Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  MAY 30, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Arun Jaitley, India’s new defense and finance minister, meets Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha. (Photo: Indian MoD) May 29, 2014, 3:55 PM A lack of decision-making on large Indian defense procurement deals in the past two years is expected to end with the swearing-in of the new government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Changes in procurement and offset policies are also expected. Major projects that are in the final stage of processing and require a signature for conclusion include the 126-aircraft  medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) won by Dassault Aviation’s Rafale ; the Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport ( MRTT ); and naval multi-role helicopters. While these are likely to be signed this financial year, a crash crunch could hold other decisions until next year. To fast-track some projects, the Ministry of Defence has proposed an approxim...

Neelam Mathews Feb 27, 2013 We will get to the bottom of this," said AK Antony in Parliament on the AW helicopters scam deal answering a query of an Opposition party member. How low is the bottom, we ask? Like the deep blue sea, one suspects. a place we can never reach! No talk about why the Integrity Pact that makes it mandatory for the Italian company to release information in case of foul play. What sort of wussies are we? Release big amounts of cash and have the OEM dictate to you? Antony made sure his boring speech that totally went off track with a bit of emotion, had most of the members snoring! We will get to the bottom of this, said Antony."My party is fully backing me."  Really?  So, what's new? "There is a sense of helplessness..," said Jaitley of Antony's speech. Find the bribe-takers, he said. "For 3 decades India has a no middlemen policy. Have we made a breakthrough in a single  case?" 'What did the Bofors JPC d...