News Report: Russia Pitches Aggresively For MiG-29K $12 Bn Indian Deal

A MiG-29K on the deck of INS Vikramaditya

Indian Navy had issued a detailed request for information in January this year for 57 multi-role fighter aircraft to which Russian, French, Swedish and American companies had replied with their intent.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — With an eye on a big ticket deal involving supply of 57 naval multi-role fighter jet for Indian Navy's aircraft carriers, Russian manufacturer MiG has offered to jointly develop the MiG 29 K fighter jets with an Indian counterpart under the 'Make in India' program with complete transfer of technology. MiG is planning to submit a detailed proposal to the Indian government in this regard soon.

The procurement plan currently is in request for information stage. MiG CEO Ilya Tarasenko has claimed MiG-29K aircraft have serious tactical and technical advantages compared to Boeing’s F/A-18.

“We are considering various options for long-term and perspective cooperation, including those within the framework of the Make in India program. The Indian side has sent an RFI to companies that produce aircraft, which is one of the procedures preceding the official tender. MiG corp. has received such a request, now we are preparing our proposal,” Ilya Tarasenko, MiG CEO told to PTI in a written interview.

News Story: Indian Navy to buy underwater systems for its submarines

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy on Wednesday floated a global request for information to buy 12 anti-torpedo defense systems and associated equipment for its submarines.

“The ATDS is an important program, and it will acquired on a fast-track basis,“ a senior Indian Navy official said.

Global defense companies from Germany, Russia and the U.S. are likely to respond to this request for information, or RFI, and the service wants to induct them within the next two years, he added.

The foreign defense companies have also been asked to furnish details of transfer of production and transfer of technology of ATDS.

Currently, no Indian defense company manufactures submarine-launched ATDS.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: How 'Make in India' could impede India’s global hunt for anti-ship missiles

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India has launched first-ever global hunt for anti-ship missiles with a budget of $1 billion. But a requirement for those missiles, to be built by domestic companies, could be difficult to meet.

The medium-range anti-ship missiles must be capable of engaging fast-maneuvering targets within India’s exclusive economic zone in all weather conditions, and have land-attack capability.

A formal tender will be issued by mid-2018, and India hopes to negotiate a quick delivery of the product.

India’s Ministry of Defence wants the production license rights after it receives a transfer of technology for the medium-range anti-ship missiles.

Although no domestic company in India has ever manufactured an anti-ship missile, the MoD will award the contract to a local business as part of the Make in India policy; a foreign vendor will then have to tie up with the domestic company and bid for the tender, an MoD official explained.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: Indian Navy Gets Cracking on Jet Trials for $15 Billion Fighter Deal

Artists impression of the future IAC-1 Aircraft Carrier

The Indian Navy has rushed into the trial of four jets that had responded to its request for information (RFI) as part of a $15 billion deal. The decision to start trial indicates the urgency of the Navy to procure a fighter jet for its aircraft carrier.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – In the first phase of trials, the French Rafale of Dassault Aviation and American F/A-18 from Boeing had taken part in trials on the western coast of Karwar on the Russian-made aircraft carrier Vikramaditya, formerly Admiral Gorshkov.

SAAB and Rosoboronexport will also show their capabilities during the trial to the Indian Navy which has detailed its requirement for the naval fighter in a 55-page RFI, sources said. The four manufacturers had responded to the global RFI issued by the Indian Navy in January this year.

News Story: Indian Navy formally launches submarine acquisition program

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy has issued a request for information for six air-independent propulsion-enabled submarines under Project 75I, a program worth more than $12 billion. However, analysts say the process will take time since the purchase would take place under the new Strategic Parters policy.

The RFI was issued to six foreign shipyards, including Rubin Design Bureau of Russia, Naval Group (formerly DCNS) of France, Navantia of Spain, Saab of Sweden, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan and ThyssenKrupp of Germany, eliciting a response on AIP-enabled submarine capabilities.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a surprise addition, according to an Indian Ministry of Defence official, because Japanese submarines can be expensive.

Once the overseas shipyards respond to the RFI, a formal request for proposal will be issued. Based on the RFP responses, the MoD will shortlist the shipyards, which could take a minimum of two years, the MoD official said.

