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"The IAF wants the RFI issued within weeks and get the process started," said a source. ''The problem is that government keeps shifting what it wants," he added
Boeing Co, considered the frontrunner in the race to supply the Indian navy with new fighter jets, is now in contention for a much bigger $15 billion order after the government abruptly asked the air force to consider the twin-engine planes.
Until recently, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16 and Saab AB's Gripen were in a two-horse race to supply at least 100 single-engine jets to build up the Indian Air Force's fast-depleting combat fleet.
Both had offered to build the planes in India in collaboration with local companies as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to build a domestic industrial base and cut back on arms imports.
But last month the government asked the air force to open up the competition to twin-engine aircraft and to evaluate Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, a defence ministry source said. That jet is a finalist for the Indian navy's $8 billion to $9 billion contract for 57 fighters.
The defence ministry plans to within weeks issue a request for information (RFI), the first stage of a procurement process, for a fighter to be built in India. The competition will be open to both single and twin-engine jets, the official said, but both Lockheed and Saab said they had not been informed about the new requirements.
The latest change of heart is a major opportunity for Boeing, whose only foreign Super Hornet customer so far is the Royal Australian Air Force.
It also illustrates how dysfunctional the weapons procurement process and arms industry are in the world's second-most-populous country. The need for new fighters has been known for nearly 15 years, but after many announcements, twists and turns, the country's air force has only three-quarters of the aircraft it needs.
An indigenous light combat aircraft, the Tejas, is still not operational, 35 years after it was first proposed.
An Indian Air Force source said fighter procurement was urgent: the branch's operational strength has fallen to just 33 squadrons, its weakest level in four decades, as it decommissions Soviet-era MiG-21s.
"The IAF wants the RFI issued within weeks and get the process started," said the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. "The problem is that government keeps shifting what it wants."
A PRESSING NEED
Over the next decade, 13 more squadrons will be retired as their aircraft age out of service, parliament's standing committee on defence said in a December report.
The defence ministry declined to comment on the air force's aircraft modernisation programme, saying it was not in a position to do so.
Lockheed, which had offered to shift its F-16 production line in Fort Worth, Texas, to India, said it had not been told of any change to the Indian plan for single-engine fighters.
"Our proposed F-16 partnership with India stands firm," the company said in an email. Last year it picked Tata Advanced Systems as its local partner and said it was in talks with dozens of firms to build up the supplier network.
"The Government of India has not yet issued formal requirements but we are continuing to support government-to-government discussions and engage with Indian companies about F-16 industrial opportunities," Lockheed said.
Sweden's Saab was also caught off guard.
"We have seen the reports in the Indian media, but no new formal communication has been made to us regarding the fighter programme," said Rob Hewson, Saab Asia Pacific's head of communications.
France's Dassault Systemes SE's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also potential contenders under the new requirements, the air force source and industry analysts said.
An order the size of India's is rare. The only comparable opportunity for the Super Hornet is Canada's request for 88 fighters, which could be worth as much as $14.6 billion.
The Indian air force competition has echoes of a 2007 tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, which the Rafale won. But negotiations quickly bogged down over local production and prices, and in the end, the government ordered just 36 of the planes in 2016 for $8.7 billion.
LOCAL FIGHTER
The air force ideally would like a combination of lighter single-engine and twin-engine jets, as well as stealthy aircraft, but cannot afford such a range of foreign systems, analysts said.
A twin-engine foreign fighter would perhaps offer the best value while the Tejas finishes development, they said.
India's annual defence capital procurement budget of $14 billion to $15 billion has to be spread over the army, navy, air force and the indigenous defence research organisation.
"The operational costs are going up with increased manpower, higher wages and general inflation. Ministry of Defence doesn't have the luxury to go for too many platforms despite the rapidly falling squadron strength of the air force," said Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG.
Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said the company was ready to respond to any request from the air force.
"We will follow the MoD's lead on their process and will be responsive to their needs if we are asked to provide any information," he said.
Kumar said Boeing was committed to building the planes in India and had offered to help with India's plans to develop its own advanced medium combat aircraft.
But the experience with the Rafale contract has made experts sceptical that the latest tender will proceed as planned.
Richard A. Bitzinger, visiting senior fellow at Singapore's S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said he did not expect a resolution in even the next two to three years.
"I am never surprised by what the Indians do when it comes to their procurement tenders. They are constantly changing the rules, changing their minds, and often even cancelling orders mid-way through," he said.
"The Indians have a remarkable knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory."
