21 Jan 15. India, Russia Discuss FGFA, Helo Co-Production. A week before US President Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held his first meeting with new Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday, which included discussions on the co-production of the Kamov 226 light utility helicopter and resolving disagreements over the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft [FGFA]. Visiting Russian President Vladmir Putin offered co-production of the helicopter during his talks here Dec. 11 with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said an Indian Defence Ministry source. However, the MoD’s official release made no mention of possible co-production, and only said, “The two Defense Ministers also discussed possible future areas of cooperation in high technology Defense platforms as well as armament for the three Services. ” Shoigu is here to attend the 15th meeting of the Russian-Indian Inter-Governmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation. “Resolving the deadlock leading to the final agreement on the joint production of the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft the two countries propose to jointly develop was top on the agenda of the meeting,” the MoD source added. The official release made no mention of progress in the long pending FGFA effort, but said, “The two sides resolved to continue to meet at regular intervals to carry forward an already robust defense cooperation between the two countries.” Russian officials offered no public comment after the talks. Despite a preliminary agreement on FGFA signed in 2010, a final agreement, essential for the release by India of about $5.5bn toward development of the aircraft, remains elusive. The final agreement would settle details concerning how much each side will contribute toward design and development of the FGFA, for which the Indian Air Force is expected to place an order worth over $25bn. Shoigu was scheduled to visit New Delhi in October but delayed his trip due to what Russian diplomats here said were events related to Ukraine. However, Shoigu visited Pakistan in November and signed a defense and military cooperation agreement on Nov. 20. “Despite the deadlock over FGFA, and the defense cooperation agreement with Pakistan, defense ties with Moscow will remain intact because Russia offers high-technology weapon co-production projects to India,” said Bhim Singh, retired Indian Air Force wing commander. (Source: Defense News)
19 Jan 15. Poland Launches Tactical Drone Tender. Poland’s Ministry of Defense has launched a tender to acquire 12 sets of middle-range tactical unmanned aerial vehicles and 15 sets of mini-UAVs for the armed forces. The ministry says it is aiming to significantly boost the military’s surveillance capacity. All initial bids are to be submitted by Feb. 16, with the price criterion representing some 60 percent of the points to be assigned to offers submitted in the tender procedure. Another 25 percent of the points will be allocated to bids in relation to the offered operational costs, while the technical parameters of the drones will be responsible for a further 15 percent of the points, the Defense Ministry said in the released tender documentation. The procurement will be carried out by the ministry’s Armament Inspectorate, which is overseeing all major purchases for the country’s armed forces. Defense Ministry officials are aiming to sign a deal in early 2016, according to the information obtained by local news agency PAP. The middle-range drones are expected to be delivered by 2022, while the mini-UAVs are to be supplied to the Polish military by 2017. (Source: Defense News)
21 Jan 15. U.S. Air Force to reevaluate bids in protested radar deal – sources. The U.S. Air Force has agreed to reevaluate proposals received in a competition for a long-range radar system initially won by Raytheon Co, after two losing bidders filed protests, two sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The Air Force’s action is e