A strategic partner will be selected from domestic shipyards, and the companies will join to compete for the project under the Strategic Partners policy

“As per the policy document, the overseas shipyards would be shortlisted based on range, depth and scope of technology transfer offered in identified areas, extent of indigenous content proposed [and] extent of ecosystem of Indian vendors/manufacturers,” said Jayant Damodar Patil, the head of Larsen & Toubro’s defense and aerospace division.

”MoD would short list three to four overseas shipyards from amongst the six based on the above criterion,” Patil added.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: Russia, Germany in Race for Indian Navy's $7.8 Billion Submarine Tender

INS Kalvari first of the P-75 Submarines built by MDL

India’s Ministry of Defense has asked six foreign shipbuilders to respond to the Indian Navy’s long-delayed Project 75 India (P-75I) program, which is worth over $7.8 billion.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — The request for information (RFI) has been sent to six selected overseas naval shipbuilders asking for details about locally building six diesel-electric submarines under newly-formulated strategic partnership model under which India’s private defense shipbuilder will collaborate with a foreign manufacturer.

Official sources told Sputnik that Indian Navy had issued RFI on July 19 to Russia’s Rosoboronexport Rubin Design Bureau, France’s Naval Group, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Spain’s Navantia, and Sweden’s Saab.

Companies will have to respond to the Indian Navy’s request by September 15 this year with operational details of their respective submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems and anti-surface, anti-submarine and land-attack capabilities.

News Report: Russian Arms Exporter's India Orders Portfolio Tops $4 Bln - Rosoboronexport

According to reports, Rosoboronexport's portfolio of orders on contracts and agreements with India is well over $4 billion.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia's Rosoboronexport arms exporter has amassed an orders portfolio with India worth over $4 billion, General Director Alexander Mikheev said Friday.

"Today, Rosoboronexport's portfolio of orders on contracts and agreements with India is well over $4 billion, and this is without taking into account the documents being prepared for signing," Mikheev told reporters after an intergovernmental military and technical cooperation commission held in Moscow.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: Russia's Arms Exporter Seeks to Upgrade Afghan Helicopter Fleet

An Afghan Air Force Mi-17 Helicopter (Image: Wiki Commons)

Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exports agency, is offering to service and repair Afghanistan's entire Soviet and Russian helicopter fleet of over 200 units, the company's Director General Alexander Mikheev said Monday.

LE BOURGET (Sputnik) — Under the contract between Rosoboronexport and the US Department of Defense signed in 2011, the Russian exporter delivered 63 Mi-17V-5 military helicopters to the Afghan National Army by October 2014.

"We are ready for negotiations and cooperation to repair and modernize the entire fleet of helicopters in Afghanistan, and that is more than 200 helicopters, 63 of which are under the previous contract signed a few years ago," Mikheev said when attending the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget.

News Story: Bangladesh signs deal for five more Mi-171Sh military transport helicopters

A Mi-171Sh (Image: Wiki Commons)

According to the local online newspaper Bdnews24, the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) today signed a contract with the Russian Joint Stock Company Rosoboronexport for the delivery of five Mi-171Sh military transport helicopters.

The contract was signed by the BAF Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operation & Training) Air Vice Marshal M Naim Hassan and Rosoboronexport Deputy Chief of Section Ageev Dmitry. In December 2016, Bangladesh unveils its intention to procure up to six Mi-171Sh during the current fiscal year.

Read the full story at Air Recognition

News Story: Steep price rise hits Indo-Russian 5th-gen fighter project

Russian T-50 PAK FA Prototype, basis for the Indian FGFA 

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — Just when its production was about to take off, the Indo-Russian fifth-generation fighter aircraft appears to be "lost" because Russians are demanding an "unaffordable price for the aircraft," according to a senior Indian Air Force official.

The Russians are demanding more than $7 billion as part of India's share in the development of the FGFA. The Russian side argues that the higher price is justified because the aircraft's development will include transfer of technology of several high-tech systems.

"India is not in a position to pay this kind of money, and the aircraft project appears to be lost " the official said.

The Indian version of the FGFA, known as the Perspective Multi-role Fighter, is being jointly designed and developed by India and Russia. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited from the Indian side and Rosoboronexport from Russia are the designated lead agencies. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: India, Russia Set Up Joint Venture to Make Kamov Multi-Role Helicopters for IAF

India and Russia have incorporated a joint venture company, named India-Russia Helicopters Limited, to manufacture and assemble the much-needed 160 multi-role helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

New Delhi (Sputnik) — India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs incorporated the India-Russia Helicopters Limited Company on Tuesday.

