Military Acquisitions, Partnerships & Developments

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 28 Sep 2015 05:37

Defence manufacturers' heads of Lockheed Martin, Boeing urge PM Narendra Modi to simplify bidding process

chaitanya · Post by **chaitanya** » 30 Sep 2015 03:20

More good news, what is going on all of a sudden??

Make in India: L&T outguns global rivals to bag Rs 5,000-crore Indian Army deal

NEW DELHI: India is finally set to get its own mobile howitzers that will reverse the longheld Pakistani battlefield edge on artillery guns.

The guns Pakistan have were supplied by the US ostensibly for the 'war on terror'. In a deal that would also fit the 'Make in India' mandate, domestic manufacturer Larsen and Toubro has emerged as the finalist for a $750-million (about Rs 5,000 crore) contract to supply 100 self-propelled artillery guns to the Indian Army.

The 155 mm artillery guns are specially designed for operation in the desert areas bordering Pakistan and have been a longstanding requirement of the Army, officials said. India's concerns over Pakistan acquiring an edge in conventional warfare escalated in 2009 when the US supplied it 115 of the modern M 109A5 cannons as a "reward" for its assistance in the war on the Afghanistan border.

The Army had then accelerated its plans to procure a similar system, but the process dragged on for many years, with the defence ministry finally taking a call on the winner last week. Sources told ET that the K9 VAJRA-T howitzer, pitched by L&T in partnership with Samsung, has been shortlisted for the contract.

Once signed — the final process could take another six months — the Vajra could be the first new artillery gun to be produced in India since the 1980s when the Bofors was acquired. A parallel effort to procure M777 ultra-light howitzers from the US is under progress.

The Vajra will be produced at L&T's Pune facility and could be considered for exports in the future, along with an expected followon order for more guns for the Army.

The victory is especially sweet for L&T as it was competing in the global category, which was open to all arms vendors around the world.

The Vajra beat its Russian competitor on several technical grounds, including rate of fire, accuracy and mobility trials, officials said. L&T officials, however, refused to comment on the development.

member_24684 · Post by **member_24684** » 30 Sep 2015 09:19

.

^^ Look like Russian MSTA failed in the race,

we are going to buy the Korean K 9 via L&T

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 13 Oct 2015 05:21

Defence Ministry to ignore anonymous complaints; new guidelines to speed up procurement.

The defence ministry has decided to ignore anonymous complaints and impose penalties on frivolous grievances raised by competitors to speed up the procurement of equipment for the armed forces.

With a deluge of complaints holding up essential purchases - in some cases for years with disgruntled competitors keeping up the pressure - a new set of time-bound guidelines have been drawn up by the ministry.

While during the UPA rule cognizance was taken of all complaints, much to the frustration of shortlisted vendors, who were left hanging at an advanced stage of negotiation, the government will now attempt to trace the origin of unsigned grievances but will not act on them if found to be anonymous.

"Anonymous complaints will not be taken cognizance of as they may be the handiwork of vested interests and made with malafide intent," the guidelines read. The grievances will, however, be recorded and presented for inspection to the decision-making body at the final stage of signing of contract.

Competitors who wish to raise official complaints about the process of selection would be entertained by the ministry but with a warning that grievances found to be "frivolous or vexatious" could lead to a stiff penalty.(At last some common sense on display)

"While genuine complaints serve the objective of ensuring probity and transparency in the procurement process as also resulting in reduction of corruption and saving money for the government, non-genuine complaints have the potential to divert resources, delay procurement cases and cause loss to the buyer," the new guidelines state. All vendors participating in defence tenders will be asked to submit bank guarantees that could be enchased for this purpose.

These guarantees will be up to the value of Rs 10 crore for contracts exceeding the Rs 5,000-crore mark.

"Based on the findings of (an) ombudsman, appropriate action will be initiated against the vendor with approval of Raksha Mantri," it reads. In what will come as a major relief to the armed forces, the new rules specify that no procurement cases will be halted while a complaint has been received or is being probed.

Instead, the procurement process will continue till the last step before a final decision is taken by the defence minister. "In all cases, the acquisition scheme shall be progressed independent of processing of the complaint," it says, adding that complaints are to be disposed of within a 60-day period.

