Military Acquisitions, Partnerships & Developments

[dinesha]

Re-arming the Indian Army's troops with lethal, modern weapons
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/re-ar ... ons-298245

The Indian Infantry - that hard working, non-complaining arm of the Army - is at last likely to get the attention it deserves, if plans envisaged by Army Chief General Bikram Singh and the Directorate of Infantry fructify in the next couple of years.

Starting 2014, several basic weapons used by the 350-odd infantry battalions are likely to be replaced by a new and more lethal ones. So the assault rifle, the carbine, the light machine gun (LMG), the sniper rifle and even the anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) - essentials in an infantry battalion - all are set to be replaced over the next five years. Many of these weapons, currently used by the troops are of 1960s vintage. The Dragunov sniper rifle, for instance. Or the ATGMs which are on second generation variety.

To begin with, the current mix of 7.62 self-loading rifle and the 5.56 INSAS rifle used by some battalions is likely to be replaced by a new double barrel rifle complete with a conversion kit which will enable the troops to make dual use.

"When an infantry battalion is deployed in counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism (CI-CT) role , it will have the option to use the 7.62 mm barrel but when it gets posted to a peace station, the 7.62 mm barrel can be mothballed in field stores and the same rifle can then be converted to 5.56 mm bore."

Each infantry battalion in the Indian Army normally holds about 494 pieces of the basic rifles. In the first phase, 120-odd battalions deployed in CI-CT role under Northern and Eastern Command will get these rifles by mid-2014. In phase II, transfer of technology will be ensured and the production will then be taken up by India's Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

Well-known gun brands like Colt and Beretta are among five or six companies competing for the big tender of 60,000 assault rifles estimated to cost Rs. 5,000 crore at current prices. According to Army Headquarters, field trials are currently on and are expected to go on till mid-2013 before a winner emerges.

The current version of the LMGs - 45 in each battalion - are of 5.56 mm bore and are bulky at 6.23 kg. The Army plans to replace them with much lighter and more lethal ones with longer range and 7.62x51 mm bore. The general staff qualitative requirements (GSQR) for the new LMGs are being worked out currently, according to informed sources in the Army HQ.

Procurement of third generation ATGMs worth about Rs. 2,000 crore is being given priority since the current lot of eight launchers to each battalion is of much older vintage. The Army wants to graduate from the Milan ATGMs (which has a semi-automatic command line of sight) to a third generation ATGM which will be an 'automatic command line of sight' ability. In other words, it will have the "fire and forget" mechanism. Trials are currently on for this version of ATGMs in the western sector where they would be initially deployed given that tank warfare will dominate any conflict in this area.

The other big procurement on the anvil is the induction of the new generation carbine. India has plans to procure over 43,000 carbines at a cost of over Rs. 3,200 crore. Each infantry battalion currently holds an inventory of about 230 carbines. While trials are on, the first induction of the newer generation of carbines is likely to take place in 2014.

Sources in the Army HQ say Army Chief General Bikram Singh, an infantry officer himself, is keen that the foot soldiers in the forefront of CI-CT and conventional operations, get the best of weaponry to match their undoubted courage and commitment.

[Paul]

^^^^^^^

Well-known gun brands like Colt and Beretta are among five or six companies competing for the big tender of 60,000 assault rifles estimated to cost Rs. 5,000 crore at current prices. According to Army Headquarters, field trials are currently on and are expected to go on till mid-2013 before a winner emerges.

Hence, the OFB-INSAS will be replaced by a foreign brand....my money is on Beretta/

[abhik]

Re-arming the Indian Army's troops with lethal, modern weapons
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/re-ar ... ons-298245

The other big procurement on the anvil is the induction of the new generation carbine. India has plans to procure over 43,000 carbines at a cost of over Rs. 3,200 crore. Each infantry battalion currently holds an inventory of about 230 carbines. While trials are on, the first induction of the newer generation of carbines is likely to take place in 2014.

Is the carbine the MSMC or is it also being killed off?

[Austin]

Going beyond 70:30

Last week I attended my zillionth seminar on defence indigenization and, for the zillionth time, found myself lamenting the Indian strategic community’s mistaken belief that we would be largely self-reliant in defence if our current indigenisation ratio of 30:70 could be improved to 70:30. In other words, India imports 70 per cent of its defence requirements, while building only 30 per cent in the country; reverse that ratio and things would be fine.