"This marks the formal creation of the Joint Venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited of India and Russian Helicopters and Rosoboronexport of Russia and is a key milestone in the production of Ka-226T helicopters in India with Russian collaboration," a press release from the Indian embassy in Russia said.

Russia's Rostec Corp will own 49.5 percent stake while India's HAL will own the remaining 50.5 percent in the joint venture. Under the deal for 200 Kamov Ka-226Ts, 60 helicopters will be received in fly-away condition from Russia while another 40 will be assembled in India and the remaining 100 will be fully built in India.

Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley had said recently that New Delhi and Moscow have been involved in a discussion to set up another manufacturing plant in India but had not said what the product would be.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.

News Report: India Opens $3 Billion Ammo Tender for Private Sector to Curb Import Dependency

The Indian defense ministry has floated a tender for private ammunition makers in India to supply ammunition worth $3 billion to the armed forces over the next decade. Currently, 11 government-owned ordnance factories have a monopoly over the production of ammunitions.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – Last year, the Indian government approved the private sector to produce ammunition as part of the Make in India program.

The defense ministry floated a tender from a domestic private manufacturer for the supply of a range of ammunition. The list includes 125mm armor-piercing types for T-90 & T-72, 40mm multiple grenade launcher/underbarrel grenade launcher ammo, 30mm ammunition used by armored infantry carrying vehicle, 122mm grad rockets for Pinaka series and bi-modular charge system.

Twenty-five Indian companies responded to the request issued by the ministry last November. Kalyani Group, Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd and Godrej & Boyce are among the companies that responded to the bid.

News Report: Philippines 'Not Afraid to Show Interest' in Russian Weapons

Victor Kladov, director of international cooperation and regional policy at Rostec State Corporation, spoke with Sputnik in an interview saying that Russia is gaining popularity among the countries that it has never cooperated with before but are now “literally knocking on [their] door.” One such country is the Philippines.

After the completion of the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace exhibition [LIMA-2017], which took place from March 21 to 25 on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, the interest in Russian weapons and aviation has further increased especially in Southeast Asia.

According to Kladov, the Philippines had shown interest in Russian aviation, naval equipment and in small arms earlier also, but had retained its weapons dependence on the United States.

However, now the situation has changed and the Philippines has openly expressed interest in Russian technologies.

News Story: India, Russia close in on chopper deal - report

Kamov Ka-226T - NATO name: Hoodlum (Image: Wiki Commons)

Russia is close to finalising a deal to build helicopters in India, an executive said Tuesday, a move that would boost Narendra Modi's ambitions to manufacture defence hardware locally.

India is the world's top defence importer and is seeking to revamp its Soviet-era military equipment against an increasingly assertive China.

Prime Minister Modi has been encouraging foreign firms to work with local contractors under a "Make in India" campaign, to reduce India's reliance on costly imports.

Russia and India first flagged plans for a joint partnership to build Kamov helicopters -- a twin-engine chopper used for military and civilian purposes -- in 2015.

But India has increasingly turned to the United States and France, rather than traditional ally Russia, for its military hardware in recent years.

Two Russian firms -- Russian Helicopters and state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport -- are on the brink of finalising a joint venture with India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, according to reports.

Viktor Kladov from Rostec, the parent company of Rosoboronexport, said the joint venture would be completed in "one to two months".

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Seven Countries Mull Buying Russian Su-30MKI With BrahMos Cruise Missiles

Six countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East consider buying Russia’s new Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets armed with BrahMos cruise missiles, BrahMos Aerospace representative Previn Pahtak told Sputnik.

Chief executive of the Indian-Russian joint venture, Sudhir Mishra, earlier said that the test launch of an airborne version of the Supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from an Su-30MKI was slated within the next two months.

“We have requests from seven countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, which already have Su-30s. They keep a close eye on the ongoing trials and once we are through, we are going to have many new buyers,” Previn Pahtak said.

He added that BrahMos Aerospace could simultaneously supply airborne cruise missiles for the Indian Air Force and customers abroad.

News Report: India's Home-Made 'Eye-in-Sky' to Fly at Republic Day March for First Time

India's  EMB-145 AEW&C

Despite the induction of three home-made AEW&C systems, India is far behind its arch rival China and Pakistan. To match their capabilities, India may have to buy additional AEW&C from Israel.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — India will showcase its homemade Airborne Early Warning & Control System (AEW&C) to the general public for the first time at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. AEW&C systems, mounted on Brazilian planes, are popularly called ‘Eye in the Sky' for their ability to scan wide air spaces for hostile aircraft.

