India May Replace Global VSHORAD Tender With Domestic-Only One

[Zarvan]

Saab

India may cancel 2010 global tender for VSHORADs that includes competing more

NEW DELHI — India's $1.5 billion global tender for man-portable very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) systems is facing cancellation for the second time since it was launched in 2010 — this time in favor of a domestic-companies-only competition, a Ministry of Defence source said.

While the flight trials of the competing systems were completed in 2013, the tender may be canceled because competitors MBDA, Rosoboronexport and Saab in the past have claimed there was a lack of transparency in the procurement process, the MoD source said. The government is weighing a new VSHORAD tender in the Buy and Make (India) category, restricted to Indian companies, the source said.

For the 2010 tender, Russia's Rosoboronexport fielded the Igla-S, Swedish company Saab offered the RBS 70 NG and France-based MBDA offered the Mistral system for trials.

The procurement process was also halted in 2012 as the MoD studied a proposal from US company Raytheon to supply the Stinger man-portable VSHORAD on a government-to-government basis. However, negotiations yielded no agreement because of issues relating to the transfer of technology.

Since the tender involves technology transfer, Saab had teamed with ndia's state-owned Bharat Electronics, while MBDA forged ties with privately owned Indian company Larsen & Toubro. Rosoboronexport chose to field the Igla-S system on its own.

However, should the government opt to restrict the tender to domestic companies, "fresh teaming up will be made as the private-sector defense sector has seen major new entrants like Pipavav Defence, Bharat Forge and Punj Lloyd," according to Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian Army major general.

The Indian Army is looking for VSHORAD systems to replace its aging Russian-made Igla air defense systems and wants a man-portable system weighing less than 25 kilograms with fire-and-forget capability. Other Army requirements include a capability of engaging aerial targets day or night with an effective range of 6 kilometers.

Of the 5,175 missiles and associated equipment sought under the 2010 tender, 2,315 missiles were to be delivered fully assembled and 1,260 partially assembled, with 1,000 missiles to be assembled entirely in India and 600 to be made at Indian facilities. Associated equipment includes launchers, sensors, thermal imaging sights, and command-and-control units.

But it isn't known what requirements might be included if a fresh tender for VSHORADs is issued to domestic companies, the MoD source said.

"There is an urgent need for VSHORAD systems and the order is likely to increase considering that even the Indian Air Force has a requirement of these systems," Singh said.

Email: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com

India May Replace Global VSHORAD Tender With Domestic-only One

 

[knight11]

The four manufactures who responded to the Tenders are:
RBS 70 NG - VSHORAD

RBS 70 NG (new generation) is a very short range air defence (VSHORAD) system produced by Saab. It is an upgraded version of the RBS 70 VSHORAD system operational with 19 countries across the world. The RBS 70 NG made its public presence during the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition in September 2011. The system offers long-term static air defence for strategic assets and can be deployed for event protection in peacetime.
THALES STARSTREAK

Starstreak is a close-range anti-air guided-weapon system for use against helicopters and high-speed ground attack aircraft. The system is produced by Thales Air Defence Ltd (TADL). It is also known as Starstreak HVM (High Velocity Missile). After launch, the missile accelerates to more than Mach 4, making it the fastest short-range surface-to-air missile in the world. It then launches three laser beam riding submunitions, increasing the likelihood of a successful hit on the target.
MISTRAL - 2

Mistral is a very short-range air defence missile system that can be used from various platforms – vehicles, surface ships and helicopters, as well as in a portable configuration
The fully autonomous 'fire and forget' Mistral 2 missile is equipped with a two-stage solid propellant rocket motor designed and developed by Snecma Propulsion Solide. The missile is armed with a 3kg high-explosive warhead loaded with tungsten ball projectiles. The warheads are equipped with a contact fuse, a laser proximity fuse and a time delay self-destruct device. Guidance is by passive infrared homing using an indium arsenide detector array operating in the three to five micron waveband. The detector array is housed in a low-drag transparent hexagonal pyramid shaped nose cone.
IGLA SA-18 SAM

The IGLA or 9K38 is a Russian made man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile defence system (SAM/MANPAD). This is a third-generation, man-portable, surface-to-air missile system and it is given the Russian industrial index number 9K38, for the complete system. The missile key features of the improved system are resistance against flares and jamming, a more sensitive seeker, expanding forward-hemisphere engagement capability to include straight-approaching fighters (all-aspect capability) under favourable circumstances, a slightly longer range than the earlier version, a higher-impulse, shorter-burning rocket with higher peak velocity (but approximately same time of flight to maximum range), and a propellant that performs as high explosive when detonated by the warhead's secondary charge on impact.

 

[Ankit Kumar]

Only rumours, Mistral will be signed coming January.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Saab

India may cancel 2010 global tender for VSHORADs that includes competing more

NEW DELHI — India's $1.5 billion global tender for man-portable very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) systems is facing cancellation for the second time since it was launched in 2010 — this time in favor of a domestic-companies-only competition, a Ministry of Defence source said.

While the flight trials of the competing systems were completed in 2013, the tender may be canceled because competitors MBDA, Rosoboronexport and Saab in the past have claimed there was a lack of transparency in the procurement process, the MoD source said. The government is weighing a new VSHORAD tender in the Buy and Make (India) category, restricted to Indian companies, the source said.

For the 2010 tender, Russia's Rosoboronexport fielded the Igla-S, Swedish company Saab offered the RBS 70 NG and France-based MBDA offered the Mistral system for trials.

The procurement process was also halted in 2012 as the MoD studied a proposal from US company Raytheon to supply the Stinger man-portable VSHORAD on a government-to-government basis. However, negotiations yielded no agreement because of issues relating to the transfer of technology.

