Yzd Khalifa
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The British multinational defence company BAE Systems has entered a new bid for the Typhoon in its ongoing efforts to supply the Emiri Air Force with the latest fighter jets, Alan Garwood, group business development director, has told Gulf Times.
“We have recently completed the latest round of the tender. It’s actually on schedule. The Qatar authorities had been waiting for one or two bids by the end of last year; we understand that one of our competitors (in the US) had asked for some more time. So, we came here and just put in a new bid,” he said.
He added that BAE Systems was up against competition from all over the world. “Now we are waiting for the Qatari authorities to make their decision…These things take a long time since they involve complex decisions. The Qatar authorities have literally just got all the information (from all bidders from all over the world).”
Garwood admitted that unlike the relationship with other countries in the Middle East, so far his company has had small achievements in Qatar, including the supply of a few ships that too through a company that BAE Systems had acquired five-six years ago.
He hoped that this would change soon. “The relationship between Qatar and the United Kingdom is already at an all-time high. A major defence contract would be even better for that relationship, especially for the Royal and Emiri air forces.”
He said that there was “lots we can do” in Qatar. “We’ve got a comprehensive range of equipment and services that BAE Systems can provide. It’s not just the Typhoon, we are UK’s number one maker of warships and
armoured vehicles.”
The company on the whole has around 60 years of experience in the Gulf region. The BAE Systems’ Hawk aircraft is already “all over the Gulf,” including in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Oman,
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
About the presence of Typhoon in the region, he termed the Saudi Arabia “Salam deal” a huge success for BAE Systems, when the Gulf state agreed to buy 72 Eurofighter jets in 2007.
Recently, when Prince Charles visited the Saudi state, it marked the “end of serious of negotiations to adjust the price of the jets to current economic levels,” he said, without disclosing the exact amount of the
multi-billion dollar deal.
“Oman too has bought 12 Typhoons and we’ll start delivery in a few years’ time,” he said.
About not being able to conclude a deal with the UAE, he insisted that it had nothing to do with the quality or performance of the Typhoon. “In Abu Dhabi, the reason they didn’t proceed had nothing to do with the airplane at all. They had a set of very discreet requirements that added a lot of developments to the programme. They specified an airplane that was quite fantastic, but at the end of the day their budget wouldn’t allow them to proceed with that … so it was a budgetary decision.”
He said that the company was also looking into selling the aircraft to Bahrain. “It is down to the king of Bahrain now. He has given a number of statements saying that he would like to join the Typhoon family…We have not yet gone into negotiations with Bahraini authorities.”
He added that there was currently an evaluation on the Typhoon going on in Kuwait as well.
He termed the capability of the Typhoon as incredible, which was last year also demonstrated on the Corniche as part of the Red Arrow acrobatic air show.
He gave the example of its deployment in Libya recently, where it “never went wrong” and the Royal Airforce suffered no casualties.
Gulf Times - British company enters new bid for fighter planes
Miscellaneous
BAE Systems eyes Bahrain order for fighter jets
UK defence contractor BAE Systems, which is part of a consortium that manufactures the Eurofighter Typhoon, is ready to meet any order Bahrain might make for a squadron of state-of-the-art fighter jets, said a top official.
It follows the company's participation at Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) earlier this month, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
"His Majesty King Hamad has made certain statements in the last year saying that he is very interested in the Typhoon and we are hoping, as are the British government, that he will place an order with us," BAE Systems group business development director Alan Garwood told the GDN.
"It is far too early to say any more than that, but we have been listening to his intentions and if that is what His Majesty wants to do then we will deliver."
The GDN reported in August that Bahrain was in talks about the possibility of buying an unspecified number of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
King Hamad met with British Prime Minister David Cameron while he was in London over the summer to discuss the deal.
Little has been said about the talks since, however, and it was feared in December that any possible deal might be under threat after talks between the Eurofighter consortium and the UAE fell through.
But UK Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond told the GDN that he remained confident a deal with Bahrain could be done, largely down to the "deep and multi-faceted relationship" Bahrain enjoys with the UK.
"The news from the UAE obviously was disappointing," Mr Hammond said.
"But we are very grateful to have had confirmation (from the UAE) that the aircraft matched all their requirements. It was nothing to do with the aircraft or its capabilities; it was the terms of the deal that was the sticking point."
The presence of both an RAF Typhoon and a Saudi Typhoon at BIAS 2014 offered an unique opportunity to highlight the aircraft's features and enhancements, Mr Hammond said.
"We know the Typhoon has got fabulous capabilities," he said.
"But being able to bring it here and particularly being able to put an RAF Typhoon next to a Saudi Typhoon means we can showcase this as a 'Gulf aircraft'.
"We hope very much that Bahrain will be joining the Typhoon family soon. I think it would be an excellent fit for the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF)," he added.
Garwood agreed with Hammond's assessment, pointing out that neighbouring GCC country Oman had the Typhoon on order and that RBAF pilots already train in BAE Systems aircraft following the delivery of six Hawk Mk129 aircraft in 2006.
"The Gulf is still a very big market for the defence industry in general and for BAE Systems in particular," Garwood said.
"There are two great growth markets in air sales - the Gulf and Asia. It's very stiff competition here and it's an interesting neighbourhood with a lot going on, so of course all our main American and European friends are here as well as the Indians and the Chinese.
"But that's fine, we are used to operating in competitive markets. We have been here long enough that I think we understand the market reasonably well. That does not mean we are perfect but in Saudi Arabia and Oman we continue to win contracts and have done for decades," he added.
