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| HJT-36 Sitara (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI
NEW DELHI — The Indian Defence Ministry, tired of waiting for its homemade intermediate jet trainer, is seeking a solution from overseas.
The MoD floated a global tender in early May for the trainer through a request for information (RFI). The jet trainer is being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL).
Analysts see the RFI as the MoD’s first attempt to allow competition for low-tech defense products that are under development by state-owned companies.
“In the past, whenever an indigenous product was available [through state-owned defense companies], it completely closed the gates for further efforts to seek alternatives with better operational or commercial terms,” said Subhash Bhojwani, a retired Air Force air marshal. “And if the defense services still insisted on going ahead, they were labeled as being enamored by imports.”
The RFI was sent to Russia’s Yakovlev; Italy’s Alenia Aermacchi; Korea Aerospace Industries; US companies Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Beechcraft; and Sweden’s Saab.
Read the full story at DefenseNews
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