Big-ticket procurements that have been stuck for months due to complaints includes the acquisition of multi-role transport aircraft for the air force, torpedoes for the navy and light helicopters for the three forces.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Oct 2015 06:35

imo SP guns do not face the wear and tear of MBTs - they move slower , stay in cover out of danger...the chassis, armour and engine can be fairly ordinary and simple.
we should go for the cheapest combo in such areas but the best gun and loading system. even the MSTA if it was cheaper would be ok provided its gun and loading system is good and reliable.

the germans in typical style made a uber mercedes in the PZH2k using a leopard chassis and drivetrain. the british AS90 and M109 among western systems look like reasonable cheap cardboard boxes with just the gun being expensive.

what matters is not uber specs but NUMBERs. we need 1000s of cheap SP guns. and invest money in scaling up 155mm production to keep ready stock for 2 month of war use and 2 months in reserve with scalable production lines.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Oct 2015 18:54

Everyone loves new toys ! The MSTA on the T-72 chassis would've been cheap and available in numbers as there are hundreds of T-72s waiting to be upgraded.The savings in not upgrading 100+ could've be used for the howitzers,again savings and the upgrade money spent on more Arjuns.C'est la vie.However,one does not know the parameters of the QSR and whether the Russian gun met the min. reqs. That a decision has been made must be lauded.

Enjoy this report from the Week!
http://www.theweek.in/theweek/current/b ... pment.html

Buy hook, buy crook
By Ajit Kumar Dubey | October 11, 2015

With the boom in the defence industry and the decentralisation of arms dealing, India may end up buying expensive and unwanted military equipment

It was an informal meeting, in the lobby of a five-star hotel in central Delhi. A rendezvous between the representative of a European helicopter manufacturer and a recently retired naval officer. It was arranged by a mutual friend, and it did not go well.

“I was shocked when the officer, who retired as captain, offered to swing a deal for supplying 14 medium-weight helicopters for the Coast Guard in our favour with the help of his Navy friends deputed in the Coast Guard,” the representative told THE WEEK. “The officer said he would make sure that the specifications of the helicopters to be procured would be similar to the characteristics of our helicopter so that when the tender came out, we would sail through field trials.”

A blacklisting spree under defence minister A.K. Antony had made the representative wary of the pitfalls of the defence procurement sector in India. He blocked the officer's number on his cellphone and refused to entertain the calls of the mutual friend.

With the boom in the defence industry, influencing deals is no longer the exclusive domain of big-shot middlemen. Small players, mostly retired defence personnel who have contacts at procurement directorates of the forces, have entered the business. “Ever since the military industry started booming a few years ago, there has been a trend of using retired military officers to push deals for Indian as well as foreign firms. Deals are being influenced even at the basic level,” said Deba R. Mohanty, a defence industry expert.

CURRENT EVENTS

Some time ago, the Navy issued a request for information for a surveillance aircraft that could be deployed from an aircraft carrier. Strangely, the specifications sought in the initial procurement document were strikingly similar to the capabilities of the American E2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft. And, the requirement was projected at a time when India was more than a decade away from owning and operating a carrier big enough to operate such an aircraft. At present, the Navy has only one fully operational aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, which cannot be used to deploy such planes.

Another case related to the Navy is of the procurement of the Japan-made US-2 amphibious aircraft, which did not figure in the original procurement plans. But, after a commerce ministry delegation visited Japan in 2012, the two countries started discussing the development and manufacturing of the aircraft in India.

The Navy, sources say, is now being pushed to buy 12 such aircraft for $1.5 billion. The Coast Guard is being asked to buy six more to make the deal more economical. If the deal goes through, India would have the largest fleet of such aircraft—even the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force has fewer such aircraft.

“With the increasing pressure of pensions and salaries on the defence budget, the armed forces should be more prudent in spending each and every penny. Such things [as procurement of the US-2 aircraft] will lead to not just cuts in meeting their genuine requirements, but also to gaps in capabilities that are required,” said Captain (retd) Sunil Chauhan.

Some time ago, the Navy upgraded its fleet of 14 second-hand Sea Harriers from Britain spending more than 01,500 crore, which included the cost of equipping the aircraft with missiles and radars. “The upgrade was completed by the end of 2010. Today, they [the Sea Harriers] are facing operational problems and rarely fly. The upgrade was undertaken despite knowing very well that the country was getting MiG-29K fighters from Russia,” said an officer of the naval aviation wing.

