Even after two decades since the acquisition case, the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) search has seen a system absent from trials and failing trials, being passed as technically compliant and ending up as, apparently, the cheapest. Also problematic is the difficulty its purchase could pose by provoking U.S. sanctions under their CAATSA.
BAE Systems and the U.S. government will deliver 25 M777 Ultra Light Howitzers off the shelf, while a further 120 will be assembled in India with Indian partner Mahindra.
Shruti Pushkarna puts together a graphic representation of the process of selection of the AgustaWestland AW101 helicopter by the Indian Air Force (IAF), on the basis of the White Paper issued by the defense ministry on Thursday.
The story about the arrest of Giuseppe Orsi, Chairman and CEO of Italian defense and aviation company, Finmeccanica, broke sometime on Tuesday afternoon, a few days less than a year when investigations first began into the company over allegations of corruption in Indian contracts.
The deal for the purchase of 12 AgustaWestland AW 101 helicopters for VIP transportation is under scrutiny by the Indian defense ministry after reports surfaced that the company may have employed agents to facilitate the contract.
The Italian defense major will be represented at DefExpo by its group companies AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi, DRS Tactical Systems, Inc. (a division of DRS Technologies), SELEX Galileo, Oto Melara and WASS – in DEFEXPO 2012, exhibiting products, platforms and technological solutions in the field of helicopters, aeronautic, radar systems, naval and land armaments and underwater systems.