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...r-hornets-for-16-bn-order-118031500135_1.html
U.S. Pacific Command Boss Mentions Potential Sale Of F-35 To India
ANDY WOLFE—LOCKHEED MARTIN
SHARE
TYLER ROGOWAYView Tyler Rogoway's Articles
twitter.com/Aviation_Intel
Just as India's once again hits the reset button on its premier fighter aircraft procurement program and becomes ever more disillusioned with Russia's 5th generation fighter offering, the head of U.S. Pacific Command has supposedly stated that he supports the sale of F-35s to India. This would be the first official admission that such a possibility is even on the table, although The War Zone has long suspected this would be the case.
INDIA WANTS TO LINK ITS REBOOTED FIGHTER JET TENDER TO FUTURE STEALTH FIGHTER DEVELOPMENTBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
BOEING SAYS SUPER HORNET FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH INDIAN NAVY SKI-JUMP CARRIERSBy Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE
INDIA UPENDS ITS SINGLE-ENGINE FIGHTER COMPETITION AND WILL ALSO CONSIDER TWIN-ENGINE JETSBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
RUSSIA ADMITS SU-57S WERE IN SYRIA BUT CLAIMS THEY LEFT AFTER JUST TWO DAYSBy Joseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE
SAUDIS JOIN UAE IN PUSH TO BUY F-35S AS CONCERNS ABOUT THE JET'S COMPUTER NETWORK GROWBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
First reported on by Stratpost.com, during a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing USPACOM boss Admiral Harry Harris Jr. is quotes as stating the following:
“At the moment, India is considering a number of U.S. systems for purchase, all of which USPACOM fully supports: the F-16 for India’s large single-engine, multi-role fighter acquisition program; the F/A-18E for India’s multi-engine, carrier-based fighter purchase; a reorder of 12-15 P-8Is; a potential purchase of SeaGuardian UAS; MH-60R multi-role sea-based helicopter; and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter...
...India will be among the U.S.’s most significant partners in the years to come due to its growing influence and expanding military. As a new generation of political leaders emerge, India has shown that it is more open to strengthening security ties with the U.S. and adjusting its historic policy of non-alignment to address common strategic interests. The U.S. seeks an enduring, regular, routine, and institutionalized strategic partnership with India. USPACOM identifies a security relationship with India as a major command line-of-effort...
...USPACOM will sustain the momentum of the strategic relationship generated by the POTUS-Prime Minister-level and the emerging 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue through strengthening our military-to-military relationship and working toward additional enabling agreements to enhance interoperability...
...Over the past year, U.S. and Indian militaries participated together in three major exercises, executed more than 50 other military exchanges, and operationalized the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). Defense sales are at an all-time high with India operating U.S.-sourced airframes, such as P-8s, C-130Js, C-17s, AH-64s, and CH-47s, and M777 howitzers.”
The potential confirmation comes after India has denied that they are interested in the F-35, or that they have been briefed directly on the program. But rumors of background talks about the possibility of purchasing the stealth fighter have persisted.
AP
The possibility of F-35s wearing Indian Air Force roundels is not new. During the Obama Administration, as India tightened up more and more with the United States, the possibility was often discussed in defense circles and by the author of this post. But that administration was far heavier handed when it came to controlling weapons exports compared to the Trump Administration, which has a not so secret affinity for selling American weaponry to allies abroad.
The threat China poses in the region is also accelerating, and India in particular is being faced with Beijing's extra-territorial assertiveness more than ever. The F-35 could go a long way in counter-balancing China's rapidly modernizing air combat capabilities, including the introduction of its own low-observable fighter, the J-20, into service recently.
India's need for fighters that can operate from land and from ships, with catapults and without, could prove to make the F-35 especially enticing, as the Indian MoD could use all three variants in the coming years.
Obviously tight export controls would have to be part of any F-35 deal with India, and it is very unlikely that technology transfer or major industrial offsets would be included in a purchase. But India could buy other aircraft, even the F-16 Viper or F/A-18 Super Hornet, or something from another country, to accomplish those goals. So an F-35 purchase would be a longer-term strategic play, with the possibility of industrial offsets and technology transfer occurring much farther down the line.
LOCKHEED MARTIN
F-35 tests its dorsal drogue chute enclosure during recent trials.
The big question is does India needs the F-35's capabilities in the near term, even if that means eating into their budget for other tactical jet programs. That's a question that we will have to wait to have answered, but New Delhi could jettison its PAK-FA deal with Russia—which is based on a variant of the Su-57—and divert those separate funds to an F-35 procurement initiative.
Such a move would enrage Russia, which is banking on Indian funds to help sustain and stabilize the Su-57 program, a jet which Moscow is having trouble buying itself.
Above all else, if this report is accurate, we have our first official admission that the F-35 is very well in play when it comes to U.S.-Indian military cooperation. With high-level talks between both countries defense officials scheduled in the weeks to come, we may hear more about a Joint Strike Fighter's possible sale to India soon.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ntions-potential-sale-of-f-35-to-india-report
Boeing Co, considered the frontrunner in the race to supply the Indian navy with new fighter jets, is now in contention for a much bigger $15 billion order after the government abruptly asked the air force to consider the twin-engine planes.