A similar case is that of the proposed procurement of around two lakh assault rifles for the infantry. The Army framed specifications for interchangeable barrels for conventional warfare and counterinsurgency operations. But, when the tender was issued in 2013, foreign as well as Indian firms complained that the requirements specified were “unreasonable”.

“After several rounds of field evaluations, the vendors and the Army had the same realisation: that the requirements were unreasonable,” a defence ministry official told THE WEEK. “We had to quash the tender, resulting in another delay in providing robust basic weapons to infantrymen.” Sources in the ministry say a former Army chief was pushing for the selection of a particular rifle, but could not succeed.

Another case still in the making is the procurement of Apache attack helicopters from the US. Two years ago, the Air Force persuaded the defence ministry to buy 22 Apaches for its combat chopper squadrons. The Army, too, made a case to get 39 of such choppers for its aviation wing.

With the procurement of the first batch of 22 Apache helicopters expected to be cleared soon, the Air Force and the Army are engaged in a bitter battle over the ownership of the choppers. Sources agree that Apaches are required for providing firepower to the Air Force and the Army. But, according to them, there is no need for buying so many, at a time when Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is developing its light combat helicopters.

The Army also wants to buy howitzers from the US in a government-to-government deal. Owing to the cost of procurement, a decision was taken in 2010 to cap the number of guns at 145. A few years ago, say sources, a former Army chief pushed the lieutenant general in charge of acquisitions to prepare a case for buying more howitzers. “I was put under a lot of pressure,” the lieutenant general, who is now retired, told THE WEEK. “After I threatened to involve the defence ministry in it, the interested official backed out. But that was followed by a series of anonymous complaints against me.”

Public sector companies are not far behind in spending funds on developing unwanted equipment. Take the case of light utility helicopters for the Army and the Air Force. The government has decided to set up a joint production facility with the Russian firm Kamov for procuring the choppers. But HAL is continuing with the development of its own version of light helicopters, despite the Army making it clear that it would not require them.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Oct 2015 19:39

Definite,or speculation?
http://in.rbth.com/

India to acquire Russian air defences
12 October 2015 Nilova Roy Chaudhury, RIR

The Indian Defence acquisitions council has okayed the purchase of S-400 long range missile systems from Russia, reports in the Indian media said.

Related
•Russian arms maker launches robotized line for S-400, S-500 air defense systems components
•Russia’s S-400 antiaircraft missile systems deployed in Far Eastern Kamchatka region

On the eve of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s first visit to Israel, one of India’s leading weapons suppliers, India is planning to buy the new-generation Russian S-400 ‘Triumf’ air defence missile systems, which can destroy incoming hostile aircraft, stealth fighters, missiles and drones at ranges of up to 400-km, Indian media reports in the ‘Times of India’ and the ‘Economic Times’ said on Sunday.

Sources told the Times of India that the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, will "soon" take up the proposal moved by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to purchase around a dozen S-400 long-range systems from Russia.

"The project is at an initial stage at present. But it will be a government-to-government contract when it is finalized, with the S-400 systems being inducted over several years," said a defence ministry source.

The acquisition could likely be a game-changer, providing strategic parity for the Indian armed forces with inimical forces in the neighbourhood. Sources in the government told RIR the government was “definitely” considering the purchase. It is possible the announcement could happen when the Indian Prime Minister visits Moscow.

The proposal to acquire the S-400 system comes ahead of Parrikar's forthcoming visit to Russia later this month. The Defence Minister’s visit is part of a series of preparatory visits to finalise the agenda for the summit meeting of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to be held in Moscow in December.

India’s decision to acquire the long-range missile system comes almost a year after China signed a deal with Russia to acquire six S-400 missile system batteries, for US$ three billion. China is likely to begin receiving the S-400 batteries, known as `SA-21 Growler' by NATO from 2017 onwards. The ‘Triumf’ system is said to rival the anti-ballistic missile capabilities of the US Patriot PAC-3 system.

