which should be operational in about a decade. GA-EMS’ Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) are revolutionizing naval aviation. EMALS and AAG provide the range of capabilities necessary to launch and recover the full spectrum of carrier-capable aircraft.
Dr. Vivek Lall has been the major force in concluding major Indian defence procurements including 24 MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters from Lockheed Martin, 10 C17s worth $4 billion, P-8I Anti-submarine warfare aircrafts (eight and then four) worth $3 billion, 28 Apache helicopters and 15 Chinooks worth $5 billion, and 22 Harpoon missiles worth $200 million. An asset to both India and USA, Vivek has been influential in shaping US’s defence exports and fulfilling India’s defence needs. He was appointed to the US Federal Aviation Advisory Committee in 2018, where he represents the viewpoints of defence technology organisations in the NextGen Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation. The Aviation Advisory Committee provides information, advice, and recommendations to the Secretary of Transportation on ensuring the competitiveness of the U.S. aviation industry and its capability to address the evolving transportation needs, challenges, and opportunities of the global economy.
Dr. Lall has been also recognized as one of the world’s top scientists of the twentieth century by Cambridge. He was also the President of the Mathematical Association of America. He was also affiliated with the United Nations in New York to advise on Broadband and Cyber Security issues for challenges within the global community and provide services that will help address them. In India he was appointed the Chairman of the Indo-US Strategic Dialogue by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in August 2011, was Distinguished Fellow at Observer Research Foundation and also served as Chairman of the Defense Committee of The Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India(ASSOCHAM).
