Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  - July 31, 2018, 11:52 AM As India’s general elections draw closer this year, the  deal signed in 2016  for 36 Dassault Rafales is getting attention in parliament as opposition political parties brawl over the contract they label as a “scam and graft,” while promising to make it an election issue against the present Narendra Modi government. Charges leveled against the government-to-government deal include lack of transparency on details and a cost that is claimed to be much higher than that negotiated in early 2012. That year, the Rafale emerged as the winner for the Indian Air Force’s 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft program. Negotiations by congress were not taken further due to unresolved issues on the transfer of technology and offsets between Dassault and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The flyaway costs of the aircraft being supplied by Dassault Aviation now are less than those negotiated six years ago but, “the Mete...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  April 19, 2018, 10:01 AM A model of a Rafale in Indian colors displayed on the Dassault stand at an Aero India show. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) The training of Indian pilots and maintenance personnel in preparation for delivery of Rafale fighters is in progress in France, Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier told  AIN  in describing progress with the Indian air force contract for 36 Rafale fighters. He also commented on the latest Indian request for information (RFI) for more new fighters while visiting India as head of a delegation from the French Aerospace Industries Association (French acronym: GIFAS). However, Trappier made only passing reference to the financial and legal troubles that have recently beset the Reliance Group, Dassault’s partner in India for the Rafale contract.  In addition to the training in France, India is preparing a hangar at the Reliance Defence facility at Nagpur, where part...

Neelam Mathews AEROSPACE / FEBRUARY 2017 After years of procuring equipment from overseas, the Indian Navy is keen to modernise its capability using its own indigenous platforms. NEELAM MATHEWS reports. As security challenges in the region emerge, India is increasingly focusing on modernisation and capability building of its military. The Indian Navy’s guideline document, ‘Indian Naval Indigenization Plan (INIP) 2015-2030,’ articulates its requirement for advanced systems for its platforms and, while the policy priority is clear that there should be a commitment to maximise indigenous production, it does not underscore the need for quality. LCA v/s Global Fighter Clearly, speed is of the essence as delays in procurement decisions in the past have plagued the growth of upgradation. For instance, the naval single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, tailless Light Combat Aircraft (LCA Mk2) being designed and developed by the government-Aeronautical Development Agency, along with state def...

Sorry-posting it a bit late! AEROSPACE Mag -UK Rafale deal sealed at last 21 October 2016 In the wake of India's deal to acquire 36 Dassault Rafale fighters,  NEELAM MATHEWS  analyses this key defence procurement. A new dawn for Indian air power? (Dassault Aviation)  Four years after Dassault Aviation’s Rafale was chosen for India’s 126 Medium Multi Role Aircraft, India and France have signed a watered down deal for 36 aircraft valued at €7.87bn. It includes 28 single seaters at €91.7m each and eight twin seaters at €94m each. India has become the third international customer to buy Rafale after Qatar and Egypt. India will receive the first Rafale fighter within 36 months of signing the agreement while the remaining jets will be delivered in the following 30 months. “We have requested them to (deliver it) as fast as possible,” said defence minister Manohar Parrikar. Analysts view this in the backdrop of increased cross border tensions following n...

by  Neelam Mathews  -  November 2, 2016, 12:26 PM Lockheed Martin released this artist’s impression of an F-16 in Indian air force colors in 2011, when the type was previously evaluated for the MMRCA contract. (Image: Lockheed Martin) After  confirming the acquisition  of 36 Dassault Rafale fighters off-the-shelf from France, India has invited proposals from the U.S., Sweden and Russia to transfer technology and produce a single-engine fighter in-country. The latest move seems to preclude any “Make in India” offers from Dassault for the twin-engine Rafale, as well as Eurofighter (for the Typhoon) or Boeing (for the F/A-18). India has a requirement for approximately 100 more fighters. The invitation was in the form of letters handed to the ambassadors of the three countries. Lockheed Martin has already responded, offering an upgraded “F-16 Block 70.” It is believed that Saab will follow, with an offer for the Gripen E. It is unclear what Russia mi...

by  Neelam Mathews  - October 5, 2016, 7:34 AM The Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed that it will re-engine its fleet of Anglo-French Jaguar strike aircraft. The plan was discussed by IAF Chief of Air Staff Arup Raha during his annual press conference this week. Raha was enthusiastic about the recently confirmed acquisition of Dassault Rafales, but cautious on progress with the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project with Russia. “Technology is improving so rapidly that weapon systems and platforms soon become redundant,” said Raha. This phenomenon is being addressed through the IAF’s Long Term Perspective Plan, a 15-year scheme that is divided into three five-year spans. Raha said that while most previous procurement “had been process-driven; it is now changing to outcome-driven.” Honeywell is to supply 270 F125IN turbofan engines to replace the twin Rolls-Royce Adour Mk 821s on apporoximately 120 Jaguars. The...