Countries which have territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas, from Japan to Vietnam and the Philippines, are all worried at the prospect of the Chinese People's Liberation Army getting such a force-multiplier to dominate the airspace.

India is clearly also worried about China’s acquisition of such a military capability, even if it is defensive in nature, as it could prove to be a strategic game-changer in the event of any possible conflict.

The S-400 has three kinds of missiles, with different capabilities, that can fly at supersonic and hypersonic speeds to intercept all kinds of targets at ranges from 120 to 400-km. Russian experts even proclaim the S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) system can "radar lock and shoot down" stealth fifth-generation fighters like the American F-35 jets.

India, on its part, is trying to plug the gaping holes in its airspace surveillance and defence network with progressive induction of a wide array of sensors and weapons.

With both the IAF, tasked with the country's air defence, and Army saddled with increasingly obsolete air defence weapons, the ongoing induction of the indigenous 25-km range Akash area defence system has come as a major relief for them.

Induction of the Israeli Spyder low-level quick-reaction missile systems, with a 15-km range, is now planned from 2016-2017 onwards. The project was stuck since the Tatra trucks -- on which the missile systems were to be mounted - had got enmeshed in corruption scandals. The contract was recently amended to replace the Tatra trucks with indigenous Tata trucks.

Deliveries of the medium-range SAM systems jointly developed by Israeli Aerospace Industries and DRDO, with an interception range of 70-km, will also begin from 2016-2017, the Economic Times reported.

Along with induction of these weapons, IAF is also now expanding its fully-automated surveillance network called IACCS (integrated air command and control system) to the entire country, with the cabinet committee on security recently approving another Rs 8,000 crore for the project. Eventually, the Army and Navy's Akash Teer and Triguna air defence networks will be integrated with the IACCS, the Times of India reported.

India is among the world’s largest importers of military hardware, and one of the issues Prime Minister Modi will have on his agenda in Moscow is to seek increased collaboration with Russian and other defence hardware manufacturers to ‘Make in India’ and not only transfer technology.

Indranil · Post by **Indranil** » 15 Oct 2015 01:49

1. Report came out in Sputnik news
2. ET and ToI (same newsgroup) cite above news plus regular sources saying S400 sought.
3. Report in "Russia & India Report" cites above Indian articles.

Hence, it is verified by both sides. It is circularly circular and definitely definite.

srai · Post by **srai** » 15 Oct 2015 02:52

It would seem the IAF positioned itself to acquire this LR system by naming x-ranges offered by Akash and Barak-8 as SR and MR

From the article, it says China paid $3 billion for 6 S-400 systems. So if India is getting 12 systems, as per same report being cycled around, then the deal would be valued around $6 billion.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 15 Oct 2015 04:02

Indranilroy wrote:1. Report came out in Sputnik news
2. ET and ToI (same newsgroup) cite above news plus regular sources saying S400 sought.
3. Report in "Russia & India Report" cites above Indian articles.

Hence, both it is verified by both sides. It is circularly circular and definitely definite.

The original report was by Rajat Pandit, DDM extraordinaire, but with contacts in MOD to regurgitate what they say with his own interpretation which is usually imports are good, Indian is bad etc.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 306976.cms

Sources say the defence acquisitions council (DAC), chaired by Manohar Parrikar, will "soon" take up the proposal moved by the IAF to purchase around a dozen S-400 long-range systems from Russia.

"The project is at an initial stage at present. But it will be a government-to-government contract when it is finalized, with the S-400 systems being inducted over several years," said a defence ministry source.

Before everyone considers it a done deal, this is yet to go to DAC.
DAC gives AON - Accept of Necessity.
http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories ... _Track.htm

After which:
http://dacintl.com/key_facts_on_indian_ ... e_dpp_2013

The acquisition process for schemes catgorised as ‘Buy’, ‘Buy and Make with ToT’ and Buy & Make (Indian) will involve the following functions:
1. Services Qualitative Requirements (SQRs).
2. Acceptance of Necessity (AON).
3. Solicitation of offers.
4.Evaluation of Technical offers by Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC).
5. Field Evaluation.
6. Staff Evaluation
7. Oversight by Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) for Acquisitions above Rs. 300 Crs.
8. Commercial negotiations by Contract Negotiation Committee (CNC).
9. Approval of Competent Financial Authority (CFA).
10. Award of contract / Supply Order (SO).
11. Contract Administration and Post-Contract Management.

