Shrinivasan wrote:devesh wrote:if India gets to manufacture EADS's patented composites and materials tech, then that effectively means that we have a stake in the program. unless Rafale comes up with something similar, MoD top brass will pick EF (assuming that indigenous development is a top priority).
a Letter Of Intent has been signed, this means nothing about manufacturing in India. I don't have finger to count the number of MOUs Lockheed Martin and Boeing signed in the run-up to AI2011, all this is not worth the paper it is printed on now as both these companies are out of MMRCA. EF has pulled together these LOI hoping to get the MMRCA, Offset proposals have been submitted already so I wonder how this new LOI would help EF.
MOD secretaries are not going to be poring over newspapers and trade rags to lookup how many LOIs / MOUs these tow organizations have singed or thinking about signing.
The problem with EF is pretty simple, there are four countries which are manufacturing a plane together... with multiple factories/companies in these countries doing the work. There are suppliers in 11 other countries supplying parts to the EF consortium. Where does HAL fit in this manufacturing wheel.
How is EF going to meet its 33% (or is it 50%) OFFSET requirement to meet India requirement. I haven't seen any announcement addressing this. Just couple of days back, there was a news about Inviting Japan to join the EF Consortium... Is India also going to be invited like this? is that what MMRCA contract envisaged? only time will tell.
why are you comparing EF with Boeing and LM???? Boeing and LM are out. the competition is between EF and Dassault. the LOI's are surely part of the offsets program. the EF team probably submitted an offsets proposal based on these LOI's and agreements. and as far as I know, Boeing and LM never proposed anything where they would transfer patented technology to be manufactured in India.
once again, if India is given a partnership in the EF program, then a significant portion of manufacturing of Typhoon for all orders (not just our order) will be done in India. this is the key. and down the lane, I suspect that UK and Germany are making calculations to offload Spain and even Italy and bring in India. Spain has already become a basket case and English and Germans are most likely hoping to kick these basket cases out at the first opportunity. India gives them that opportunity. India has the money, the man power, and the resources to supplant both Spain and Italy. If India uses some chanakyan bania mentality, we have a golden opportunity here. we can effectively have a pie in EADS.
anyway, that is all speculation for now. the point is EF is offering to have their patented tech manufactured in India, and this almost certainly means that India will play a much bigger role than just a client. this is the kind of a deal that is prelude to much broader participation. the Euros are under no illusion. once they share patented composites tech with corporations in a country as vast and resourceful as India, somehow somewhere this will leak into local production lines for future projects. they are doing this, IMVVHO, to bring India in instead of keeping out and suffering in the future. better to bring us Yindus in now and share profits and keep making money. at least that way, they know they can get a share of the pie. otherwise, as opportunities in their countries dwindle down, they fortunes will go down the drain. the writing is on the wall.