This notion is fallacious. It is like saying that the Electronic Warfare systems on a Royal Navy battleship are not British because most of the chips inside were made in Taiwan. The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is an Indian fighter, even though 90 per cent of it comes from abroad. What determines whether a fighter or tank is Indian or foreign is not how many foreign Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) sub-systems and systems there are inside. Rather, it is design expertise and the key components and systems that money cannot buy.

Another falsehood about indigenisation is the argument that allowing more foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence production would bring to India a rush of technology and manufacture from global defence giants. The current FDI cap of 26 per cent, it is argued, makes foreign investors reluctant to transfer high technology, and allows them only a meagre share of the profit. These are flawed notions. Governments, not companies, control defence technology and its release is based on strategic considerations more than profit. For western governments, with declining defence budgets, the need to safeguard high-tech defence manufacturing jobs at home overrides any argument their companies make about labour arbitrage in India.

To manage success in indigenisation, the complex defence planning landscape must be reduced to four key players. First there is the military, which must be made to understand that dependence on foreign weapons systems is at least as great a long-term strategic threat as is Pakistan or China. For too long, the services have held out the prospect of “imminent threat” to persuade the defence ministry (MoD) to import foreign weaponry instead of adequate Indian systems that are available. This was seen in the case of the Akash air defence missile; the Arjun tank, the Tejas fighter; and now an artillery gun. The MoD must muster the political courage to flatly say, “War is not imminent. Operational readiness today is less vital than building our own weaponry tomorrow.”

Secondly, once the need to drive hard at indigenisation is internalised, stock must be taken of resources for pursuing this goal. The much-vilified Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) is now an increasingly ambitious player, emboldened by success in developing technologies, systems and entire weapons platforms. But the DRDO cannot realistically be responsible for the whole gamut of development.

With an energised private sector waiting in the wings, the DRDO must focus on basic research and enabling technologies, while the public and private sector can translate those into systems and platforms. The new DRDO chief, Avinash Chander, says he is forging partnerships with academic institutions that would allow DRDO scientists, academics and research students to work in community, developing far-reaching technologies that would be “transplanted” onto DRDO laboratories. For DRDO die-hards, who developed entire platforms (and a credible missile arsenal) while defying international technology denial regimes, the suggestion to stay confined to a corner of the playfield will seem heresy. But the DRDO’s long-term good lies in being canalized into carefully chosen avenues rather than in dissipating energy needlessly.

The third crucial component is the private sector, where top-drawer managerial and technological expertise waits to be allowed into the lucrative field of defence development and production. Holding them back is the question of finance: an MoD that has spent lakhs of crores on nine defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and forty Ordnance Factories (OFs) finds it politically risky to allocate government money to private sector defence companies who would compete with the DPSUs/OFs. The MoD would rather that the private sector paid its own way. Earlier this year, Defence Minister AK Antony called on private defence companies to abandon their “miserly attitude” towards R&D. There is something to Antony’s uncharacteristic outburst; even big players like the Tata group and L&T have hesitated in investing in defence, waiting for the MoD to pick the tab.

Fourthly, the MoD must realize that the avoidance of decision-making cannot be its only policy in this landscape of competing interests. With the military demanding immediate overseas procurement; the DRDO looking to spread its wings; the DPSUs/OFs pushing the frontiers of cronyism; and the private sector waiting for a perfect policy environment before making a grand entrance, the policymakers cannot confine themselves to risk-free decisions aimed more at shielding officials from accusations of mala fide than at maximising self-reliance at minimum cost.

A multi-disciplinary body, led by the DRDO, must carry out a Technology Gap Assessment to identify a development roadmap for the future. Specific technology projects must be allocated to industry, with design houses being set up by groups that would share costs with the government. The MoD’s fear of being seen as favouring a particular business house cannot block targeted involvement. Modalities must be evolved for funding design and development. Individual projects can be funded through the American DARPA model. And major design centres can be set up --- envision the Tata Design Centre, or the L&T Submarine Research Bureau --- for which companies submit proposals which will be evaluated by a DRDO-led decision-making body.