There is a long way to go yet.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 17 Oct 2015 09:33

Boeing all for made-in-India F-18s fighter jets for IAF
http://www.hindustantimes.com/business/ ... ZHMWJ.html

Boeing chairman James McNerney said on Friday that his company will be happy to make its fighter jet F/A-18 Super Hornet in India if the Indian Air Force (IAF) were to buy it.
McNerney, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, believes this to be the best government he has seen in India in 35 years. Enthused, he wants Boeing, the defence and aerospace giant that earned $91 billion in revenues last year, to play a part in taking Indian manufacturing to global standards.The IAF has a depleted fleet and is looking for a twin-engine fighter aircraft as well as a single-engine one. The F/A-18 is a twin-engine, supersonic, multi-role and all-weather fighter.
“...it is obvious to me there is active interest in more fighters... however it shapes up, Boeing will have a fighter that can meet the requirement. What is different is our commitment to indigenise the manufacture of this fighter,” McNerney, on a quick visit to the country, said in an exclusive interview to HT.Boeing’s proposal, he said, would involve both a state-of-the-art fighter as well as transfer of a significant amount of the production system to India, which will have a broad-based effect, not just in defence but also in other industries.
McNerney, basking in the orders just placed by India for two of its helicopter models, Chinook, which is used for heavy lifting, and Apache, an attack aircraft, said Boeing would increasingly use partnerships around the world to make and design in other countries. “In India I see the single biggest opportunity to do that.”He likes the change in the way the Indian government and bureaucracy respond. “I think what makes Prime Minister Modi special is that he is both a visionary and has his feet firmly on the ground... He understands how hard it is to do the little things as well as how important it is to do the big things.”McNerney cited the dialogue on the offset obligation as a fine example of the change in the bureaucracy’s approach.“They have listened to people like us, and made some improvements. There is a dialogue. There never used to be dialogue, there used to be take-it-or-leave-it.”

member_29172 · Post by **member_29172** » 17 Oct 2015 09:57

^^^ How about building the ones we've already bought like P8 or apache? What's the point in buying 50 year old junk, we already have migs for that.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 17 Oct 2015 20:50

Def Min in NDTV seems to suggest the following [there can be understanding gap from my side so please excuse for that]:

1. IAF and HAL made to discuss few times and now IAF has agreed to buy around 100 modified Tejas.
2. HAL has been suggested to go for international consultant if required for improvement
3. More private sector will be help in reducing the current monopoly in certain cases. Increase competition
4. Acquisition plan for IAF to be finalized soon. There could be a possibility of some process where a local partner can team up with some
major global player for aircraft as part of make in India.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 17 Oct 2015 21:37

Alka_P wrote:^^^ How about building the ones we've already bought like P8 or apache? What's the point in buying 50 year old junk, we already have migs for that.

There is no substantial order for either the P-8 or the AH-64 to make an Indian assembly line worthwhile. These sorts of things require at least a decade (if not more)worth of commitment to production to make viable. The F-18 is just a shot in the dark just like other platforms out there that have also agreed to do something with MII.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 Oct 2015 21:51

Link for ManoParrikar on NDTV? Nothing on the site yet..

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 17 Oct 2015 22:52

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-bi ... o-featured

kit · Post by **kit** » 17 Oct 2015 23:06

Before one gets all excited about the India cell in pentagon..the Koreans just got one too ...!

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 17 Oct 2015 23:57

dhiraj wrote:http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-bi ... o-featured

Dhanyavad!

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Oct 2015 02:23

Karan M wrote:
dhiraj wrote:http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-bi ... o-featured
Dhanyavad!

My goodness - notice the alacrity with which Vikram Chandra shuts down the L&T SED gent when he starts speaking of sanctions and need for indian sourcing. But then the other panelists back him up. Note the US gent who dances around the topic and portrays it as a shareholder issue (for control, lol). Kudos to the Indian gents on the panel for being forthright in front of the audience and insisting on Indian IP and control.

