Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  August 3, 2016, 8:35 AM An artist's impression of an Indian Air Force A330MRTT refueling two Mirage 2000 fighters. (Airbus D&S) India has withdrawn the tender for a new air refueling tanker, more than three years after choosing the Airbus   A330   MRTT   in preference to the Ilyushin Il-78 following a second round of bidding. This latest example of indecision on major defense projects, following the saga of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft ( MMRCA ) program, is creating concern in the international defense industry that India is chronically indecisive. However,   AIN   has learned from a senior Indian Ministry of Defence official that the   A330MRTT procurement may still be concluded, on an intergovernmental basis between Spain and India. Though there has been no official confirmation, Indian media reported that the high price of the   MRTT   is the reason behind the natio...

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  JANUARY 11, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS India will become the fifth country to operate A330 multi-role tanker transports (MRTTs), following Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK. (Photo: Airbus Military) January 11, 2013, 10:25 AM The Indian Air Force ( IAF ) has selected the A330 multi-role tanker transport ( MRTT ) for its tanker procurement in preference to the Ilyushin Il- 78MK , after a second round of bidding. Commercial negotiations for six aircraft with an option for three more will start soon, and a contract that includes a 30-percent offset commitment is expected to be signed by June. Airbus Military  CEO  Domingo Urena-Raso said, “This has been a long and tough competition, and we are honored to have been selected.” The depot maintenance and life support costs of the A330 were a factor in the Airbus win, since the base price of the Il-78 was lower. Having suffered in t...

Neelam Mathews Jan 7, 2012 Airbus Military is in the process of working on draft contracts for the MMRT and for (30%) offsets to present to the MoD after having being declared the lowest bidder in the race for IAF tankers. The contract is expected to be signed by April, AerospaceDiary learns. The Airbus-330 MRTT won the race against competitor Ilyushin-78 mid-air refueling aircraft in an approximate Rs 8,500-crore contract. Had this tender not been repeated, India would have saved considerable money given the depreciation of the Indian rupee by around 25% in just the past 12 months. However, the lifecycle costs included this time around, were key to Airbus winning the deal.

Neelam Mathews Dec 4, 2012 Even as Airbus Military formally delivered the fifth and final A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) which it has designated the KC-30A, a controversy might just be brewing in India over ASQRs of the tanker bids for which commercial bids have opened and technical evaluation completed.   At the risk of going overboard, we here at Aerospace Diary, feel it is time national interests come first and if any OEM has been cleared by a technical evaluation committee chosen by the government, we have to trust them and stop holding back projects in a bid to look transparent, everytime a company losing a bid, cries foul. Our squeaky clean defense minister now needs to hold the hand of his chosen lieutenants and show the world India means business on its own but fair, terms. We are hearing there seems to be some confusion on the SQRs. Para 5.7, according to some people we spoke to, said the tankers need...

Neelam Mathews Nov 1, 2012 Airbus Military may have emerged the lowest bidder in the approximate over $ one billion  Multi Role Tanker Transport  ( MRTT ) s ix aerial refuellers bid, Aerospace Diary learns. The IL-78 was its competitor. Should the news be true- we expect it is- the A330 tanker was lower on lifecycle costs- with a big delta.

Neelam Mathews April 18, 2011 Time: 6:45PM IST Even as the first Airbus Military A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) for the United Arab Emirates Air Force has completed its maiden flight and the first of three ordered by the UAE Air Force will be transferred to Abu Dhabi around the end of the year for the final phase of flight-testing and delivery in the second quarter of 2012, India’s bid for its own MRTT, continues to remain in limbo. The Request for Proposals (RFP) for six tankers has been released twice over the past four years. In pursuit of the around $2 billion IAF tanker program, two main competitors have emerged – the Ilyushin Il-78s and the Airbus A330 MRTT- the re-trials for which are yet to be announced.  One wonders at the stoicism and perseverance of these companies that are willing to spend millions of dollars on bids and the indecisiveness of the Indian government that will ultimately result in India paying for higher procurement costs. Last year, the Mi...

Aerospace Daily Jan 25, 2011 PROGRAMS NEW DELHI — The Indian air force soon will begin technical evaluations of resubmitted bids for six midair refueling transport aircraft from contenders Airbus Military and Ilyushin. The revised bids were submitted Jan. 12. After the original request for proposals (RFP), released toward the end of 2007, Airbus Military’s A330-based Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) was disqualified as being too expensive. Ilyushin’s bid also was disqualified when it did not deliver clarifications on its IL-78 proposal to the ministry of defense on time. Since the price of both vendors’ offerings is already known, the new RFP asks for lifecycle costs, which were not covered in the earlier RFP.While the initial costs of the Russian aircraft are lower, their operating costs are much higher than for the Western tankers due to their age, a defense official says. The A330 MRTT is in the process of being delivered to Australia. “This time, we have an even bet...

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report (PDF) - Jan 12, 2010 NEW DELHI — India’s cancellation of the contract for six A330 inflight refuelers on Dec. 30 is worrying international companies, which complain that transparency is decidedly lacking in Indian defense procurement. Russia’s Ilyushin IL-78 was disqualified as having an incomplete bid, and price negotiations started with EADS last year. The finance ministry — after price negotiations were being finalized — objected to the higher price quoted by EADS, and the Russian bid was accepted. The Russians did not change their bid, instead including five extra engines and depot-level servicing under the original price. India’s Defense Procurement Procedure permits the second lowest price (L2) to be considered if the lowest price (L1) is rejected. Interestingly, in January 2009 the Russian bid was 1.05 billion euros (without the extra five engines and maintenance). This price had inflated 384 percent since 2004, when India purchased six IL-78...