Since the tender involves technology transfer, Saab had teamed with ndia's state-owned Bharat Electronics, while MBDA forged ties with privately owned Indian company Larsen & Toubro. Rosoboronexport chose to field the Igla-S system on its own.

However, should the government opt to restrict the tender to domestic companies, "fresh teaming up will be made as the private-sector defense sector has seen major new entrants like Pipavav Defence, Bharat Forge and Punj Lloyd," according to Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian Army major general.

The Indian Army is looking for VSHORAD systems to replace its aging Russian-made Igla air defense systems and wants a man-portable system weighing less than 25 kilograms with fire-and-forget capability. Other Army requirements include a capability of engaging aerial targets day or night with an effective range of 6 kilometers.

Of the 5,175 missiles and associated equipment sought under the 2010 tender, 2,315 missiles were to be delivered fully assembled and 1,260 partially assembled, with 1,000 missiles to be assembled entirely in India and 600 to be made at Indian facilities. Associated equipment includes launchers, sensors, thermal imaging sights, and command-and-control units.

But it isn't known what requirements might be included if a fresh tender for VSHORADs is issued to domestic companies, the MoD source said.

"There is an urgent need for VSHORAD systems and the order is likely to increase considering that even the Indian Air Force has a requirement of these systems," Singh said.

Email: vraghuvanshi@defensenews.com

India May Replace Global VSHORAD Tender With Domestic-only One

This is very perplexing news that I'm sure has been compounded by the ignorance of the journalist who has then created this entirely misleading headline and incredibly vague content.

The orginal VSHORAD was already a "Buy and Make (India)" deal and as pointed out in the article ToT was part of it and foreign firms had already tied up with Indian entities. The article goes on to say that under the new bid the foreign firms would have to tie up again with Indian firms the only difference being there are a few more potential private sector firms (Pipavav Defence, Bharat Forge and Punj Lloyd) that foreign firms could tie up with.

The entire premise of the opening line, headline and throughout it entirely misleading and flawed a "domestic only tender" wouldn't work as there are ZERO domestic solutions to this requirement ready to take part in such a tender and certainly not amongst the provate sector.

Am I missing something here, where is the change? Where is the need to cancel the exsisting process considering the fact that these systems are desperately needed?


@Echo_419 @PARIKRAMA @Nilgiri @anant_s @Koovie

 

[Nilgiri]

This is very perplexing news that I'm sure has been compounded by the ignorance of the journalist who has then created this entirely misleading headline and incredibly vague content.

The orginal VSHORAD was already a "Buy and Make (India)" deal and as pointed out in the article ToT was part of it and foreign firms had already tied up with Indian entities. The article goes on to say that under the new bid the foreign firms would have to tie up again with Indian firms the only difference being there are a few more potential private sector firms (Pipavav Defence, Bharat Forge and Punj Lloyd) that foreign firms could tie up with.

The entire premise of the opening line, headline and throughout it entirely misleading and flawed a "domestic only tender" wouldn't work as there are ZERO domestic solutions to this requirement ready to take part in such a tender and certainly not amongst the provate sector.

Am I missing something here, where is the change? Where is the need to cancel the exsisting process considering the fact that these systems are desperately needed?


@Echo_419 @PARIKRAMA @Nilgiri @anant_s @Koovie

I am as confused as you are. Has there been an official MOD press release?

 

[Stephen Cohen]

This is similar to the K 9 artillery purchase

TOT and make in India

 

[Abingdonboy]

This is similar to the K 9 artillery purchase

TOT and make in India

But the orginal VSHORAD tender already included ToT and Make in India.

 

[Stephen Cohen]

But the orginal VSHORAD tender already included ToT and Make in India.

It was ; however earlier an OEM could go back on its word
Under the previous govt there was plenty of room to wriggle out of committments

This government is really serious about make in India

The K 9 model is good ; it can also be applied to M 777

 

[anant_s]

The orginal VSHORAD was already a "Buy and Make (India)" deal and as pointed out in the article ToT was part of it and foreign firms had already tied up with Indian entities.

Thats the impression i was under and therefore do not understand why there is a need to raise another tender?

 

[Jai Bharat]

I thought US Stingers were already selected?

US Javelin lost the anti-tank man-portable missiles to Israeli Spike, but then won the anti-aircraft man-portable missiles with the Stinger.

 

[knight11]

If I have to speculate than IGLA SA-18 SAM will win the VSHORAD tender.

 

[Ankit Kumar]

Nothing as such happening. Be sure that we are getting mistrals....

Anything now will make sure we have nothing for our lower air defence tier for another 10 years.

 

[Abingdonboy]

It was ; however earlier an OEM could go back on its word
Under the previous govt there was plenty of room to wriggle out of committments

This government is really serious about make in India

The K 9 model is good ; it can also be applied to M 777

But what is the "K9 model"? It doesn't seem any different to "Buy and Make (India)"

 

[PARIKRAMA]

I don know why a new tender is being envisioned as per this article. From 2009-10, we are already well late and the extensive trials indicated that we were thorough in finding what meets our best requirement. Unless someone points out and say that the systems tested did not meet the technical expectations and hence a re-tender to envision more participation and particularly some newer ones like Russian Verba (9K333 is developed as replacement to 9K38 Igla) or may be US based VShorad (Stinger lol) etc.

About Make In India and TOT part it was suppose to be originally there. About being more stringent with Norms no one has signed any contract so the contract can always be made more stringent especially when the numbers are pretty huge.

Either we are reinventing the wheel or we are scrapping it and may be directly buying from say like Russia or jointly producing it similar to the deal in the lines of Ka226 under Make in India...

 

[Mike_Brando]

But the orginal VSHORAD tender already included ToT and Make in India.

Buddy,what's the current status of the 814 Mounted Guns deal that was cleared by the DAC last year??