Authors:  Bharat Anand Partner & Kabir Bogra  Associate Partner Khaitan &  Co  With the conclusion of the contract for supply of 36 Rafale Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) for approximately $8.8 billion, the focus of the discussion has now shifted to what the deal means for India and the development of the Indian defence sector. In terms of the immediate prospects for the defence industry, the deal offers limited scope for the defence industry. The “fly away” nature of the aircraft imply implies that no part of the manufacture of the aircraft would be undertaken in India. However, the defence industry can hope to play some part in the two MRO centres and the 50% offset that France has committed for the deal. While the offsets alone would constitute business worth at least 3 billion Euro (approx. INR 22,000 crore), it is a far cry from the aspirations of the industry to participate in the manufa...

Neelam Mathews and Chris Pocock Sept 23 2016 French Defence Minister Yves Le Drian (left) signed the inter-governmental agreement on the Rafale with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. More than four years after the Dassault Rafale  was chosen  for its Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) requirement, India has signed an inter-governmental agreement with France worth €7.87 billion for 36 aircraft. The deal was inked in Delhi today by the defense ministers of both countries. It specifies details of the contract, including timelines. However, the support, logistics and 50 percent offsets package will be signed in a few months, a senior MoD official told  AIN . While the agreement has an option clause for 18 more Rafales, it is unclear whether more of the French jets will eventually be manufactured or assembled in the country, under the terms of the “Make In India” policy. The  original  MMRCA  requirement ...

by  Neelam Mathews   Jan 26, 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India’s intention to acquire Rafale fighters from Dassault and military helicopters from Airbus, in talks with President François Hollande. France’s nine-year wait for a contract from India for the Rafale is not quite over, but an inter-government agreement covering acquisition of 36 fighters was signed during President François Hollande’s visit to New Delhi on January 26. Invited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day military parade in New Delhi, Hollande also joined the Indian leader in witnessing the confirmation of a previously announced partnership between Mahindra Defence and Airbus Helicopters. The Rafale signing “has effectively transformed the nature of the transaction from a commercial bid to a government to government sale,” Rahul Gangal, partner with consultancy group Roland and Berger, told  AIN . While Dassault Aviation...

Neelam Mathews Aug 19 2015 AIN. Credit. Neelam Mathews India’s expanding aerospace industry has expressed regret about the government’s decision to buy 36 Dassault Rafale combat jets directly from France, without an offsets clause. Delhi has committed to signing the inter-government contract by the end of calendar year 2015,  AIN  has learned  from sources close to the negotiations . The tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ), which has now been withdrawn, specified 50 percent offsets as well as licensed production of 108 aircraft. Negotiations on the  MMRCA  faltered on the liability clause between government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics ( HAL ) and Dassault, which was not willing to take responsibility for  HAL ’s work. “ So much for the Make in India program,” said an Indian defense vendor, who told  AIN  that the valuable  MMRCA  project would have boosted the aerospace industry in India. A num...

by  Chris Pocock  and Neelam Mathews  - April 15, 2015, 4:45 PM This model of the Rafale in Indian Air Force markings was displayed at the last Aero-India show. (Photo: Neelam Mathews) The new Indian government’s decision ‘in principle’ to  buy 36 Rafale combat aircraft  direct from the Dassault production line in France, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 10, appears to spell the end of the medium multi-role combat aircraft ( MMRCA ) acquisition process. Speaking on Indian television two days later, defense minister Manohar Parrikar acknowledged that the protracted delay in closing the  MMRCA  deal, caused largely by difficulty in agreeing terms and conditions for licensed production of the Rafale in India, had not served India well. Under the  MMRCA  plan, the Indian Air Force ( IAF ) would have received its first squadron of 18 Rafales from France, 12 single- and six twin-seaters. A further 108 woul...

Neelam Mathews April 16, 2015 Following India’s delayed decision on the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), a process initiated in 2000, the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of his trip to France on Apr 13, for an ‘in principle’ clearance for the outright purchase of 36 Rafales in flyaway condition, is being seen as a game changer in the way defense procurement will now be done in India. The buy includes life cycle support and 50% offsets, AerospaceDiary learns While India is expected to exercise its option clause for 18 Rafales in future for outright buys that will take its Rafale squadrons to three, in a recent interview by IBN7 with Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar clearly indicated a desire to produce a single-engine fighter on Make in India basis. According to Parrikar the original deal for 126 is valued at approximately $14.50 billion, which leaves a large amount of money to consider the single-engine fighter. We are guessing it wi...