sabya99
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 Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 6:36 pm Post subject: Airbus aims for India's defence. |
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Airbus aims big in defence
KARAN CHOUDHURY
New Delhi, April 8: Airbus Military, an arm of commercial aircraft maker Airbus, is keen to make a mark in the Indian defence market.
Airbus Military is competing to bag a deal for six multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) to the Indian Air Force. With just one more contender in the fray — Ilyushin of Russia with the Il-78MK — the company feels that it has a chance of bagging the contract. MRTTs are used to refuel fighter jets on air.
The company hopes to get deals worth 7 billion euros from the Indian government over a period of 15 years. “Right now, our focus is on the A330 MRTT tanker. Three trials have been done and we have already refuelled Sukhois, Jaguar and Mirage as part of the test. Our chances look pretty good,” said Ian Elliott, vice-president (defence capability market development) of Airbus Military.
The company has promised to set up a spare parts hub in the country as soon as it gets a major contract.
Elliott said the MRTT deal would enable the Indian Air Force (IAF) to send pilots to the UK to receive training from the Royal Air Force, which had received two of the 14 aircraft it had ordered.
Bids for six aircraft from Airbus Military for the A330MRTT and from Ilyushin for the Il-78MK are now being compared. India had re-issued its tender for the MRTT in late 2010. The IAF had previously selected the A330, but the finance ministry later rejected it because of the high capital investment cost. Till now, 28 aircraft have been sold in Europe, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Elliott said the only change in the request for proposal was a focus on lifecycle costs over 30 years. Airbus Military has worked hard to drive down these costs, he said.
Besides mid-air refuellers, Airbus Military will bring in medium-level troop and vehicle transporters. Officials at the company hoped that soon the demand for such aircraft would generate interest among the Indian defence forces.
“After refuellers, we will be bringing in our CN235 military transport vehicle. Though we have not formally approached the government, a dialogue on this issue has happened,” Elliott said.
At the Defence Expo, Airbus’s sister concern Cassidian showcased a large range of unmanned aerial vehicles. “We are targeting the different branches of the Indian armed services. We have the best product in the category and are hopeful of bagging contracts,” a Cassidian official said.
Overshadowed by Boeing in both the civilian and military domain, the company said it was confident of its product and would let it do the talking. “Yes, Boeing has beaten us to a couple of contracts but we are confident of our products which we are showcasing at the Expo,” Elliott said.
The Telegraph : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120409/jsp/business/story_15350903.jsp
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