Also I hope Mr Parrikar is extra careful. His predecessor Mr Fernandes who too was pro-services and thought he could make any change possible thanks to personal probity and what not, was deliberately entangled in the fake Tehelka case purely to serve the Queen's politics.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Oct 2015 10:11

Russia's Rusnano to create $2-billion fund to invest in Indo-Russian defence joint ventures

Russian sovereign wealth fund Rusnano Management Company will create a $2-billion (Rs 13,000 crore) fund with equal contribution from Indian financial institutions to invest in joint venture companies formed between the two countries which will develop defence and aerospace equipment with high-end technology , two persons with direct knowledge of the development said.

"We will invest up to 49% in the joint venture company and the rest will be owned by the Indian partner," said one of the persons."We will also transfer critical technology to the joint venture in both defence and aerospace. The entire plan is part of the Make In India initiative."

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 18 Oct 2015 13:13

It will be great JV. Russia will invest in Russian Companies and India will also invest in Russian Companies. Equal equal. import in India.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Oct 2015 14:03

The controlling stake would be Indian as we would own 51 % of the JV much like Brahmos

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 18 Oct 2015 14:13

Brahmos is great example, with USD 6 Billion order we get to make containers while Russia makes the missiles. One fine day in future we will perhaps make seeker and propulsion. JV means we invest in our own nation & give results of our R&D not that we fund Russian/France Research.

kit · Post by **kit** » 18 Oct 2015 14:17

This is how the russians buy influence .. through partnerships.. its there throughout western europe ..financial institutions power projects utilities and part reason why the sanctions didn't work .. but welcome nevertheless in India !

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 18 Oct 2015 14:19

Gyan wrote:Brahmos is great example, with USD 6 Billion order we get to make containers while Russia makes the missiles. One fine day in future we will perhaps make seeker and propulsion. JV means we invest in our own nation & give results of our R&D not that we fund Russian/France Research.

I think you are just too arrogant to do some search as to what we do in Brahmos which is more than just container , Just google or go through previous pages that members have posted and its more than containers

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 18 Oct 2015 15:17

^Don't they make everything save the engine for Brahmos here in India, including the seeker?

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Oct 2015 18:53

Seeker is also imported bar some parts. Local replacement is being developed by Data Patterns along with DRDO

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 18 Oct 2015 19:26

Karan M wrote:Local replacement is being developed by Data Patterns along with DRDO

Oh, thought that was already in use. Thanks for the info.

Gyan · Post by **Gyan** » 18 Oct 2015 20:48

So we dont have seeker and propulsion technology ie 99% of missile technology till date inspite of this fake JV and only 20 years having passed. Even the Containers are made of composites from imported raw martial. No wonder Israel was so happy with another fake JV called LRSAM/MRSAM.

Let's go for MRTA, FGFA, Maitri, Vajra, all of them great projects for pimps, and all of them use nomenclature of JV to fool public opinion in India.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 19 Oct 2015 00:10

Unless Russia inducts a good number of the BrahMos, this JV will be lopsided. Granted India has got a great missile, but that is only one half of the story - a great one at that. I assume that the Russians are carting away 49% - or whatever share they have - of the sales. Sales that thus far is entirely Indian based. And, that money they are spending on their own R&D.

Thakur_B · Post by **Thakur_B** » 19 Oct 2015 06:55

Probably OT:

This years Defexpo to be held at Goa,
http://www.spsmai.com/military/?id=3656 ... he-concept

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 19 Oct 2015 07:07

Russia has no interest in a 299 km missile. So what kind of a JV is this? Have the Russians bought any 299 km range Brahmos for their armed forces?

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 19 Oct 2015 09:08

Good point. But, my understanding was that at the 299 mark it was not going to drop.

Either way, the point was to sell something of worth to the Russians - normal business expectations. SAP sells to me, I expect SAP to buy some services from me.

Seems like some such negotiations are going on with Iran.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Oct 2015 09:18

the missiles are undergoing assembly in keltron factory.if enough money is spent its a matter of time before brahmos and astra mk1 can have domestic seekers. bear in mind, we have never productionized a domestic seeker of any hue so far - astra uses agat, nag uses sofradir, akash has no seeker, nirbhay has no seeker, the PAD/AAD might have israeli/agat kit, agnis do not have seeker, pinaka uses IAI TCS......

