INDIA
DEFENCE CONSULTANTS
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WHAT'S HOT?
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ANALYSIS OF
RECENT HAPPENINGS |
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DO NOT MISS DEFEXPO 2002 AT NEW DELHI An IDC Report
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New
Delhi, 20 February 2002 DEFEXPO
2002 at Pragati Maidan with 16000 sq meters spread with weaponry and
systems and CII beaming for doing a good job, got off to a flying start in
New Delhi with foreign defence companies showing top of the line wares and
delegations doing the rounds in excellent Delhi weather .The Indian
defence companies were there in strength to show that India's home grown
self reliance route with Russian help is about to take off, for missiles
and ship building at least . This can happen in other fields also. IDC can
state with confidence that if India's Services cooperate with the 8
Defence PSUs, 39 Ordnance Factories and Private firms like TATAs,
Mahindras and L & T and the DRDO and get more cohesion and synergy,
Indian Defence Industry can blossom because the smaller players are doing
their bit and this is evident at the show. Money is not the problem so
read on. Yet
this cooperation is the more difficult. This was evident at the show. The
body language and the way the uniformed Officers went about at the show
without offering suggestions or insights of what ails them or what they
would like was evident and when a reporter asked Defence Minister George
Fernandes at the Press Conference what was the status of the 66 AJT HAWK
DEAL and why it was delayed as Rs 13,000 Crores ($3 billion) lie unspent
from the Budget, the answers which are important are quoted below
verbatim:
George
Fernandes flagged off the five-day international defence exhibition with a
pledge to slash New Delhi's dependence on military powers and turn the
ailing domestic defence sector into a money-spinning industry. Around 236
firms from 25 countries are at the exhibition. Israel has sent a large
delegation from its private industry like Tadiran and IAI state-run firms,
is the most impressive and expected to press New Delhi to buy the 155 Gun
from SOLTAM The ATMOS was on display and three Phalcon early-warning
aircraft of the type which Israel was previously prevented from supplying
to China following strong US objections –– and Air to Air missile as
they already have deals worth $2 billion sewed up. The
main Highlights were the DHANUSH which is the Prithvi well
displayed and for the first time and DRDO revealed how Larsen and Tubro
helped make the Stabilisation platform in the deck cut on the OPV and the
missile took off from INS Subhadra (P 51) with the Larsen's stabilisation
platform. Media says another test is timed with DEFEXPO. L and T also
showed off the Triple Tube Launcher better than the imported Italian one
and we can vouch for it. BRAHMOS
missile was there in full model to show that Indian DRDO Labs have done wonders
with the missile by providing on board computers and the Guidance and by
2003 these fantastic missiles will be available to the three Armed Forces
made in India. WOW. Mahindras
showed off the Bolero with ELTA’s EL/M 2129 Surveillance Radar on top
and the Army must be kicking itself for not buying this sort of mobility
and using man packs. IDC now understands why the Army needs 38 more
battalions of Rashtriya Rifles when what they really need is some
technology. The
world's top arms makers were at the opening ceremeony even if they had
come only as visitors enroute to Asian Aero Space 2002 at Singapore They
all renewed their offer of hardware to India as George Fernandes at his
press conference pledged to turn the country into a production base for
modern defence equipment for overseas sales. Defence producers from Britain, France, Israel, Russia and South Africa and the new entrants Singapore, USA and Poland, offering wares from submarines to aircraft carriers, and artillery units. This time around the Buzzwords are to forge manufacturing partnerships. (PS
- IDC can offer 30 high quality photos of the DEFEXPO with full
publication rights for $100 including courier charges.) |