DTN News - DEFEXPO 2012 INDIA: Firms Flock To Delhi To Woo World's Top Arms Importer

DTN News - DEFEXPO 2012 INDIA:  Firms Flock To Delhi To Woo World's Top Arms Importer

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / NEW DELHI, India - March 28, 2012: The message is embarrassing but clear: with India failing to get its act together to build a strong defence-industrial base (DIB) unlike China, it will continue to be the world's largest arms importer in the foreseeable future.

So, gleeful global armament giants are again lining up to hard-sell their aircraft, helicopters, drones, submarines, howitzers, futuristic infantry combat vehicles, missiles, assault rifles and carbines at India's biennial arms jamboree here.

There are going to be 232 foreign firms, mainly from the US, Russia, France, Israel, the UK and Germany, and 60 official delegations in town this week for the four-day "DefExpo-2012' that begins on Thursday.

Over 335 Indian exhibitors, including major ones like Tatas, Punj Lloyd, L&T and Mahindra, will also be there to explore tie-ups and joint ventures with foreign companies as well as DRDO, defence PSUs and domestic shipyards.

"We understand fully well that indigenization cannot happen through only defence PSUs...we have taken several steps to encourage the private sector," said Shekhar Agarwal, secretary (defence production).

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.ca/2012/03/dtn-news-defexpo-2012-india-firms-flock.html

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ripple Effect From India's Biggest Defense Deal

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Ripple Effect From India's Biggest Defense Deal

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 6, 2012: First it was the United States that got annoyed, and now it is Britain's turn to ask some tough questions about its India policy. Ever since the French Rafale fighter was declared the lowest bidder in the multibillion dollar contract to provide a new generation fighter for the Indian Air Force, a debate has been raging in the United Kingdom as to what went wrong with Prime Minister David Cameron's charm offensive in wooing India.

His visit to India in 2010 was widely viewed as a highly successful. He made all the right noises in India about Pakistan and terrorism, and there was a sense that U.K.-India ties had finally turned a corner. The Cameron government has also decided to give India £1.4 billion between now and 2015, amounting to almost 1 percent of Britain's own £159 billion debt.

But when it came to the much sought-after Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contract, France was the winner and the Eurofighter, produced by a consortium of four nations, including Britain's BAE systems, lost. Apparently, saying the right things and giving aid doesn't get you any influence in New Delhi!

From the very beginning, this saga has been rather interesting. Last year in April, India rejected bids by Lockheed Martin and Boeing (along with Russian and Swedish bids) for the $10 billion-plus contract for the 126 combat aircraft, despite extensive lobbying by the U.S. military-industrial complex, supported by President Barack Obama himself.

Nothing works better in New Delhi than a putdown to the U.S. — and that was quite a snub indeed! Instead, New Delhi short-listed Dassault Aviation's Rafale and the Eurofighter Consortium's Typhoon. There were extensive field trials, and technical considerations ostensibly drove the final decision. But the dismay in Washington was widespread and, to some extent, understandable given the investment that the U.S. has made in cultivating India in recent years.

The focus then shifted to the French vs. British, Rafale vs. Eurofighter rivalry in which the French came out on top. Dassault Aviation, Rafale's French manufacturer, will be entering into commercial negotiations with India over the next few months before final deals are signed. As this is a company that has been struggling to get foreign buyers, it would be keen on signing the contract more or less on Indian terms.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/dtn-news-india-defense-news-ripple.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: BAE May Cut Typhoon Price To Win India Order

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: BAE May Cut Typhoon Price To Win India Order

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 7, 2012: BAE Systems is considering lowering the price of its Eurofighter Typhoon to win back an $11bn (£7bn) Indian contract from France’s Dassault.

Ian King, BAE’s chief executive, said the company was considering a range of options to secure the deal to supply fighter jets, which could help prevent a major industrial setback for Britain.

A source close to the company said BAE was consulting with its partners in Germany, Italy and Spain to see what was feasible in the coming days and weeks.

India had previously changed its mind on defence contracts, the source said, adding there was “still some way to go” before any decisions by the country had been made.

The insider insisted the contract was still up for grabs, with Dassault’s Rafale only having been named as the lowest-priced compliant bidder rather than being awarded the contract.

The Government’s drive to kickstart growth and rebalance the economy towards advanced manufacturing suffered a blow last month when the Indian government named the French manufacturer as its preferred partner for the deal.

Trade union Unite warned the selection of the Rafale could have "serious implications" for BAE Systems and the UK aerospace industry. It is estimated that 40,000 UK jobs are supported by the project.

Winning the Indian contract would help sustain tens of thousands of jobs, although production is expected to gradually move to India if Britain won the deal.

BAE currently has enough orders for the Typhoon to maintain work until 2017.

The Typhoon is made by Britain's BAE, European giant EADS, and Italy's Finmeccanica. The UK accounts for 37.5pc of production with the aircraft assembled at BAE's aerospace facilities in Lancashire and suppliers including GKN, Ultra Electronics and Rolls-Royce.

Last year, BAE cut 3,000 jobs in the UK, partly because it had won fewer export orders for the Typhoon than planned.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/02/dtn-news-defense-news-bae-may-cut.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: The Rafale Selected To Power The Indian Air Force

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: The Rafale Selected To Power The Indian Air Force

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / Saint-Cloud (France), January 31, 2012: Following the announcement of the final selection of the Rafale program MMRCA, Dassault Aviation and its partners are grateful to the Indian authorities and people of India to give them the opportunity to continue to strengthen their partnership history. Dassault Aviation and its partners reaffirm their commitment to meet the operational needs of the Indian Air Force and recall their pride in contributing to the defense of India for over a half century. 

About DASSAULT AVIATION With over 7500 military and civilian aircraft delivered for nearly 60 years in 75 countries and have made ​​nearly 20 million flight hours, Dassault Aviation has an expertise and a recognized experience in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, the Rafale fighter to the family of business jets upscale Falcon. With its unique architectural complex airborne systems, Dassault Aviation is able to make strategic, operational solutions and innovative approach to efficient cooperation. 

As part of a phased approach pursued for many years, its expertise in technology systems and control of airborne vectors allow users to offer optimized solutions. Finally, the pragmatic approach of the partnership has led to a vast network of cooperation with many companies, thus promoting the success of today's programs and helping to unite the defense industries of tomorrow.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-defense-news-rafale-selected.html