Aerospace Diary

Jan 28, 2011 Neelam Mathews India increases defense spend India has allocated $44.4 billion for its defense spending (services and civil) for its financial year starting April 2011- March 2012, up by 8.4% from the previous financial year. Of this, set aside for defense services is around $35.74 billion (including capital procurement of $15.04billion- an increase of 13.75% over last year). The contribution of defense spending (services and civil) is now about 2.72% of the GDP- up from last year’s 2.41%. The budget was announced by the Finance Minister in the Indian parliament today (February 28). Post Mumbai attacks of Dec 2008, there has been increased concern on the homeland security front with budgets steadily increasing for the police and paramilitary forces for border and coastal surveillance. As a result, the budget allocated to the homeland security sector is $10.17billion, up from $8.75 billion from the last year.  “There is no limit to the homeland security budget. ...

India Feb 25, 2011   By Neelam Mathews Air India’s much-delayed entry into Star Alliance is expected to take place in June, as the international airline’s codes are now set to merge with those of domestic carrier Indian Airlines by month end. It has been a long road for Star Alliance and Air India, whose entry into Star has been postponed by information technology issues. Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht told Aviation Week last fall that the airline would join in summer of 2011 (Aviation Daily, Oct. 4, 2010). While the merger of the two government-owned airlines took place years ago, they have been using independent codes. The carriers are now part of holding company Air India. The flight and IATA ticket codes of Air India (098) and Indian Airlines (058) will be merged and the two will operate as a single airline under the AI (098) ticket code. “The merger of the ...

Asia-Pacific Aviation Daily Feb 25 , 2011 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews While business aviation is emerging as a high-growth sector in India, the industry wants a new policy framework that will address issues related to infrastructure, safety and security, proponents told the recent Indian Business Aviation summit in Delhi. A report by Sydney-based consultancy Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India says the industry could see new aircraft sales—business jets, helicopters, turboprops and piston engines—of up to $12 billion by the end of the next decade, when the general aviation fleet is expected to reach 2,000 aircraft, up from the current 680. The signs are already evident. Embraer Business Jets, for instance, has broken into the Indian market with its Phenom model. It is delivering the third Phenom 100 jet—of 20 on order—to Mumbai-based air charter Invision Air Services. The order includes two Embraer Pheno...

Maini Global Aerospace is about to sign an agreement with Marshall Aerospace to provide structural components for extended range fuel cells of the navy’s Boeing P-8I longrange maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The deal is to be signed here today. Maini is scheduled to make the first delivery of initial subsets in April. “This is a test of performance of Indian capability,” says Naresh Palta, Maini CEO. “Once we do that, it is clear that we can take on board [large] programs.” BAE Systems may also be placing an order related to precision engineering with Maini, Aviation Week has learned. Diversifying from precision engineering to aero structures and engine segments, the  engine-maker MTU, for precision components and subassemblies for a spectrum of civil and military programs. “Our base in precision engineering made this a natural choice,” Palta says. “We are looking at around a $5 million investment this year in machinery.” With approximately $30 billion set to flow into ...

Feb 11, 2011 Aero India Day 3 Delhi-based Avaana has signed a collaboration agreement with Italian PRO S3, for transfer of technology for its Unmanned Air Systems, branded WaveSight. It will also be looking at other systems mat a later stage. “We have acquired the technology since we are eager to start manufacture at our facility soon,” Bimal Sareen, MD and CEO of Avaana, told ShowNews. The transfer of technology agreement with PRO S3 will permit research and development, and the manufacture of the 40 kg (88 lb) system, including its catapult launcher, ground control station and the 6.5 kg maximum take-off weight air vehicle. Avaana is an integration services company focused on the high growth RFID Radio Frequency Identification market. It also conducts R&D related to unmanned air systems technology including airframe, ground and mission control software, payload and mission post-processing software. PRO S3 is also developing a quadcopter vertical take-off and landing UAS...

