EXCLUSIVE! India’s first private airlifter program faces teething pains
Neelam Mathews June 13, 2012 With a Request for Proposal awaited for India ’s first private medium airlifter project for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to replace 56 Hawker Siddeley HS 748s, the government is facing the reality that is private enterprise – running into losses just won’t do. India’s handful of manufacturers that have been in discussions for this project, say they need a commitment from the Ministry of Defense for at least 200 aircraft before they commit to getting involved. “We need a business case before we invest money in the project,” says one of the Indian manufacturers on condition of anonymity. The Hawker Siddeley HS 748s were originally designed by the British firm Avro in the late 1950s. A Request for Information was released in December last year inviting foreign OEMs to bid for a medium transport aircraft only if they could find private Indian partners who would build the aircraft in I...