Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews June 15, 2015 Prme Minister Modi and Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, left, have taken the relationship between his nation and India "out of the closet." India’s thrust in the past year to get a greater slice of the international defense equipment pie has resulted in a host of agreements being signed in the first five months of 2015, under the new Narendra Modi government. The country is aggressively tapping the world for hi-tech equipment. Underscoring India’s aerospace technology plans, Minister of State for Defense Rao Inderjit Singh said the focus is to “open opportunities for innovative minds to exploit the globally evolving spirit of teaming up and pooling resources.” Modi has not been shy of talking openly about relations with Israel, which is a top-three exporter of arms, following India’s establishing of diplomatic relations with the country in the early 1990s (which it kept under wraps due to sensitivities). He will become the fi...

DEFENCE NOTES 03rd March 2015 - 14:46 by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi  The US-India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) appears to be at a standstill. Three unsigned agreements remain to be signed before the four Pathfinder projects that will introduce co-development and co-production of defence equipment with the US move forward. They have as yet not been approved by India because of sovereignty issues. Speaking to  Shephard  at a media briefing, Frank Kendall, US under-secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) ‘is an important agreement. We would like to get that in time.’ CISMOA is one of the three agreements and is the administrative framework for sharing communications. The other two include the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), a cross-servicing agreement, to enable the two militaries a quid pro quo for logistics support, r...

Neelam Mathews Sept 12, 2014 Our beloved Jasjit Singh must be smiling benevolently at many sessions of the recently held CAPS-CII conference, as straight talk was the order of the day. Must confess it took many a yawn away! Thanks to a lively session led by Retd Air Marshal Vinod Patney, who was not leaving any speaker off. Perhaps the one to receive maximum counter queries was Capt Todd Squire, Chief Office of Defense Cooperation,US Embassy, apparently not given too much leeway by his government to indulge in 'small talk'. “Co-development and production must be ‘co’.    If there is a desire on both sides to co-produce, problems will sort themselves out…or Indians will ask “Do I really need the equipment,    or shall I go elsewhere?...... We have known US to often say: We have our laws, you change yours,”…… said a candid Patney, Director General, CAPS.  Even as the US takes forward talks on NG weapon production, there are many holdups including Ind...