William L. Blair , President of Raytheon India talks to ShowNews’ Neelam Mathews , about the progress of GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN), which Raytheon is developing with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI). ShowNews: Do you think that an integrated Air Traffic Management would be a better idea for Indian airports? If so, why? Wm. Blair: The integration of the ATM with the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and GAGAN would be a great benefit to the Indian air traffic management approach. Raytheon has a solution to integrate the GAGAN with ADS-B and present the information to the air-traffic management community to provide a signal with integrity to both the aircraft and the controller. SN: How many reference stations have been completed? WB: All 15 Indian Reference Station (NRES) sites have been finished and Site Acceptance Tests have been successfully completed. The secondary communications circuits an...

Goodrich Aerospace Services India will design and make passenger seats, under a contract won by its U.S. parent from a regional aircraft manufacturer, Chris Rao, VP and board member of Goodrich Aerospace Services says. “We have won the entire program for the regional jet,” says Rao. He declined comment on the name of the original equipment manufacturer or the value of the contract. The first seat will be sent for FAA qualification by mid-2012. “We are part of the design team, manufacture and certification ... It could be three to four years from now,” says Rao because the aircraft has to come into production. He adds that Goodrich India was also involved in work on numerous Embraer regional jets. The Goodrich facility, a Tier-1 supplier to Boeing, is based on the outskirts of Bengaluru; it recently started observer seat assemblies for Boeing 737s. This new contract could be a feather in the Indian facility’s cap, as defense offsets in India now permit tapping commercial aviati...

With a full range of air-to-air and air-to-ground missile systems, Lova Drori, Executive Vice President Marketing, Rafael, tells ShowNews’ Neelam Mathews that he is looking at long term partnerships with Indian companies. ShowNews: The joint venture with Bharat Electronics Ltd. for seekers seems to have met a roadblock? Lova Drori: Currently there is a stoppage. Since the requirement is (only) 26% (for the foreign partner) and BEL prefers not to have a third industry partner in the JV, it means the JV will become a defense public sector undertaking. The requirements are too complicated. We need to find solutions to that. SN: How? LD:We are looking for JVs in other areas of land systems including remote control weapon stations. SN: What issues do you face in India? LD: There is a problem of process in India. For example, upgrade projects have been planned for several years (and they take time). SN:What is the status of the delivery of the low-level, quick-reaction, surface-...

Aero India- Show News- Feb 10, 2011 Helicopter production in India is a goal for Sikorsky Aircraft, and four joint ventures to be announced here will move the company much further in that direction. Sikorsky already has a JV with Tata Advanced Systems, to build cabins for the twin-engined S-92 medium helicopter, and the first delivery is imminent. Another JV with Tata on component manufacturing will be announced tomorrow. One JV could involve the multirole Black Hawk helicopter, but Sikorsky execs declined to comment. The Black Hawk had been proposed for India’s attack helicopter requirement but was withdrawn as it doesn’t have tandem seats. Another agreement could include Sikorsky’s experimental high speed, co-axial rotor X-2. “We have talked to the Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) and would like to co-develop for Indian production, said Sikorsky VP Steve Estill. —Neelam Mathews

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 AERO INDIA 2011 Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru In cooperation with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says the recent relaxing of export restrictions for India’s defense and space industry will boost military trade. Nine Indian companies were recently removed from the Commerce Department’s so-called “Entity List,” including a number of labs within the Indian Space Research Organisation and Defense Research and Development Organisation. “These are the first steps in changing export control policies,” Locke says. Bengaluru was Locke’s second stop after New Delhi on his high-technology business development trade mission to India, where he is joined by a U.S. delegation of representatives of 24 companies related to civil nuclear energy, civil aviation, defense/homeland security, and information and communications technology. Locke also visited Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) facilities. The company has partnered with leading U.S. aerospace manufac...

“We never participated in that bid,” Boeing India President Dinesh Keskar said after Airbus snagged an order for 180 A320s from IndiGo, including 150 new-engine-option A320neo Airbus aircraft. The expectation is that Boeing will announce this summer that it will not re-engine the 737, but launch a new successor in the 2015-2017 time frame, entering service between 2020 and 2022. “This will make [the NEO] obsolete,” Keskar told Show News. Boeing raised its expectations for airliner sales in India by about 15% (30% by value) this past August, stating that rising wealth in India would lead to more air travel by an emerging middle class. Indian carriers will buy about 1,150 airplanes for some $130 billion over the next 20 years, Boeing said, having previously forecast 1,000 jets for $100 billion. “Indian aviation will grow at 15% per year according to our forecast,” Keskar says. “52 million passengers in 2010 are expected to increase to 62 million this year.” Will consolidation a...