[VinodTK]

From The Economic Times: Foreign companies may not need FIPB nod for minority stake in Indian arms; govt to raise FDI cap

Foreign companies may not need government approval to hold up to 49% equity in Indian arms in most sectors, with the Manmohan Singh administration planning an overhaul of the foreign investment regime to attract overseas capital.

A senior official said the government was considering raising the minimum foreign investment cap to 49% for all sectors, including defence production,
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[Austin]

GKN Engineering Center In Bangalore, India Growing Quickly

A growing need to access top engineering expertise, which exists in India today, has led GKN Aerospace to launch a new engineering center in Bangalore with around 100 skilled engineers, of which 70 will be transferred from its new Engine Operations (formerly Volvo Aero) office, according to a GKN spokeswoman.

GKN Aerospace’s (Chalet B73 Hall 2b F169) involvement on the Airbus A350 XWB includes the design, development and manufacture of the aircraft’s composite rear wing spars, manufacture of the composite components for the wing’s inboard and outboard flaps, manufacture of Rolls-Royce Trent XWB structures including thrust struts, inner core fairings and blisks.

“Our excellent team of suppliers who have worked with us to create the innovative structures and components…are helping Airbus realize a real step change in fuel efficiency and emissions with the A350 XWB,” said Marcus Bryson, CEO of GKN Aerospace and Land Systems.

[Austin]

Hindustan Aeronautics Sets Five-Year Goal for Fighter, Trainer Production

A target for criticism over delays in projects in the past, India’s largest defense manufacturer, government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) is undergoing a transformation of its human resource through training and innovative programs. This is focusing on two urgent requirements–the overdue Light Combat Aircraft (LCA); and the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT). HAL (Chalet A 124) has confirmed that the projects will go into production in the next five years

Even as India opens up to procuring more Western military aircraft and its civil fleet grows, HAL’s inclination to establish partnerships is becoming increasingly apparent. For example drawing on its inherent strengths and an established infrastructure, the company is now “shaping plans” to enter the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) sector along with a (private) partner, a senior Minister of Defence told AIN.

On paper, while HAL has narrowed down its choices for its MRO facility to Bangalore, where it has its head office, and Kanpur, the site for the series production of the Multi-Role Transport aircraft under co-design and development with Russian partners, it is Nashik that is the most likely choice given its proximity to commercial capital, Mumbai (106 miles) and HAL’s center for its aircraft division.

An expression of interest (EOI) was invited late last year “from a renowned establishment in the world having proven track record and experience for establishing a comprehensive independent world class maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.” This would be in Nashik on the HAL Airport area, and would undertake maintenance of business jets and commercial aircraft such as Airbus 320s, Boeing 737s and ATR turboprops. The MRO facility would use “a public private partnership model in the form of joint Venture (JV) with OEMs,” according to the EOI.

Services planned for the MRO will include major checks, repair and overhaul of jet engines, turboprops and APUs fitted on commercial aircraft and helicopters, landing gear repair and overhaul, painting, refurbishing, repair of components/parts warehousing and modifications including freighter conversions. In February, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) permitted HAL to operate its airport at Nashik, where the company has already established a passenger-cum-cargo terminal. “As part of our foray into the civilian sector, we are developing the Ozar airport at Nashik, which is being used [presently] for flying only military aircraft,” R.K. Tyagi, chairman of HAL, said.

HAL also has an interest in building a 90-seater regional aircraft with private participation under a joint venture model. “We have made a humble beginning with Dhruv civil variant (helicopter) as an offshoot of the military program. We now propose to play a leading role in India’s national civil aircraft development program as we have dedicated facilities at our transport division in Kanpur,” Tyagi said.

Challenges remain, such as the need to overcome dependence on raw material and access to critical technologies, admitted Tyagi. The supply chain, both from India and abroad, also poses issues: “Supplies from abroad have long lead-times coupled with irritants like unjustified price escalation and obsolescence,” he added. “There is also a need to augment development and production of equipment and spares. This is an area where our sourcing from abroad is the maximum with associated difficult supply chains.”

As the lead integrator for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), for which Dassault’s Rafale was chosen, HAL–with 2,400 private vendors–could also be working with industrial giant Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) as its major supplier. RIL is looking to invest around $1 billion on its new aerospace division at Nashik to “design, develop and manufacture equipment and components, including airframe, engine, radars, avionics and accessories for military and civilian aircraft, helicopters, unmanned airborne vehicles and aerostats.” It is likely that the company will also manufacture parts for the Dassault Falcon business jet.

