Boeing: Assisting US Air Force in answering IAF''s questions on F-15EX aircraft
Boeing is assisting the US Air Force in answering questions coming from the Indian Air Force (IAF) about the capabilities of the F-15EX aircraft, said a top official of the aerospace giant on Wednesday, at a time when India is in the process of purchasing 114 new fighter jets. Prat Kumar, Boeing vice-president and F-15 program manager, said at a webinar, "India is there for a large 114-jet acquisition programme. We are waiting for the ASQRs (Air Staff Qualitative Requirements), the requirements'' definitions, because right no…
Indian Defence Industrialization: Provide Private Sector With Right Incentives & State Support
But with support, they can deliver as they have in the past. Companies such as Godrej Industries and L&T have delivered critical components in strategic programmes like Brahmos and ATV respectively while companies like Tata Power SED, Mahindra Defence System and many others have a relatively healthy track record of defence supplies. Companies like Dynamatic Technologies, Astra Microwave, Bharat Forge show promise while many companies like Punj Lloyd and Kineco Kaman recently obtained licences to manufacture different defence items…
Finmeccanica out, US’s Sikorsky joins Navy copter acquisition race
DELHI: The infamous VVIP helicopter scandal has claimed another victim. The defence ministry has ejected the European NH-90 chopper, linked to Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica, out of the race to supply 16 multirole helicopters to the Navy. The commercial bid of the other contender in fray, American Sikorsky-70B choppers, will now be opened this month after a long delay. "Both NH-90 and Sikorsky-70B choppers had cleared the technical trials held a couple of years ago," said a MoD source. "But their commercial bids…
Delayed FGFA Deal May Get The Nudge During Putin’s India Visit
India and Russia may finally settle on a number of delayed defense deals including the Fifth Generational Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India this December. Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the BRICS summit in July where both leaders reportedly agreed that the $30 billion program to build 200 jets should move forward. In 2010, a preliminary design agreement was signed between India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Russia’s Sukhoi Design Bureau to …
Who needs to down the FGFA?
There is a buzz in the air about New Delhi’s intentions of shooting down the 2007 agreement with Moscow for the joint development of fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) or at least put it on the hold to generate the funds for financing the Rafale deal with France. Under the estimated $20-30 billion mother-of-the-deals for the acquisition of 126 medium multirole combat aircraft (MMRCA), Dassault Aviation’s Rafale was picked as a stopgap measure to sustain the IAF’s strength in view of its depleting inventory caused by the phasing out…
India Considers Buying 126 Eurofighters From Germany
MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - India may acquire 126 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft from Germany, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported Monday. Indian and German officials are once again negotiating a multibillion-dollar deal for the delivery of 126 German-made fighter jets to India, the agency reported, citing German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. India and Germany previously discussed a similar deal, but India decided against the Eurofighter jets in 2012 and chose to acquire French-produced Dassault Rafale combat air…
Mistral row: France risks losing Rafale contract in India
France risks losing a contract to supply 126 fighter jets to India due to its refusal to deliver Mistral-class ships to Russia, a leading French analyst told the Delovoi Peterburg website. French officials said this week that they will not deliver the first Mistral-class amphibious warship that Russia had ordered as part of a $1.7 billion agreement for weapons sale. The biggest repercussion would be a loss of reputation for France as a reliable supplier, Arnaud Dubien, a Russia research associate at the Institut de relations Internatio…
Apache capability blitzkrieg for IAF as decks cleared for deal
As the IAF awaits contract signature on the keenly awaited Apache attack helicopter deal, it has been given a chance to savour the future of its attack copter capability through three recent events where the Apache was deployed. The material, made available through the Air Wing at the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C., depicts U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters conducting operations this month (August 2014) off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) deployed in the Persian Gulf, a capability the Indian Ai…
India nears $2.5 billion deal for Boeing military helicopters
New Delhi: India has decided to acquire Boeing's Chinook and Apache helicopters, a defence ministry official said on Saturday, in a deal valued at $2.5 billion that could ease strained ties between New Delhi and Washington. The new nationalist-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grand plans to vastly strengthen India's military capability, in order to play its role as a regional power and meet challenges posed by a rising China and arch rival Pakistan. "The defence acquisition council has cleared the last h…
10 major deals pending - A. K. Antony's overcautious approach
With nearly ten major defence deals kept pending for one reason or other, and the defence minister AK Antony more worried about his clean image, the nation's defence preparedness is being called into question. The cancellation of Rs 3,600 crore VVIP helicopter deal with Anglo Italian company Agusta Westland, on suspicion of a Rs 300 crore bribe being paid to middlemen, has set alarm bells ringing in the defence establishment. With nearly ten major defence deals kept…
Indo-US military ties on good track: Pentagon
US Deputy Defence Secretary Ash Carter has made several trips to India, he said, referring to what is now being called as the 'Carter-Menon' initiative, which resulted in the US going out of its way to provide India access to technologies that are being given to only to its closest allies. Notwithstanding some "barriers" and "challenges" in Indo-US defence ties, the two countries are on a positive trajectory to step-up military-to-military cooperation, a top American commande…
IAF has made significant gains in capability
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has made significant gains in its capability enhancement plans, its chief NAK Browne said on Monday. Air Chief Marshal Browne said streamlined induction and speedy operation of new assets had afforded the force "unprecedented response capabilities". Browne, who is retiring from service Tuesday, said IAF's prompt and cohesive response after the Uttarakhand floods helped save many lives and the achievement must serve as a matter of pride and inspiration for all its personnel. The IAF chief said h…
The Indian Navy's helicopter plans and purchases
The Navy has actually been running a competition for 16 naval multirole helicopters (NMRH) since 2011 with the request for information (RFI) being issued in July that year. Any decent sized surface warship in today's navy has the capability to host at least one navalized helicopter if not more. The steady accretion in the Indian Navy's (IN's) surface fleet therefore naturally also means that there is a need to augment the n…
Russian Missiles for India's Rafales.
Russia's Tactical Missile Corporation is negotiating with Dassault Aviation for the possible use of its missiles on the Rafale combat jets that have been selected by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Russia’s Tactical Missile Corporation is negotiating with Dassault Aviation for the possible use of its missiles on the Rafale combat jets that have been selected by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The corporation, whose Russian acronym is TRV, told journalists attending last week’s Maks airshow in Moscow that the Indian air force has large …
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