Roger M. Rose, CEO, Lockheed Martin India Pvt. Ltd., met with Aviation Week’s Neelam Mathews, just before the show, to discuss Aero India and the C-130J airlifter. ShowNews: What are you showcasing at Aero India? Roger Rose: Lockheed Martin will be highlighting the on-time, on-budget delivery of the first of India’s six C-130Js, which we delivered to the U.S. Air Force in December, and is due for turnover from the USAF to the Indian Air Force in early February. Several variants of F-16 fighter aircraft – including UAE’s Block 60 aircraft – will be displayed, as we showcase the capability that will be applied to the F-16IN Super Viper, if chosen in the MMRCA competition. Our Electronics Systems group will be highlighting our role in the Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missile – we are in discussions with the U.S. Government and Indian Army to bring this capability to India. As a systems solutions provider, we have many of the missiles, fire control, and navigation systems on the Apache heli...

India’s Nishant Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has completed a series of confirmation trials conducted by the Indian army at Chandan Range Pokharan in western India. The successful flight trials were conducted by the army before taking delivery of a set of four Nishant UAVs and ground systems. More orders are expected. Nishant is designed and developed by the Defense Research & Development Organization’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) laboratory, which specializes in UAVs, flight control systems and simulators. Capable of being launched from a hydropneumatic launcher without the need of a runway, Nishant is supported by ground control station equipment mounted on Czech Tatra vehicles, according to Dr. Prahlada, head of aeronautics research at DRDO. The system is recovered with the help of parachutes and landing bags and can be used for day/night battlefield reconnaissance, surveillance, target tracking and localization and correction of artillery fire....

Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, chief of the air staff of the Indian Air Force, caught up with ShowNews’ Neelam Mathews last week to discuss his expectations for procurement, and immediate plans for increasing force levels. ShowNews: What is the status of the Medium  Multi Role Combat Aircraft bids? Where do  you see it moving from your perspective? CAS: This month, the Commercial Negotiation  Committee (CNC) will start. We have  given recommendations [to the Ministry of  Defense (MoD)] as to who meets the criteria and who does not. [The CNC is constituted  under the MoD. Its members are drawn from  the Acquisition Wing, the Service headquarters,  users, quality assurance directorate, and  the R&D organization]. All the six (vendors) meet 95% of the  requirements. SN: What are the technologies you expect to  get from foreign vendors? CAS:We expect to import raw metals, single  crystal engine blades, and, for th...

Low-Cost carriers Aviation Daily Feb 21 , 2011 , p. 17 Neelam Mathews Kingfisher Airlines will start two flights a week March 17 from Delhi and Mumbai to Gan International Airport in the Maldives, 900 km southwest of India. Maldives comprises 1,190 islands, of which 97 are resorts. Air India operates one daily flight from Thiruvananthapuram and five weeklies from Bengaluru. While SriLankan Airlines connects many cities via Colombo to Male in Maldives, there is no other direct service by any Indian carrier. Earlier this month, GMR Infrastructure, which manages Male International Airport , chartered a Kingfisher Airlines flight to fly back Maldivian nationals caught in the Egyptian uprising via Mumbai to Male. The civil unrest Egypt has resulted in tourists heading from the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh to the Maldives, says Abdul Azeez Yoosuf, high commissioner of Maldives to India. Airlines such as Emi...

Programs Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Feb 21 , 2011 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI — As India gears up for its first human spaceflight mission in 2017, work is ongoing at the Bengaluru-based Institute of Aerospace Medicine to upgrade facilities and equipment for training astronauts, including simulators and environmental chambers. The institute has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which is outsourcing the training to it. A $124 million human centrifuge has already been purchased, says Giles Gomez, head of the institute. The centrifuge will help aviation physiologists study the effects of g-stresses and will be used to train astronauts in adapting to space. “The selection of astronauts is critical. It takes two years of training,” Gomez says. “The two astronauts will orbit the Earth for a week at between 275 and 400 kilometers from terra firma...