"AEW&C system consists of multiple sensors for surveillance and signal intelligence. It helps in air defense operations and is capable of communicating using many frequencies. Their induction will make the country self-reliant and position India among the top five countries with this capability," read a statement released by India's Ministry of Defense.

News Story: Russia Allows Companies to Work With India to Supply Weapon Spares

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — Russia has agreed to allow its defense companies to forge direct ties with Indian defense companies — both public and private sector — to supply, service and jointly manufacture spares for use by Indian defense forces. 

So far, Rosoboronexport of Russia is the sole contractor for spares for a variety of Russian defense platforms and weapons in use by the Indian defense forces, which as been the case for the last five decades. 

India buys Russian spares at a cost of more than $2 billion annually for multiple weapons and platforms. 

Indian defense companies are not permitted to tie up directly with Russian manufacturing companies for the supply of additional spares, and subsystems and all contracts are routed through Rosoboronexport. 

"Supply of spares on time and on 'right price' has been the main problem with Russian systems, and overall problems of spares is critical," a top Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) official said. 

The Indian Navy still continues to face problems in the procurment of critical spares parts for its Russian Kilo-class submarines, warships and aircraft carriers, missiles, electronic warfare control systems, radar communication tools, and navigation systems. 

Despite repeated requests, Russian Embassy officials were unavailable for comment. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: India Seeks Global Ties for Its Light Combat Aircraft Mark-1A Program

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India has floated global bids to procure state-of-the-art active electronically scanned array radars and electronic warfare self-protection jammer pods for the forthcoming modified version of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft Mark-1A aircraft. 

Under the ministry of defence's directions, India's sole combat aircraft manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., on Thursday released global requests for quotations for the equipment. Two systems will be selected by April next year, according to a top MoD defense production official. 

"We cannot wait for Indian companies to develop and build these proven systems, and they will be bought off-the-shelf from overseas," the MoD official added. 

Under a fast-track program, around 100 AESA radars will be bought at a cost of $1.85 billion million, and bids have been issued to Elta of Israel, US companies Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, SAAB of Sweden, Thales of France and Rosoboronoexport of Russia. 

In addition, 100 electronic-warfare jammer pods will be procured from overseas at a cost of $200 million, and bids have been sent to Elta, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, SAAB, Thales, Rosoboronoexport, Indra of Spain and Leonardo-subsidiary Finmeccanica of Italy.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: India Allows Private Sector to Manufacture Ammo

By: Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — India has decided to reduce ammunition imports and instead procure all ammunition requirements from domestic sources. 

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) under its Make In India initiative is now encouraging the private sector to manufacture ammunition. Previously, only state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) was permitted to produce ammunition and India’s private sector was only allowed to manufacture parts of ammunition such as the shell or fuse. 

A senior Indian Army official said of the new opportunity for the private sector: “It clearly shows that the Army’s requirements are not being totally met by the OFB and import is not an option anymore.” 

Under the new policy, the MoD is willing to provide long-term commitments and firm orders of multiple types of ammunition to private players, but only at competitive prices. 

“The Indian industry was denied participation in the manufacture of ammunition, as no industrial license was issued for filling process. Thus the monopoly stayed with OFB, whose lack of capacity restricted the demand of the services, gradually leading to deficiencies over the years. It was not that the industry does not have the capability to manufacture with transfer of technology, but they have not taken any concrete action to acquire technology in this regard till now,” a senior MoD official said. 

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: International defense show concludes in Karachi

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The 9th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar 2016 (IDEAS) concluded in Pakistani city Karachi on Friday. The four-day show witnessed bigger-than-ever participation by Chinese, Russian, and Turkish companies.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif inaugurated the event on Tuesday. The strategic show was organized by the Defense Export and Promotion Organization.

The theme for this year's exhibit was "Arms for Peace" which was spelled out by PM Sharif on the inaugural day.

Chinese, Turkish and Russian companies made their presence felt with an enormous participation. The number of Russian defense manufacturers increased to three this year including the state-controlled arms import and export company Russia Rosoboron export.

Nine Chinese companies including China Aerospace Long-March International, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation and Poly Technologies Inc. took part in the exhibition.

Read the full story at Xinhua