A spokesman for the Bahrain Defence Force Guidance and Culture Directorate declined to comment on any potential deal to purchase the Typhoon aircraft. –TradeArabia News Service
“We have recently completed the latest round of the tender. It’s actually on schedule. The Qatar authorities had been waiting for one or two bids by the end of last year; we understand that one of our competitors (in the US) had asked for some more time. So, we came here and just put in a new bid,” he said.
He added that BAE Systems was up against competition from all over the world. “Now we are waiting for the Qatari authorities to make their decision…These things take a long time since they involve complex decisions. The Qatar authorities have literally just got all the information (from all bidders from all over the world).”
Garwood admitted that unlike the relationship with other countries in the Middle East, so far his company has had small achievements in Qatar, including the supply of a few ships that too through a company that BAE Systems had acquired five-six years ago.
He hoped that this would change soon. “The relationship between Qatar and the United Kingdom is already at an all-time high. A major defence contract would be even better for that relationship, especially for the Royal and Emiri air forces.”
He said that there was “lots we can do” in Qatar. “We’ve got a comprehensive range of equipment and services that BAE Systems can provide. It’s not just the Typhoon, we are UK’s number one maker of warships and
armoured vehicles.”
The company on the whole has around 60 years of experience in the Gulf region. The BAE Systems’ Hawk aircraft is already “all over the Gulf,” including in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Oman,
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
About the presence of Typhoon in the region, he termed the Saudi Arabia “Salam deal” a huge success for BAE Systems, when the Gulf state agreed to buy 72 Eurofighter jets in 2007.
Recently, when Prince Charles visited the Saudi state, it marked the “end of serious of negotiations to adjust the price of the jets to current economic levels,” he said, without disclosing the exact amount of the
multi-billion dollar deal.
“Oman too has bought 12 Typhoons and we’ll start delivery in a few years’ time,” he said.
About not being able to conclude a deal with the UAE, he insisted that it had nothing to do with the quality or performance of the Typhoon. “In Abu Dhabi, the reason they didn’t proceed had nothing to do with the airplane at all. They had a set of very discreet requirements that added a lot of developments to the programme. They specified an airplane that was quite fantastic, but at the end of the day their budget wouldn’t allow them to proceed with that … so it was a budgetary decision.”
He said that the company was also looking into selling the aircraft to Bahrain. “It is down to the king of Bahrain now. He has given a number of statements saying that he would like to join the Typhoon family…We have not yet gone into negotiations with Bahraini authorities.”
He added that there was currently an evaluation on the Typhoon going on in Kuwait as well.
He termed the capability of the Typhoon as incredible, which was last year also demonstrated on the Corniche as part of the Red Arrow acrobatic air show.
He gave the example of its deployment in Libya recently, where it “never went wrong” and the Royal Airforce suffered no casualties.
Gulf Times - British company enters new bid for fighter planes
Miscellaneous
BAE Systems eyes Bahrain order for fighter jets
UK defence contractor BAE Systems, which is part of a consortium that manufactures the Eurofighter Typhoon, is ready to meet any order Bahrain might make for a squadron of state-of-the-art fighter jets, said a top official.
It follows the company's participation at Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) earlier this month, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.
"His Majesty King Hamad has made certain statements in the last year saying that he is very interested in the Typhoon and we are hoping, as are the British government, that he will place an order with us," BAE Systems group business development director Alan Garwood told the GDN.
"It is far too early to say any more than that, but we have been listening to his intentions and if that is what His Majesty wants to do then we will deliver."
The GDN reported in August that Bahrain was in talks about the possibility of buying an unspecified number of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
King Hamad met with British Prime Minister David Cameron while he was in London over the summer to discuss the deal.
Little has been said about the talks since, however, and it was feared in December that any possible deal might be under threat after talks between the Eurofighter consortium and the UAE fell through.
But UK Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond told the GDN that he remained confident a deal with Bahrain could be done, largely down to the "deep and multi-faceted relationship" Bahrain enjoys with the UK.
"The news from the UAE obviously was disappointing," Mr Hammond said.
"But we are very grateful to have had confirmation (from the UAE) that the aircraft matched all their requirements. It was nothing to do with the aircraft or its capabilities; it was the terms of the deal that was the sticking point."
The presence of both an RAF Typhoon and a Saudi Typhoon at BIAS 2014 offered an unique opportunity to highlight the aircraft's features and enhancements, Mr Hammond said.
"We know the Typhoon has got fabulous capabilities," he said.
"But being able to bring it here and particularly being able to put an RAF Typhoon next to a Saudi Typhoon means we can showcase this as a 'Gulf aircraft'.
"We hope very much that Bahrain will be joining the Typhoon family soon. I think it would be an excellent fit for the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF)," he added.
Garwood agreed with Hammond's assessment, pointing out that neighbouring GCC country Oman had the Typhoon on order and that RBAF pilots already train in BAE Systems aircraft following the delivery of six Hawk Mk129 aircraft in 2006.
"The Gulf is still a very big market for the defence industry in general and for BAE Systems in particular," Garwood said.
"There are two great growth markets in air sales - the Gulf and Asia. It's very stiff competition here and it's an interesting neighbourhood with a lot going on, so of course all our main American and European friends are here as well as the Indians and the Chinese.
"But that's fine, we are used to operating in competitive markets. We have been here long enough that I think we understand the market reasonably well. That does not mean we are perfect but in Saudi Arabia and Oman we continue to win contracts and have done for decades," he added.
A spokesman for the Bahrain Defence Force Guidance and Culture Directorate declined to comment on any potential deal to purchase the Typhoon aircraft. –TradeArabia News Service
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