Business Neelam Mathews Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Feb 18 , 2011 , p. 11 NEW DELHI – Having already launched an independent aviation training center in India, Canada’s CAE has officially inaugurated its new aerospace and defense center close to Bengaluru International Airport. In the 116,000-sq.-ft. complex, CAE designs and develops defense training systems and operates an engineering center of excellence where visual databases and other software components for CAE’s simulators are developed. The facility also houses CAE’s aviation training center, which features Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 pilot training on three CAE-built full-flight simulators. More than 1,500 pilots have trained here. CAE and the Indian government jointly own the National Flying Training Institute in Gondia, a newly established ab initio (from the beginning) flight school that is one of 11 CAE Global Academy campuses worldwide. It is the managi...

Feb 15, 2011 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — As air traffic growth in India puts pressure on available airspace, the country’s unmanned aerial vehicle industry is calling for a centralized body to draft regulations and set standards for UAV systems. “Though currently in India it isn’t a major issue, in the next five to six years as smaller systems take to the sky, we will need regulation similar to [that] being drafted in the U.S. by the FAA,” says Avdhesh Khaitan, CEO of Kadet Defense Systems. Kadet has been awarded a long-term contract from the Indian defense ministry for its all-composite, low-subsonic 350 JX2 Radio-Controlled Aerial Target System, with deliveries to start in two months and span five years. The JX2 is to be used as a missile test target. “The basic problem in India is that UAVs are needed urgently because currently only Searchers and Herons are operated from the command level,” a defense official says. “They need to understand the circumstances under which ...

Aviation Week Feb 11, 2011   By Neelam Mathews NEW DELHI Mahindra Aerospace, in partnership with National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), has become the first public/private partnership to jointly design, develop and manufacture the five-seat aircraft—NM-5. One of the two prototypes under development is set to test fly in May or June. The aircraft is expected to be certified a year after it takes flight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, says Arvind Mehra, executive director and CEO of Mahindra Aerospace. Mahindra is also setting up a $285 million facility in Bengaluru at the recently announced aerospace park. The Lycoming 10-340 engine of the NM-5 is the same as the Airvan GA-8 of the GippsAero company Mahindra acquired in Australia. “We also plan to bring back the 18-seater twin turboprop in production, expected to be in production in three years,” said Mehra...

Aviation Week & Space Technology Feb 14 , 2011 , p. 36 Neelam Mathews Bengaluru Leithen Francis Bengaluru Massive offset demands expected to help spur India’s industrial wherewithal Printed headline: Building Project India’s aerospace industrial growth strategy is about to get a major shot in the arm, with the government planning to spend more than $80 billion on procurement in 2011-15, triggering a huge inflow of offset deals by the winners. The activity is also causing the industry to restructure, with streamlining efforts and consolidation on the horizon as businesses shift focus from serving the local market to becoming globally viable players. India’s Defense Offsets Policy mandates that 30-50% of a contract total be plowed back into the domestic aerospace industry. New Delhi hopes that after years of unsuccessfully trying to get the aerospace industry to stand on its own two feet, this surge in activity will ...

Aero India Aviation Week & Space Technology Feb 14 , 2011 , p. 39 Neelam Mathews Bengaluru Leithen Francis Bengaluru India looks to expand capabilities beyond the scope of current projects Printed headline: Seeking Surveillance As India grows its military arsenal to gain strategic reach beyond its traditional sphere of interest, the country also is looking to boost its surveillance capabilities to support operations further afield. Key decisions have already been taken to bolster airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) capabilities, as well as long-range maritime patrol, but more is in the offing. Carrier-based AEW&C is now in the cards, as well as further purchases of unmanned aircraft. One program industry is keeping an eye on is for a maritime surveillance unmanned aircraft. When terrorists attacked Mumbai in 2009, they infiltrated the country via the sea. Boeing and Textron are hoping to secure a...

