Category: News

Australia at Aero India 2009

The Australian Trade Commission is present in strength at Aero India 2009, looking to help Australian vendors get a piece of the action as far as India’s aerospace and defense industries are concerned.

Offset concerns leave vendors uneasy

The offset requirements raised to 50 per cent with the onset of the Defense Procurement Procedure (DPP) last August, continue to make foreign defense vendors uncomfortable. Bell helicopters had dropped out of the race to supply 197 helicopters to the Indian armed forces because of exactly this reason.

Lockheed Martin in F-16 hard-sell

The fighter is in the running for the 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft tender floated by the Indian government along with five other contenders. John Giese of Lockheed Martin says, “By offering the Super Viper to the IAF we’re offering exactly what they asked for in the tender. The IN is designed to meet IAF specifications.”

IAF’s vintage aircraft at Aero India 2009

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is displaying two of it’s old aircraft at Aero India 2009 to allow aviation enthusiasts to savor the IAF’s past, even in the din of the modern-day supersonic fighter jets jetting past. The De Havilland DH82 Tigermoth and Harvard aircraft are on static display at the show.

Tail break in flight grounds Russian MiG-29s

A Russian business daily reported last week the grounding of the Russian Air Force’s MiG-29 fleet, when recently, a tail broke away during a training exercise. The Vice President of Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) confirmed on Wednesday, the grounding of the aircraft, saying an inquiry was underway.

Gripen’s case to be the MMRCA

Gripen’s Eddy de la Motte points out the unique defensive and offensive capabilities of the fighter plane in being able to land on public roads, be serviced and take off again to continue operations, while explaining why he thinks the Gripen is the best aircraft for India’s anticipated 126 MMRCA purchase.

From the Mig 21 to the Gripen

StratPost spoke exclusively to a man who has extensively flown the mainstay of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Mig 21, as well as Saab’s Gripen fighter, one of the contenders for the MMRCA deal. Colonel Petr Mikulenka of the Czech Air Force, spoke to StratPost about his experiences with both aircraft.

Blog: Vendors employing Direct Sales Agents for MMRCA deal?

The USD 12 billion order is so important for arms vendors that at a recent defense seminar in New Delhi, one of the speakers, a representative of a foreign air force was told, first politely, and then rather sharply, to wrap up his speech because it seemed to be more of a sales-pitch for one of the aircraft in contention for the MMRCA deal, than an academic talk on his experiences with aircraft from different generations.

Aero India 2009: Bigger than ever

The 25 participating countries include UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands and Ukraine. China will be participating at this year’s Air Show for the first time.

The story of a glacial trust deficit

The issue that dominates the peace process pursued by the Indian and Pakistani governments on Kashmir since 2004 is about the control of the Siachen Glacier in the region, the world’s highest battlefield. Although a ceasefire has been in place since 2003, thousands of troops on both sides continue to eyeball each other across the extreme terrain.