An MoD official said HAL needed to define a partner for the MMRCA that will facilitate Tier-2 and -3 suppliers, or assume that responsibility itself. Proponents ofHALsay that the government-owned company has far more experience in selecting suppliers for high-technology defense projects than private companies.

In the first four months of 2013 HAL applied for 127 patents related to aeronautical products and systems, including metal treatment, and spent $312 million on design and development, yet it still continues to lag in the challenging arena of engine design. “The present state of engine technology [in India] is not up to the mark and the aerospace industry is at crossroads,” said V.K Saraswat, scientific advisor to the defense minister. “We have achieved partial success with the Kaveri [for the LCA]… [but] we don’t even have state-of-the art indigenous systems worth mentioning. Even simple fuel-injection systems are not on a par with international standards,” Saraswat continued, while pointing out that even Indian-manufactured tanks had to rely on imported engines.

There are some who doubt HAL’s confidence about the transfer of technology (TOT) from Rafale’s M88-2 engines from Snecma, each providing a thrust of 75kN and incorporating the latest technologies such as single-piece bladed compressor disks (blisks), a low-NOx combustion chamber, single-crystal high-pressure turbine blades, powder metallurgy disks and ceramic coatings, which could enable India to become self-sufficient in engine technology. “The Kaveri developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment(GTRE) is now planned for use for the unmanned combat air vehicle,” said one OEM executive. “That’s not saying much about its capability…engines involve a lot of intellectual property and one doesn’t see full TOT happening.”

Helicopters, where HAL can claim experience and success in, are on the radar with discussions ongoing with OEMs to develop a 10-to 12-ton 22-seater (like the Mi-17) category helicopter for VIPs for flying at an altitude of 23,000 ft. In a tie-up with the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, joint research will be carried out in the field of transmission systems for a helicopter engine program. “This partnership will involve required software and design solutions for different types of gears, bearings, lubrication system, vibration monitoring systems and production technologies,” said an IIT official. HAL has also committed to certification of a Light Utility Helicopter, of which 187 are on order by the Indian army and air force, by 2015.

Acknowledging the changing business environment and challenges associated with not having kept up with times, HAL has introduced a leadership development program with premier Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to train its senior executives. “Our executives need to have exposure to enable them to benchmark operational and business excellence with the best international practices,” Tyagi said. The company has also inducted 400 management and design trainees and engaged consultancy KPMG to audit its workforce.

In its space business, HAL recently announced that it was setting up a facility for the Indian Space Research Organization to produce cryogenic engines and components for its geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle.

UPDATE ON HAL PROJECTS:

Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA): Preliminary design phase completed. Negotiations in progress to conclude R&D contract. 20 agencies will be involved at the R&D stage.

Jaguar Upgrade: The first flight of the Jaguar Darin III (Maritime variant) took place in Nov. 2012 and is undergoing flight evaluation. Modification on two other variants–strike and trainer–is in progress. The first flights are due by July 13 and September 13, respectively. Flight Operation Certificate (FOC) is planned for 2014-15.

Mirage Upgrade: Preliminary Design Review has been completed and technical specs for the FOC have been finalized. Design activities are under progress, according to HAL

Sukhoi: In addition to the existing contract of 180 aircraft, a contract for an additional 42 has been signed. HAL claims to have “absorbed the technologies to manufacture aircraft from the raw material stage.”

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA): The prototype flew last year and carrier compatibility trials are scheduled before year-end at the Navy’s shore-based testing facility in Goa.

[member_26965]

HAL to manufacture Sagem Flight Control & Sensors' at Hyderabad

http://frontierindia.net/hal-to-manufac ... -hyderabad

The 107 units are for LCA?

[Karan M]

They will be for production aircraft, in series production already. Sigma 95 is used by the Su-30 MKI and Jaguar DARIN-3 as well. The LCA is to use a local RLG-INS developed by RCI.

[member_26965]

Must be Jaguar DARIN-3 upgrades. Thank You.

[Brando]

Defense Sales test for Kerry

.....
The Obama administration believes that the key objective of the President’s visit two-and-a-half years ago remains unfulfilled. That objective was to create more jobs for Americans through increased trade and other economic interactions with India at a time the US economy was still reeling from the financial meltdown of 2008.