Until recently, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16 and Saab AB's Gripen were in a two-horse race to supply at least 100 single-engine jets to build up the Indian Air Force's fast-depleting combat fleet.
Both had offered to build the planes in India in collaboration with local companies as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to build a domestic industrial base and cut back on arms imports.
But last month the government asked the air force to open up the competition to twin-engine aircraft and to evaluate Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, a defence ministry source said. That jet is a finalist for the Indian navy's $8 billion to $9 billion contract for 57 fighters.
The defence ministry plans to within weeks issue a request for information (RFI), the first stage of a procurement process, for a fighter to be built in India. The competition will be open to both single and twin-engine jets, the official said, but both Lockheed and Saab said they had not been informed about the new requirements.
The latest change of heart is a major opportunity for Boeing, whose only foreign Super Hornet customer so far is the Royal Australian Air Force.
It also illustrates how dysfunctional the weapons procurement process and arms industry are in the world's second-most-populous country. The need for new fighters has been known for nearly 15 years, but after many announcements, twists and turns, the country's air force has only three-quarters of the aircraft it needs.
An indigenous light combat aircraft, the Tejas, is still not operational, 35 years after it was first proposed.
An Indian Air Force source said fighter procurement was urgent: the branch's operational strength has fallen to just 33 squadrons, its weakest level in four decades, as it decommissions Soviet-era MiG-21s.
"The IAF wants the RFI issued within weeks and get the process started," said the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. "The problem is that government keeps shifting what it wants."
A PRESSING NEED
Over the next decade, 13 more squadrons will be retired as their aircraft age out of service, parliament's standing committee on defence said in a December report.
The defence ministry declined to comment on the air force's aircraft modernisation programme, saying it was not in a position to do so.
Lockheed, which had offered to shift its F-16 production line in Fort Worth, Texas, to India, said it had not been told of any change to the Indian plan for single-engine fighters.
"Our proposed F-16 partnership with India stands firm," the company said in an email. Last year it picked Tata Advanced Systems as its local partner and said it was in talks with dozens of firms to build up the supplier network.
"The Government of India has not yet issued formal requirements but we are continuing to support government-to-government discussions and engage with Indian companies about F-16 industrial opportunities," Lockheed said.
Sweden's Saab was also caught off guard.
"We have seen the reports in the Indian media, but no new formal communication has been made to us regarding the fighter programme," said Rob Hewson, Saab Asia Pacific's head of communications.
France's Dassault Systemes SE's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Russian aircraft are also potential contenders under the new requirements, the air force source and industry analysts said.
An order the size of India's is rare. The only comparable opportunity for the Super Hornet is Canada's request for 88 fighters, which could be worth as much as $14.6 billion.
The Indian air force competition has echoes of a 2007 tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, which the Rafale won. But negotiations quickly bogged down over local production and prices, and in the end, the government ordered just 36 of the planes in 2016 for $8.7 billion.
LOCAL FIGHTER
The air force ideally would like a combination of lighter single-engine and twin-engine jets, as well as stealthy aircraft, but cannot afford such a range of foreign systems, analysts said.
A twin-engine foreign fighter would perhaps offer the best value while the Tejas finishes development, they said.
India's annual defence capital procurement budget of $14 billion to $15 billion has to be spread over the army, navy, air force and the indigenous defence research organisation.
"The operational costs are going up with increased manpower, higher wages and general inflation. Ministry of Defence doesn't have the luxury to go for too many platforms despite the rapidly falling squadron strength of the air force," said Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at global consultancy KPMG.
Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said the company was ready to respond to any request from the air force.
"We will follow the MoD's lead on their process and will be responsive to their needs if we are asked to provide any information," he said.
Kumar said Boeing was committed to building the planes in India and had offered to help with India's plans to develop its own advanced medium combat aircraft.
But the experience with the Rafale contract has made experts sceptical that the latest tender will proceed as planned.
Richard A. Bitzinger, visiting senior fellow at Singapore's S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said he did not expect a resolution in even the next two to three years.
"I am never surprised by what the Indians do when it comes to their procurement tenders. They are constantly changing the rules, changing their minds, and often even cancelling orders mid-way through," he said.
"The Indians have a remarkable knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory."
http://www.business-standard.com/ar...r-hornets-for-16-bn-order-118031500135_1.html
U.S. Pacific Command Boss Mentions Potential Sale Of F-35 To India
ANDY WOLFE—LOCKHEED MARTIN
SHARE
TYLER ROGOWAYView Tyler Rogoway's Articles
twitter.com/Aviation_Intel
Just as India's once again hits the reset button on its premier fighter aircraft procurement program and becomes ever more disillusioned with Russia's 5th generation fighter offering, the head of U.S. Pacific Command has supposedly stated that he supports the sale of F-35s to India. This would be the first official admission that such a possibility is even on the table, although The War Zone has long suspected this would be the case.
