Eurocopter Bidding For Up To $8B Of India Defense Deals
NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--Eurocopter, the helicopter manufacturing unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (5730.FR), is bidding for four to five defense contracts in India valued at $7 billion-$8 billion, a senior company executive said Tuesday.
Eurocopter also plans to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul center for the Dauphin helicopter in a joint venture with India's state-run Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., Rainer Farid, Eurocopter's vice president for sales and customers relation in South Asia, told reporters at a defense exhibition.
The repair center, which could be in either in New Delhi or Mumbai, will serve as a base for Dauphin helicopters in South Asia.
Farid said Eurocopter is bidding for the army and air force's 197 light-utility helicopter tender and is offering its Fennec helicopter. Trials are expected to conclude by December, he said.
It has also bid for contracts from the navy, coast guard and the air force in India to supply more than 115 helicopters for various roles, he said.
Farid said Eurocopter is currently holding discussions with up to 50 companies in India for potential alliances to meet the country's regulations for defense contracts.
The Indian government's offset policy requires the winning bidder in a military tender valued at more than INR3 billion to produce part of the contract's value through partnerships with local vendors. The policy has been formulated to help build the country's fledging military industrial sector.
Farid said Eurocopter and Pawan Hans will hold equal stakes in the new helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul center. Pawan Hans, India's biggest helicopter operator, will likely have a fleet of 35 Dauphin helicopters by later this year, he said.
Pawan Hans currently has 26 Dauphin helicopters, according to its Web site.
Farid said there are currently about 220 Eurocopter civilian helicopters operating in India, giving the company a 35% market share.
Separately, Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter's senior vice president in charge of sales and customer relations for Asia Pacific said the region is the fastest-growing for the company.
"The market [in Asia Pacific] is growing twice as fast as the rest of the world," he said. "In the forthcoming years, the main market in Asia Pacific will be India and China."
NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--Eurocopter, the helicopter manufacturing unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (5730.FR), is bidding for four to five defense contracts in India valued at $7 billion-$8 billion, a senior company executive said Tuesday.
Eurocopter also plans to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul center for the Dauphin helicopter in a joint venture with India's state-run Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., Rainer Farid, Eurocopter's vice president for sales and customers relation in South Asia, told reporters at a defense exhibition.
The repair center, which could be in either in New Delhi or Mumbai, will serve as a base for Dauphin helicopters in South Asia.
Farid said Eurocopter is bidding for the army and air force's 197 light-utility helicopter tender and is offering its Fennec helicopter. Trials are expected to conclude by December, he said.
It has also bid for contracts from the navy, coast guard and the air force in India to supply more than 115 helicopters for various roles, he said.
Farid said Eurocopter is currently holding discussions with up to 50 companies in India for potential alliances to meet the country's regulations for defense contracts.
The Indian government's offset policy requires the winning bidder in a military tender valued at more than INR3 billion to produce part of the contract's value through partnerships with local vendors. The policy has been formulated to help build the country's fledging military industrial sector.
Farid said Eurocopter and Pawan Hans will hold equal stakes in the new helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul center. Pawan Hans, India's biggest helicopter operator, will likely have a fleet of 35 Dauphin helicopters by later this year, he said.
Pawan Hans currently has 26 Dauphin helicopters, according to its Web site.
Farid said there are currently about 220 Eurocopter civilian helicopters operating in India, giving the company a 35% market share.
Separately, Norbert Ducrot, Eurocopter's senior vice president in charge of sales and customer relations for Asia Pacific said the region is the fastest-growing for the company.
"The market [in Asia Pacific] is growing twice as fast as the rest of the world," he said. "In the forthcoming years, the main market in Asia Pacific will be India and China."