Aerospace Daily Feb 14, 2011 PROGRAMS BENGALURU, India — After waiting years for a request for proposals (RFP), Rolls-Royce is pulling out of the competition to upgrade India’s fleet of 120 twin-engine Jaguar fighters. The reasons for the company’s decision have been relayed to the Indian defense ministry, according to a source close to the bidding process. Rolls-Royce and its competitor Honeywell, which is offering its F125IN engine for the Jaguar, attended a pre-bid meeting last November. Rolls-Royce’s Adour Mk821 is currently installed on the Jaguars. From the outset, the company’s proposal was for an engine upgrade program rather than a re-engining, but the eventual RFP called for a new engine rather than an upgrade. Rolls argued an upgraded Adour would minimize aircraft integration issues and utilize the existing Adour infrastructure at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. It is not clear why the RFP took a different approach. The Jaguars have slowly become overweight and underpow...

BENGALURU, India – Indian defense officials have given conflicting statements about the country’s long-awaited fighter selection, with Defense Minister A.K. Antony indicating the final choice will be pushed into 2012, but the country’s top air force official pointing to a selection this October. Antony said at the Aero India air show that the selection of a winner in the Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program – originally expected this year – was being pushed to March of next year, although a winnowing of contractors would still occur this year. But Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said the final choice would be announced by October, and that price negotiations would begin in a week. The dissonance was noticed. “This could be the Chief’s way of putting pressure on the government to speed the process as the military is concerned about its reduced squadron strength,” one official commented. On static display at Aero India this week were the candidate fighters: the Boeing F/A-...

Av Week Feb 8, 2011   By Neelam Mathews mathews.neelam@gmail.com BENGALURU, India U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says the recent relaxing of export restrictions for India’s defense and space industry will boost military trade with the country. Nine Indian companies were recently removed from the Commerce Department’s so-called “Entity List,” including a number of labs within the Indian Space Research Organization and Defense Research and Development Organization (Aerospace DAILY, Jan. 31). “These are the first steps in changing export control policies,” Locke says. Bengaluru was Locke’s second stop after New Delhi on his high-technology business development trade mission to India, where he is joined by a U.S. delegation of representatives of 24 companies related to civil nuclear energy, civil aviation, defense/homeland security, and information and communi...

Aerospace Daily Feb 9, 2011 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — Northrop Grumman says that if India purchases the company’s E-2D airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft at the same time as the U.S., it will gain a price benefit from economies of scale. India’s current requirement is for  one squadron of four AEW&C aircraft, with two more as options. It is believed the Indian navy will require 12 in the coming years. With the warming of U.S.-India relations, India is among the first countries for which the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye has been approved for export. The Indian navy made a formal request for the sale last October. “The challenge with the E-2D is we’re building small numbers,” says Tom Trudell, Northrop’s E-2D manager for international business development. “This is a low-rate production/ niche program.” The Indian navy is still awaiting a response from the U.S. on a request to add further capability to the export version of the E-2D. U.S. Defense Secretary...

Aviation Week Feb 7, 2011 BENGALURU   By Neelam Mathews  India’s Maini Global Aerospace is about to ink an agreement with Marshall Aerospace to provide structural components for the extended-range fuel cells of the Indian navy’s Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The agreement is due to be signed Feb. 11 at the Aero India show in Bengaluru. Maini is scheduled to make the first delivery of initial subsets in April. “This is a test of performance of Indian capability,” says Naresh Palta, Maini CEO. “Once we do that, it is clear that we can take on board [large] programs.” Aviation Week has learned that BAE Systems may also be placing an order related to precision engineering with Maini. Diversifying from precision engineering to aero structures and engine segments, the company has a long-term agreement with engine-maker MTU for precision...

News Feb 07 , 2011 Neelam Mathews BENGALURU The Goodrich India facility that has come a long way since its inception over a decade ago, is now involved in design, development and manufacture of critical systems for new platforms including the design, development and manufacture of actuation systems for a regional jet,  said Chris Rao, VP and Country Head of Goodrich operations in India. Goodrich Aerospace Services India has also been given work packages by its parent company for design and manufacture of passenger seats for a regional aircraft manufacturer. “We have won the entire program for the regional jet,” said Rao. He declines to comment on the name of the OEM or the value of the contract. The first set will be sent for FAA qualification by mid-2012. “We are part of the design team, manufacture and certification ... it could be three to four years from...

