Aerospace Diary

AIN DEFENSE PERSPECTIVE  »  AUGUST 23, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS The first Indian Navy P-8I Poseidon at Utkrosh naval air station. The jet may be a contender for India’s latest maritime patrol aircraft requirement, even though a smaller aircraft is envisioned. (Photo: Indian Navy) August 23, 2013, 10:35 AM India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has issued a request for proposal for nine medium-range maritime reconnaissance ( MRMR ) aircraft for the Indian Navy, plus 38 anti-ship missiles. The Navy has taken delivery of the first of eight Boeing P-8I Poseidon jets, and Boeing Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Although the new  RFP  seems to encourage smaller, lower-cost airframes and weapons, its terms may limit the bids. The  RFP  states the aircraft must fly a transit of 400 nm at 300 knots and patrol 400 nm for four hours at a height of 10,000 feet, configured with two missiles with a range of about 50 nm. The Mo...

India’s Procurement Policy Remains A Challenge FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW  »  JULY 12, 2012 by    NEELAM MATHEWS July 11, 2012, 6:05 AM Boeing has expressed in no uncertain terms to  AIN  the pain of having to honor offsets in India and the challenge of managing a constantly shifting policy landscape. The growing Indian defense budget  ($44 billion by 2016) may be attractive but it would seem that the trials and tribulations being faced by initial winners such as Boeing could be a significant downside for the foreseeable future. “The biggest challenge is the defense procurement policy [ DPP ],” Christopher Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, told  AIN . This is not just a Boeing challenge but an industry issue…The intentions of the Indian government that the Indian industry should grow, we support,…but the speed [of acquisition] cannot absorb the offsets.” Defense procurements in India call for an...

Aerospace Daily-Aviation Week Nov 10, 2010 CONTRACTS NEW DELHI – The Indian air force has reached a preliminary agreement with Boeing to purchase 10 C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft. They will replace the IAF’s fleet of more than a dozen Russian Ilyushin Il-76s. The $4.1 billion deal comes in the wake of President Barack Obama’s visit to India, during which the U.S. removed some Indian laboratories from its restricted entities export list and Obama vowed to make sure “unnecessary barriers don’t stand in the way of high-tech trade between our countries.” “JVs [joint ventures] and M&As [mergers and acquisitions] are always something to look at. We acquired Narus with a huge presence in India,” says Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. “Our business is pretty strong. If you look at what’s going in the states, F/A-18 remains a rock-solid production line until the middle of the decade. The C-17 production will take us to the 2013 time frame. ...