Of all the disappointments that the White House has felt about tardy progress in building an all-round and comprehensive partnership with New Delhi, the biggest disenchantment has been in defence trade.
.......
In a clear sign that the Americans are by no means giving up on their quest for a bigger slice of India’s defence market, Kerry is bringing along with him Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the US Pacific Command, located in Hawaii.

Locklear cannot, of course, procure defence contracts for American companies, but he can do much by way of preparing the ground which makes US supply offers look attractive to the Indian military establishment.

The admiral, for instance, is expected to make an offer in New Delhi that the Indian military establishment cannot turn down. This involves letting Indian forces use on a trial basis American equipment that is normally not given to non-treaty partners.

The expectation in Washington is that once the Indian military tries out these state-of-the-art weapons systems and technology, they will get so hooked on them that India will consider the US defence supply chain as a priority.
......
The innovative offer to let India test US weapons systems without actually placing orders is the outcome of year-long discussions between deputy defence secretary Ashton Carter and national security adviser Shivshankar Menon on overcoming hindrances in American legislation that prevented India from buying state-of-the-art weapons and technology from the US.

Carter was mandated by former defence secretary Leon Panetta to address reasons why India was reluctant to buy more American weapons and find ways to overcome such reluctance.

It is understood that Carter has told his Indian interlocutors that the Americans are now ready to co-produce with India Hawk missiles, 117mm guns, vertical mines and multi-role naval helicopters as a confidence-building measure in transfer of technology on which the US has been tight-fisted.

Hawk missiles, 117mm guns ? This article sounds like bunk.

[Singha]

well there is some hawk-NG they have been trying to peddle for a while - to kill the akash system.

[Samay]

Opportunity for Indian defence planners to buy US equipment too cheap

The massive disposal effort, which U.S. military officials call unprecedented, has unfolded largely out of sight amid an ongoing debate inside the Pentagon about what to do with the heaps of equipment that won’t be returning home. Military planners have determined that they will not ship back more than $7 billion worth of equipment — about 20 percent of what the U.S. military has in Afghanistan — because it is no longer needed or would be too costly to ship back home.
That has left the Pentagon in a quandary about what to do with the items. Bequeathing a large share to the Afghan government would be challenging because of complicated rules governing equipment donations to other countries, and there is concern that Afghanistan’s fledgling forces would be unable to maintain it. Some gear may be sold or donated to allied nations, but few are likely to be able to retrieve it from the war zone.

We can buy $28 bn worth of military equipment at scrap rate or a little more. an opportunity ,expected as not to be told to the Indian taxpayer.
I will be a surprise if Indian media shows it to the public.

[Karan M]

well there is some hawk-NG they have been trying to peddle for a while - to kill the akash system.

Hawk is an obsolete system which they have been hawking (pun intended) for the Army's MRSAM requirement. It will be a sad day if we purchase this long in the tooth item, merely because it is upgraded. In that vein, we can buy upgraded SA-3s as well.

[Brando]

Opportunity for Indian defence planners to buy US equipment too cheap

From the article :"The Pentagon has determined that it will no longer have use for about 12,300 of its 25,500 MRAPs scattered at bases worldwide, officials said. In Afghanistan, the military has labeled about 2,000 of its roughly 11,000 MRAPs “excess.”"

12,300 MRAPs ?? Even if 50% are junk, getting a few hundred would be pretty valuable in Kashmir, Jharkand etc.

The GoI can easily drive them out through Iran - unlike the Americans. At the very least the GoI should ask the Americans for a list of what equipment they are going to leave behind and what they are giving to the Pak Military.

[Lalmohan]

2000 surplus in afghanistan - we should buy all of them and gift half to the afghan national army and bring the rest back to india

[Samay]

Buying these equipments is not a problem.. a bigger problem is how to not let the defence procurement lobbies in India and outside, block this news and the awareness of this opportunity from the common public ,which is the real stakeholder in any procurement .
If we buy these equipments at their cheapest prices from afghanistan and fly them back it would be gamechanger in naxal war/assymetric warfares we conduct.. biggest blow would be to the iedology of naxals in open roads of their areas
One more errant will be these weapons/equipments getting into paki hands,

[Prem]

Wont the purchase require waiver for Single Vendor Shenanigans and no bribe Sir ?
Let Russia buy all of it and then do the reselling using appropriate channel.
ONTOH,first go for artillery stuff.