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jysRKdE7-gI/V ... issile.jpg

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 19 Oct 2015 09:42

ldev wrote:Russia has no interest in a 299 km missile. So what kind of a JV is this? Have the Russians bought any 299 km range Brahmos for their armed forces?

It is more of a question of what technology we got with brahmos from Indian POV thats the crux of what critical technology we have.

The entire system for Brahmos has been designed around Indian C3I system its pretty much rugged designed by TATA systems ( If you visited Brahmos stall you would see stuff if they allow you , I saw it once inside the Brahmos Cabin ) , Indians are making seeker , the Engine would be made at BATL in 2016 as per Pillai , We would have end to end technology to make Brahmos in India.

In 2017 DRDO would test a 600 km range version of Brahmos which is also its real range , Thats only possible if we have complete TOT for it else Brahmos JV cant do it as it would come under MTCR sanction.

With that range and a flight time under 6 minutes for its longest range we can just about take out any target in Real Time and practically cover most of pakistan. Good Capability to have if we can track the TEL in real time.

An an anti-ship weapon with that range you are pretty much outside the CBG AD bubble and the exposure time for any asset delivering Brahmos be it ship , sub or aircraft will be low.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 19 Oct 2015 11:41

Singha the BMD missiles use an Indian seeker. Its a high end item developed as a spinoff from LCA radar.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 24 Oct 2015 05:38

Tata Steel ropes in Sure Safety Solutions for Odisha's defence plant

BHUBANESWAR: Tata SteelBSE 0.51 % has roped in Sure Safety Solutions (SSS), a Mumbai-based defence and surveillance technology products maker, to set up an assembly line of aerial targets for armed forces next to its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Gopalpur, a coastal town in Odisha, two people familiar with the development told ET.

Sure Safety Solutions has a teaming agreement with the UK-based aerospace and defence major Meggitt PLC, a world leader in unmanned vehicle systems

A government official in the know said a formal announcement of the plant is expected next week. While the initial project is an assembly line for aerial targets, the plant will also be used to service Meggitt's Rs 100-crore plus order from the Indian Navy for aerial targets.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 24 Oct 2015 05:48

Don't restrict us in defence manufacturing space, say private players

NEW DELHI: The government has identified six areas that private companies can bid for in the defence manufacturing space under the Make in India drive -- which means replacement of the usual system of tenders and lowest bids -- but stakeholders are upset that they can't participate in more than one sector

"Our recommendation to the task force (constituted to identify the private players) is that instead of identifying a few companies per sector, the government should form consortiums and award them orders."

The deadline for submitting the report has passed and enquiries reveal that it is nowhere near completion. And, it is on the basis of this report that the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), which will detail the nuts and bolts of the methodology to be adopted for involving the private sector, was to be drawn up.

"This is not likely to happen before the first quarter of 2016, which means the earliest the private sector can get involved is mid-to-late 2016," a defence ministry source told IANS

With defence offsets obligations of Rs. 25,000 crore ($4 billion) expected to accrue over the next seven to eight years, the formation of the Association of Defence Companies in India will see a broad-basing of the country's manufacturing base, a process that is already underway in the small and medium industries sector

IMHO, not allowing companies to span more than one area is not wise.

Companies like Tata, L&T, and Mahindra can easily cover more than one area. Let them bid in each area, and select the top two bids in each area. If one comany wins in more than one area, so be it.

Also, it seems to me that Parrikar's new Defence Procurement Policy is taking too long (was promised to be ready in April). He should not be holding up critical acquisitions in the meantime. Otherwise, come March, and he will be returning part of the capital acquisition budget to the Finance Ministry.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Oct 2015 21:39

Interview with Manohar Parrikar , confirms talks on S-400 ongoing

Indian Defense Minister: I have always seen Russia as an all-weather friend for India

http://tass.ru/en/defense/832683

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 29 Oct 2015 21:41

Minstry of defence clears military projects worth over Rs 12,000 crore

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry on Thursday cleared new military modernisation proposals worth over Rs 12,000 crore, ranging from the acquisition of two additional regiments of the indigenous Pinaka multiple-launch rocket systems to the upgrade of 26 Ilyushin transport aircraft by Russia.

Read full story for all the deals cleared today.

Gurus: Any "Thumbs Up" deals here?