Aerospace Diary

Land Warfare 03rd January 2017 - 0:25 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  Tata Motors is confident that a decision on which companies have been down-selected for the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programm e will be announced in the first quarter of 2017.  Read morein Shephardmedia.....

As New Delhi focuses on the indigenisation of a modern defence industrial capability through the ‘Make in India’ policy, there is a clear need for more efficiency in filling the gaps in procurement programmes. By Neelam Mathews T he Indian Army, with its force of 1.2 million troops, has prioritised the acquisition of personal equipment and small arms and pushed various Make-in-India projects, including the ongoing Fighting Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV), the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV) and armoured mobility. The army is looking to transform, modernise and upgrade into an agile, versatile and networked force capable of operating across the spectrum of conflict. Its guiding vision is to ‘ensure capability enhancement and operational effectiveness to meet contemporary and emerging challenges’, a spokesperson told LWI. Already, 26 procurement projects have been fast-tracked and an additional 26 placed in the ‘urgent’ category. The new mantra is: speedy procurement needs private...

LAND WARFARE 07th March 2016 - 11:05 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  India's Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programme has moved a step closer to the starting blocks with industry putting forward an expression of interest (EoI). The US$10 billion  Future Infantry Combat Vehicle  programme has attracted formal EoIs from eight of the initial ten vendors. Shephard  has learned that Rolta and Punj Lloyd have decided not to submit proposals. The government-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has already been down-selected as one manufacturer and the MoD will provide 80% of prototype development costs for two other vendors that will be shortlisted by year’s end. Bets are on Tata Motors to be a frontrunner...more in Shephardmedia

19th February 2016 - 9:54 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  BAE Systems has  down-selected Mahindra Defence & Aerospace  as its business partner for a proposed in-country Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT) facility for ultra-lightweight howitzers for the Indian Army.  Discussions are ongoing between the US and India for a foreign military sale (FMS) of 145  M777A2 howitzers. ‘It is logical for the two companies to partner because of historical proximity and significant investments that both have made over time in an effort to work with each other,’ Rahul Gangal, a partner at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, told  Shephard . Although a 2008  joint venture for mine-protected vehicles  between BAE Systems and Mahindra was later reversed, the former had capitalised resources within Mahindra. These processes ‘are as valuable as work share’, a vendor said. Furthermore, ...Read more ...subscription ShephardMedia

05th August 2015 - 9:38  by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi India has re-started its Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programme but industry is not convinced it will come to fruition. An Indian OEM has told  Shephard  that developing prototype vehicles requires a significant amount of investment and the specifications are too demanding. ‘The project is long winded as it involves forming partnerships with foreign vendors and a customised design for the FICV according to the complicated needs proposed by the Indian Army,’ the OEM said. ‘No company will invest capability on the basis of a probability of being chosen…. Besides the specs are too demanding for the project to see light of day,’ the company added. The Ministry of Defence has issued an Expression of Intent (EOI) to ten bidders for approximately 2600 FICV for the Indian Army.  The government’s FICV brief states the multi-role platform should move alongside armoured (tanks), provide f...