Jul 07. Indian Air Force is looking at new partnerships with Indian Industry and opportunities to explore the growth in defence aviation, said Air Chief Marshal
FH Major, PVSM, AVSM, SC, VM, ADC, Chief of the Air Staff at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Tuesday. He said that aerospace sector is going through historical change and there is an unprecedented growth in civil and defence aviation. At the session Air Chief Marshal FH Major announced organization of the 2nd International Conference on Energising Indian Aerospace Industry to be organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS) on October 25 – 26, 2007 in New Delhi. He said that Indian aviation sector is growing faster at a rate of 7.7% compared to the global growth of 4% but lacks infrastructure and latest technology. Indian Defence will explore and build partnership with private companies to develop infrastructure but mutual trust will be the key to such tie-ups, said the Chief of Air Staff. Air Chief Marshal Major said, “The development of aviation sector will contribute to national development and government has laid down a comprehensive defence procurement procedure with a possible investment of $50bn in next 20 years”. This will allow the private and foreign companies to invest in defence infrastructure and technology, he said. “Military aviation is going through unique change and is expected to absorb $150bn in next five years. 12 companies have so far been recommended by the Defence Force for Raksha Udyog Ratna, which will ensure trust and confidence in the private companies”, added the Air Chief Marshal. (Source: Google)
09 Jul 07. Indian Deal With Qatar Opens Market. India and Qatar agreed June 22 to jointly produce weapons and equipment, part of an effort by Doha to reduce its dependence on Western arms suppliers. “I believe Qatar wants to break the norm and open the region for new arms suppliers outside the usual Western market that has been dominating the area for a long time,” said Abdelwahab Al-Qassab, a strategic adviser at the Qatar Armed Forces Strategic Studies Center. “India is regarded by most Arab countries as a technologically advanced country with a lot of potential.” The agreement was reached during the visit of Indian Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt to Doha, where he met with Qatar’s heir apparent, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani; the chief of staff of the Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyah; and chiefs of the Air Force and the Navy. “The agreement would increase the level of service training, military-to-military contacts, and enable greater sharing of information between the two countries,” said Indian Defence Ministry sources. Al-Qassab said India has a major advantage against its Western competitors: “It deals with the Arab countries on equal grounds and will not tie any arms deals to political or social issues, like the Americans or Europeans often do.” He said India would benefit by opening a new market for its defense industry and by creating jobs for Indians at home and in Qatar. Many Indians work in the Arabian Gulf states, including in Qatar, where foreign workers make up 80 percent of the population. India’s penetration of the Arab defense market comes a few years after arch-foe Pakistan established defense relations with Qatar’s oil-rich Arab neighbors. Over the past three years, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in Pakistan’s defense industry, buying Super Mesh’haq jet trainers, Al-Khalid tanks, armored personnel carriers and anti-tank missiles. (Source: Defense News)
10 Jul 07. Raytheon Company has teamed with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to submit a proposal for the systems design and development contract for the U.S. Army’s Mid-Range Munition. The XM1111 Mid-Range Munition is a precision-guided, 120 mm, gun-fired smart ammunition that will provide a dual-mode, beyond-line-of-sight capability for Future Comb