Major Shaitan Singh
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The high point of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to France from 9 to 12 April will be a visit to the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, home to both the French civil and military aviation industry.
"France, Germany and Canada visit is centred around supporting India's economic agenda and creating jobs for our youths," the Prime Minister said in a tweet on Saturday.
Modi's outreach to French business is being carefully watched in the backdrop of the Indian indecision on the $20 billion contract for 126 French Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). A decision is also pending on the $2 billion contract for eight Airbus A-330 MRTT mid-air refuellers for the IAF.
With its decision-making credibility under the spotlight, India sent significant signals ahead of the Prime Minister's visit. On Saturday, the apex body for defence procurements, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, gave the green signal to a new multi-billion dollar AWACS programme. India's new eye in the sky will ride an Airbus A-330. An Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-developed rotodome radar will be mounted on the A-330. The cost of the first two of the six AWACS itself will be above $817 million.
But the most significant statement is the reported revival of the $5 billion Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) project, codenamed Maitri. Meant to be a collaborative development project between French MBDA and India's DRDO, it has been gathering dust since 2007. The SRSAM was meant to fill up the air defence gap left by the delay in the indigenous Akash project. But the recent progress on the Akash, and its embrace both by the Indian Air Force and the Army, was thought to have shut the door on the SRSAM.
The SRSAM is now being re-pitched as a naval weapon, which will enable warships to defend themselves not just against enemy air attacks, but even to intercept enemy missiles up to a range of about 30 km. But the utility of the SRSAM for the Navy is being questioned because leading Indian warships are already equipped with the Israeli Barak anti-missile system, which can intercept airborne threats up to about 10 km. A multi-billion dollar development project with Israel is underway to increase the interception range of the Navy's missile defence system to 70 km. This project is now near completion. Whether the Navy needs a mid-way weapon is debatable, military analysts point out.
The Ministry of Defence was silent on reports that the revival of the floundering SRSAM project was discussed at the apex DAC meeting. But speculation is rife that the SRSAM could be held out as a consolation should the mother of all defence deals, the Rafale fighter jet deal not come through.
Sources said the two sides are likely to have given thought to the fallout of the contract not going through. This week, France handed over to the IAF the first two of the 51 Mirage 2000 fighters which are being upgraded under a $2.1 billion Indo-French programme. "France is a leading and reliable defence supplier to India, and the relationship is not centred just around the fighter aircraft deal," sources said.
The French, on the other hand, have made no secret that they are highly miffed by the endless delays in India's defence procurement programmes, and the repeated cancellation of tenders. Modi's Toulouse mission is meant to be as much of an outreach as a reassurance to the French that India will be businesslike and rewarding.
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