INDIA WANTS TO LINK ITS REBOOTED FIGHTER JET TENDER TO FUTURE STEALTH FIGHTER DEVELOPMENTBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
BOEING SAYS SUPER HORNET FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH INDIAN NAVY SKI-JUMP CARRIERSBy Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE
INDIA UPENDS ITS SINGLE-ENGINE FIGHTER COMPETITION AND WILL ALSO CONSIDER TWIN-ENGINE JETSBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
RUSSIA ADMITS SU-57S WERE IN SYRIA BUT CLAIMS THEY LEFT AFTER JUST TWO DAYSBy Joseph Trevithick and Tyler RogowayPosted in THE WAR ZONE
SAUDIS JOIN UAE IN PUSH TO BUY F-35S AS CONCERNS ABOUT THE JET'S COMPUTER NETWORK GROWBy Joseph TrevithickPosted in THE WAR ZONE
First reported on by Stratpost.com, during a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing USPACOM boss Admiral Harry Harris Jr. is quotes as stating the following:
“At the moment, India is considering a number of U.S. systems for purchase, all of which USPACOM fully supports: the F-16 for India’s large single-engine, multi-role fighter acquisition program; the F/A-18E for India’s multi-engine, carrier-based fighter purchase; a reorder of 12-15 P-8Is; a potential purchase of SeaGuardian UAS; MH-60R multi-role sea-based helicopter; and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter...
...India will be among the U.S.’s most significant partners in the years to come due to its growing influence and expanding military. As a new generation of political leaders emerge, India has shown that it is more open to strengthening security ties with the U.S. and adjusting its historic policy of non-alignment to address common strategic interests. The U.S. seeks an enduring, regular, routine, and institutionalized strategic partnership with India. USPACOM identifies a security relationship with India as a major command line-of-effort...
...USPACOM will sustain the momentum of the strategic relationship generated by the POTUS-Prime Minister-level and the emerging 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue through strengthening our military-to-military relationship and working toward additional enabling agreements to enhance interoperability...
...Over the past year, U.S. and Indian militaries participated together in three major exercises, executed more than 50 other military exchanges, and operationalized the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). Defense sales are at an all-time high with India operating U.S.-sourced airframes, such as P-8s, C-130Js, C-17s, AH-64s, and CH-47s, and M777 howitzers.”
The potential confirmation comes after India has denied that they are interested in the F-35, or that they have been briefed directly on the program. But rumors of background talks about the possibility of purchasing the stealth fighter have persisted.
AP
The possibility of F-35s wearing Indian Air Force roundels is not new. During the Obama Administration, as India tightened up more and more with the United States, the possibility was often discussed in defense circles and by the author of this post. But that administration was far heavier handed when it came to controlling weapons exports compared to the Trump Administration, which has a not so secret affinity for selling American weaponry to allies abroad.
The threat China poses in the region is also accelerating, and India in particular is being faced with Beijing's extra-territorial assertiveness more than ever. The F-35 could go a long way in counter-balancing China's rapidly modernizing air combat capabilities, including the introduction of its own low-observable fighter, the J-20, into service recently.
India's need for fighters that can operate from land and from ships, with catapults and without, could prove to make the F-35 especially enticing, as the Indian MoD could use all three variants in the coming years.
Obviously tight export controls would have to be part of any F-35 deal with India, and it is very unlikely that technology transfer or major industrial offsets would be included in a purchase. But India could buy other aircraft, even the F-16 Viper or F/A-18 Super Hornet, or something from another country, to accomplish those goals. So an F-35 purchase would be a longer-term strategic play, with the possibility of industrial offsets and technology transfer occurring much farther down the line.
LOCKHEED MARTIN
F-35 tests its dorsal drogue chute enclosure during recent trials.
The big question is does India needs the F-35's capabilities in the near term, even if that means eating into their budget for other tactical jet programs. That's a question that we will have to wait to have answered, but New Delhi could jettison its PAK-FA deal with Russia—which is based on a variant of the Su-57—and divert those separate funds to an F-35 procurement initiative.
Such a move would enrage Russia, which is banking on Indian funds to help sustain and stabilize the Su-57 program, a jet which Moscow is having trouble buying itself.
Above all else, if this report is accurate, we have our first official admission that the F-35 is very well in play when it comes to U.S.-Indian military cooperation. With high-level talks between both countries defense officials scheduled in the weeks to come, we may hear more about a Joint Strike Fighter's possible sale to India soon.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ntions-potential-sale-of-f-35-to-india-report
- why are they so confused ?