[Katare]

Pakistan may get a lot of it and that too for free.....Khan's gonna leave a big mess and Kashmiri folks and IA would pay for it in blood for years to come

[arun]

X Posted from the “Indian Naval Discussion” thread.

Do not recollect this piece of news from a couple of months back being posted here.

Contract to power the 4 Project 15 B (P15B) destroyers has been won by Zorya Mashproekt:

16/04/13

SE “Zorya”-“Mashproject” will deliver marine power plants to India

SE “Zorya”-“Mashproject” signed the contract with Indian customer for delivery of gas turbine power plants for ships that will be built at Mumbai shipyard. The contract is concluded with the parties following the results of the tender of 2012. Under the terms of the contract the enterprise will equip four new ships (Project 15B) during the period of 2016 to 2019.

The enterprise already equips the third series of such ships. In 1993-1995 the power units were delivered to India for three ships of the Project 15 (Delhi type) and in 2005-2006 for three ships of the Project 15A (Kolkata type).

The enterprise will produce an updated gas turbine power unit with microprocessor control system.

Clicky

[vic]

Let Pakistan keep this costly junk. Everything worthwhile will go back while junk will be discarded. The cost of spares alone for a Used MRAP will be humongous and it would be cheaper to have an Indigenous new Vehicle.

[tushar_m]

just getting the equipments is not gona help anyone , it will cost to maintain it

even if pakistan gets its hand on the junk it will cost them more to operate them

US equipments need lot of maintenance

[Lalmohan]

the mraps are quite sophisticated vehicles - have a great deal of comms and networking gear on board too - wonder if those will be left behind as well? i dont think i would want the paks to be able to develop their C4I capabilities using this gear on the cheap

[krishnan]

wouldnt known, they maybe leave it behind delibrately , so take it with them

[Samay]

just getting the equipments is not gona help anyone , it will cost to maintain it

even if pakistan gets its hand on the junk it will cost them more to operate them

US equipments need lot of maintenance

I dont understand the piskology behind this logic that all US weapons will be costly to maintain..
i think they will be costlier ifor us to leave these platforms there for pakis to get these for free and use them against us.
some of them at a tenth of their price will be good for reverse engineering and usage

[KrishnaK]

I doubt MRAPs are going to tilt the balance of power, or even pose a huge problem for us. I'm no expert, but I have trouble believing that mining internal roads is a part of IA strategy for waging war against the Pakis. It does make sense for us to get our hands on it and gift it to CRPF or any other state police fighting the naxals.

[NRao]

This article is a year old.

MRAP trucks near the end of the road in military strategy

Although it did a great job:

It's too heavy, breaks down too often and is too unwieldy to have a future, Barbosa said. Thus it becomes a truck that fits niches not an overall mission. Instead, the Army and Marine Corps are banking on a future truck, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, to become its workhorse vehicle and successor to the Humvee.

[ramana]

Still as psy-ops India should enquire about the feasibility of acquiring some of that equipment and watch the fun.
Most likely US will any way gift the TSP that equipment as reward.

[Prem]

About the spare Military equipment in Afghanistan

Keep The Change Paki Boy !!

[vic]

White elephant is the term that comes to mnd when one thinks of overused second hand military equipment which requires super costly spare parts. Has Gorky experience not taught us anything?

[tushar_m]

Made in India for India by Indians

[JTull]

Was it designed and developed in India?

[VinodTK]

India will raise FDI in defence sector: Anand Sharma
: : : A committee headed by Economic Af ... cit. : : :

[abhik]

^^^
waah! waah! kya logic hai! Raising FDI limit on defence sector to fund the currency account deficit.
How about stopping unnecessary defence imports in the first place.

[vic]

DRDO developed indigenous lighter version of Carl Gustaf RCL but IIRC Army killed it and imported similar version from Sweden. Off course it was completely honest and above board deal. DRDO product is now available only on posters.

[Kersi D]

DRDO developed indigenous lighter version of Carl Gustaf RCL but IIRC Army killed it and imported similar version from Sweden. Off course it was completely honest and above board deal. DRDO product is now available only on posters.

Another Bofors ????????????????