Aerospace Daily Feb 5, 2011 NEW DELHI — The first of six Lockheed Martin C-130J transport aircraft is being introduced into the Indian air force on Feb. 5 at the Hindon air base near New Delhi. The second C-130J will be handed over by late February/March, with the next two deliveries made by late April/May and the final two by October. A C-130J simulator will be delivered by year’s end. The air force has not yet decided who will be responsible for maintenance of the fleet at the end of the contract timeline. “We could have little, none or a large role to play in support solutions [after three years],” says Orville Prins, Lockheed Martin’s PROGRAMS vice president for business development in India. The company also is in talks for the tanker version of the C-130J. “It can function as a tanker for helicopters and fighters,” Prins says. “The KC-130J with a roll-on/roll-off system shows the mission flexibility of the C-130J.” In the air, the KC-130J offers a 57,500-lb. fuel off...

MRO Aviation Daily Feb 04 , 2011 , p. 15  Neelam Mathews GE Aviation and Air India have signed a 20-year agreement for GE90 engine services. The value of the agreement was not disclosed. GE services will include overhaul, on-wing support, new and used serviceable parts, component repair, technology upgrades, engine leasing and diagnostics. Air India ordered 23 GE90-powered Boeing 777 aircraft in 2005 and currently operates 20 of the aircraft, with the remaining three to be delivered in the next few years. “Air India has more than 40 years of providing high-quality MRO services in India,” said Nalin Jain, country director for GE Aviation. “Adding GE90 engine overhaul service is the perfect expansion of Air India’s MRO capabilities.” Air India is expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities at Mumbai to include GE90 engine overhaul that under the present schedule will be certified f...

Aerospace Daily Feb 4, 2011 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — India’s Nishant Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has completed a series of confirmation trials conducted by the Indian army at Chandan Range Pokharan in western India. The recent successful flight trials were conducted by the army before taking delivery of a set of four Nishant UAVs and ground systems. More orders are expected. Nishant is designed and developed by the Defense Research & Development Organization’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) laboratory, which specializes in UAVs, flight control systems and simulators. Capable of being launched from a hydro-pneumatic launcher without the need of a runway, Nishant is  supported by ground control station equipment mounted on “Tatra” vehicles, according to Dr. Prahlada, head of aeronautics research at DRDO. The system is recovered with the help of parachutes and landing bags and can be used for day/night battlefield reconnaissance, surveillance, target...

Airframers/Suppliers Aviation Daily Feb 02 , 2011 , p. 16 Neelam Mathews With new regulations expected to be introduced soon in India pertaining to its ground-handling infrastructure, Turkish company Celebi Holdings has started investing in standardized equipment at New Delhi and Mumbai airports. Instead of using fuel-inefficient farm tractors, Celebi has introduced electrical baggage tractors costing $60,000 that conform to strict Indian law requiring environmentally friendly equipment. Celebi’s six German Cobum buses in Mumbai and Delhi, costing $20,000 each, carry 110 passengers and can be used only at airports since they have a low step to aid alighting passengers carrying hand baggage. Celebi is also the only ground-handling company at Delhi airport that can handle the Airbus A380, for which it has imported equipment worth about $2 million to move baggage and cargo and push-back equipment, says Can Celebioglu, chairman o...

The Net Defense Technology International Feb 01 , 2011 , p. 51 Neelam Mathews Printed headline: India Balks At Cismoa With major U.S. military sales to India underway and the possibility of a winning American bid for the $10-billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft program, one seemingly non-negotiable condition affecting U.S. export of sensitive technology is unresolved—India’s refusal to sign the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (Cismoa). Cismoa is a U.S. requirement that is intended to guarantee the secrecy of advanced C4ISR (command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) equipment on aircraft, ships and other platforms. Signing Cismoa would give India access to sensitive U.S. C4ISR technology and increase the interoperability of Indian and American forces during joint exercises and missions. India’s refusal to...