What the new defence minister does with the Rafale fighter jet deal will decide if India wants to build genuine, long-term defence capability through an indigenous product that slashes life-cycle costs, or opt for glitzy signing ceremony with foreign vendors that would please the public, says Ajai Shukla.
The fleet landed at Al Dhafra airbase on Monday in the United Arab Emirates after flying for over seven hours from the Merignac airbase. It was the only stopover by the jets while flying from France to India.
European aerospace major EADS is on the verge of bringing into markets its new A400M Grizzly to compete in Indian military proposals for inducting giant airlifters to boost its strategic reach.
Expected to offer Gripen NG fighter aircraft or a possible joint collaboration in manufacturing single engine light combat planes.
The army on Saturday successfully test fired the nearly 300-km-range Brahmos supersonic land attack cruise missile in Pokhran.
Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said the government and the armed forces will not spare any person found guilty of wrongdoing in the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai.
A breathtaking display cast a spell at the 12th edition of Aero India.
So keen is Moscow that India buy its helicopter -- Kamov-226T -- that President Vladimir Putin personally took up the issue with PM Narendra Modi during their summit meeting last year
"Few shots from 30,000 feet! Mid air refuelling of #RafaleJets on their way to #India," the Indian Embassy in France tweeted
As part of a new rotation policy of paramilitary forces' squads at the Republic Day parade, the contingents of two other forces -- the Central Reserve Police Force and Central Industrial Security Force -- have been taken out of the event this time, officials said.
We are going to deliver 36 aircraft. If the government of India wants more aircraft, we will be pleased to deliver, he said.
It's a bold marketing move for the locally-produced light combat aircraft.
Given the urgency, the Indian Navy is buying 24 MH-60R Seahawks in flyaway condition, and plans to build another 99 in India through the strategic partnership route.
The Rafales could begin combat operations by September-October, reports Ajai Shukla.
The grandeur and might of the various types of aircraft in the Indian Air Force were on full display on the occasion of the 88th Air Force Day celebrations on Thursday.
French sources say Hollande was motivated to speak out after an Indian media report revealed that the Reliance Group had part-funded a film venture by his domestic partner, French actress Julie Gayet.
This indirect outsourcing will make Airbus' parent company EADS' total business outsourced to India grow 10 times by 2020, from the current euro 100 million. In comparison, the total outsourcing to countries outside Europe will only increase by more than three times in that period, albeit from a far larger base of euro 8 billion. Industry experts said this indirect outsourcing would be a clear way to rationalise costs.
The British aerospace giant is understood to be in the process of rolling out a series of new engine design, analysis and development programmes and is looking at roping in an additional partner to handle its sub-contracting requirements.
The prime minister must clear his stand on the Rafale deal after Hollande's remarks, he said.
These unmanned aerial vehicles can fly at high speeds, detect intruders, do aerobatic maneuvers like loops, rolls, spins, and hammerheads effortlessly and communicate with each other intelligently.
'The greatest loss from replacing the 126 Rafale proposal with the 2016 contract for 36 Rafales might not be the extra money paid, but the opportunity that India's aerospace industry lost of obtaining access to critical aviation technologies and manufacturing skills.'
'To neutralise these two threats, the military requires extraordinary offensive capabilities, which are available with the West alone.'
facilities at Bangalore one understands the financial year end frenzy at these establishments and the slipshod slippages in timeframes, quality of overhaul, servicing and quality control across the board, for aircraft and equipment alike,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
Auto component-maker Bharat Forge Ltd on Monday said it will invest around Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) over the next three years to focus on its non-automotive business of making components and heavy forgings for energy, marine, defence, aerospace and locomotive sectors.
There's a need to train 40,000 pilots over the next year-and-a-half.
Company officials are refusing to budge on the price agreed last September.
Sitharaman said the weapon systems, avionics and other key add-ons to the Rafale aircraft, will be 'much superior' than that negotiated by the UPA.
Boeing's plan involves setting up an Indian factory and the aerospace ecosystem to build the Block II Super Hornet.
'Make in India' will be central to Mr Modi's visit to Europe and Canada. It is difficult to predict what will happen with the Rafale deal, but if it goes through, it will undoubtedly become the 'Mother' of all 'Make in India' projects,' says Claude Arpi.
The IAF has paid French aerospace firms Dassault and Thales about Euro 350 million for 'performance-based logistics'. This requires the vendors to ensure that 75 per cent of the Rafale fleet is combat-ready at all times, notes Ajai Shukla.
Tie-up with MBDA will have Indian partner as majority shareholder; first product likely in 2 years.
The failure of the BrahMos missile during a recent test was due to a "software glitch" and the Defence Research and Development Organisation is doing a number of simulations and tests to ensure that it does not recur, A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Executive Officer of the BrahMos Aerospace, said on Monday.
Russia has said the maiden flight of the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA), being developed by its Sukhoi design bureau in tie-up with Indian aerospace and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), will be made by the end of the year.
Russian defence aerospace major Sukhoi is close to bagging its first civilian Indian client with its regional 60- to 90-seater jet Sukhoi Superjet 100.
A noted defence scientist on Wednesday rejected suggestions that China's new missile Chaoxun-1 (CX-1) was a copy of Indian supersonic cruise missile BrahMos. The technology used in CX-1 and BrahMos, an Indo-Russian joint production, was completely different, said A Sivathanu Pillai, who formerly served as Chief Controller of Research and Development at Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Indian Navy will soon test fire a long-range surface-to-air missile, jointly developed by India and Israel, aiming to enhance its capabilities against incoming missiles, aircraft and drones.
The willingness to collaborate ranges from combat aircraft to early warning systems and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, tactical missiles and military propulsion systems, Defence Minister A K Antony told an international seminar.
The petition by the trio came two weeks after the apex court had on October 10 asked the Centre to provide details of the decision-making process in the Rafale deal with France in a sealed cover by October 29.
Boeing is pressing hard to win the Indian Navy contract for 57 aircraft carrier-borne fighters. It could offer the Super Hornet in the ongoing IAF procurement of 114 medium fighters; its upgraded F-15EX fighter also on the list.
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