[kshirin]

Posting here as this thread more current than Raffy thread. International majors resist offsets in India and agree to 100% offsets in other countries. No one wants Indian industry to come up.

http://www.defenseworld.net/news/8699/I ... d9UU_kcezk

Indian MMRCA Bill Balloons To $17 Billion Source : Bindiya Thomas ~ Dated : Thursday, July 11, 2013 @ 10:57 AM
The Dassault Rafale

The value Indian MMRCA deal is set to inflate to a whopping $17 billion from the original $12 billion by the end of this year thanks to the falling Indian rupee. The rupee currently stands at INR 59. 80 against the dollar and economists predict this number could rise up to INR 65 by the end of this year. At the time of the announcement in January 2012, the rupee was being traded at INR 42 against the dollar and the deal was then valued at approximately $12 billion for 126 fighter jets. With the current value of the rupee, the deal could potentially be worth $15 billion. However, if negotiations are postponed until later this year India may very well end up with a $17 billion bill from Dassault. The deal was originally expected to be concluded by June 2012; however both sides have been unable to reach an agreement. Earlier last month, top executives from HAL and Dassault Aviation met on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show to discuss the progress of ongoing projects. However, both companies refused to entertain any media queries about the MMRCA contract. “Both the teams expressed satisfaction on the work already achieved by the integrated teams and renewed their commitment towards successful completion of the various projects,” they said in an official statement.

Offset hurdles have been the major road block to signing the deal. Dassault earlier this year wrote to the Indian MoD demanding it be given the overall responsibility of the project and clearly identify HALs role.

Despite the ministry asserting that HAL would act as the project’s ‘lead-integrator’ as per the terms of the RFI issued in 2007, Dassault is now insisting that it be given the freedom to decide on the quantum of work to be shared between companies.

According to the original terms, eighteen of the 126 planes are to be purchased directly from Dassault, while HAL will manufacture the other 108 under a licence at an upcoming facility in Bangalor Once the contract has been signed, HAL will have a very short period to set up an entirely new assembly line for the Rafale fighters. According to a report published by a French publication Usine Nouvelle last year, Dassault could end up producing more than 18 aircraft in France than originally agreed to because “they (some 500 French companies) would still get far more than 50% of the production associated with the future contract during the initial years”.

The report also adds that although “the RFP originally demanded offsets of 50% of the contract value and technology transfers, several factors could explain this work division that is so favorable for French industry”.

Meanwhile, in 2012 the Indian government mandated that transfer of technology could be counted as offsets, though it might not apply to the MMRCA as this tender was floated under the earlier procurement policy. This also could be an issue of contention in the commercial negotiations as the MMRCA contracts mandates 50% offsets. Meanwhile, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that his country hopes to begin exporting Rafales to India by 2016. Le Drian is expected to visit New Delhi soon to conclude the Indian MMRCA contract, the report added

[abhik]

How does the dollar value of the deal increase with depreciation of the rupee? The deal was always worth much more than 11-12 billon USD. Unlike all other deals the price that dassault bid hasn't leaked out yet. This I find rather suspicious.

[Aditya G]

DRDO developed indigenous lighter version of Carl Gustaf RCL but IIRC Army killed it and imported similar version from Sweden. Off course it was completely honest and above board deal. DRDO product is now available only on posters.

New Carl Gustaf RCL is now pretty common in photos from the valley and all ... so are you sure it is imported and not the OFB one?

[Karan M]

The local Carl Gustaf clone IIRC was made out of composites, with the barrel being made out of steel but reinforced with carbon fiber and epoxy, and hence had a lot more tests to go through before series production.
India also license manufactures the Carl Gustaf at OFB (http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wlc/1.htm) this is the most commonly deployed type. The ammunition as always was where OFB fell behind (with zero Govt permission for any R&D at the time) and we ended up importing thousands of more modern rounds.
Now, the M3, similar to the ARDE design, is also license manufactured (AFAIK) at OFB: http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/we ... /add_6.htm which means the ARDE gun has that much more hoops to go through before being series manufactured. On the other hand, India has, in the past, gone ahead with two types of similar products made at the same time, so its hard to say, at this point.

The one silver lining is the M3 is really a good weapon.
The M3 weighs 10.2 kg to the 14.2 kg of the original CG - thats a huge difference!